Sydney Craft Week opening night

On Friday night, Sydney Craft Week opened with a fantastic event at the Australian Design Centre (ADC) celebrating Sydney's incredible makers.

Lisa Cahill, CEO and Artistic Director of ADC led the speeches, while Councillor Jess Scully from the City of Sydney officially launched Sydney Craft Week.

Penny Craswell, Creative Strategy Associate at ADC hosted a short Q&A with Indigenous Jewellery Project founding curator Emily McCulloch Childs in conjunction with Bulay(i): Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, and with Professor Melissa Knothe Tate on her exhibition Biotextilogy: The Cellular Catwalk, with both events also launching that night.

Lisa also announced eight new Australian Design Honourees – Jane Burns, Grace Cochrane, Nadeena Dixon, Vicki Grima, Anna Grigson and Maria Grimaldi, Kevin Murray and Oliver Smith – celebrating the remarkable achievements of these champions of craft. See more about the honourees here.

Finally, Frank Howarth, from ADC's Board, made some closing remarks about the Australian Design Centre, which has just announced its new Friends program.

This jam-packed event was the perfect celebration of Sydney craft for this inaugural festival, bringing together and celebrating Sydney's diverse craft community. And just the beginning of a week-long program jammed with events!

All images by Simon Cardwell.
Top left: Lisa Cahill, ADC
Top right: The crowd mills around Young Henrys stand
Above: Jess Scully, City of Sydney
The crowd listens to speeches
(L-R) Emily McCulloch Childs, Penny Craswell, Melissa Knothe Tait
Frank Howarth, ADC Board
AD Honorees (L-R): Oliver Smith, Grace Cochrane, Maria Grimaldi, Vicki Grima, Jane Burns and Anna Grigson (absent: Kevin Murray and Nadeena Dixon)