Emerging Contemporaries

the extraordinary achievements of
those artists and craftspeople already
enjoying success, or who have a careerlong
journey that is ripe for the survey
exhibition.
Different skills and aptitudes are involved
in curating the work of artists who
audiences know well, versus building
emerging practitioners, stimulating their
practice, and engendering opportunities,
and new networks for them. Good
curatorial work responds to both: it
caters for all aspects of this creative
field, seeing how each vital community,
of emerging artists, mid-career artists
and established practitioners, all interrelate.
Moreover, the best curatorial
practice is a creative act itself: stepping
forward with a confident eye, and armed
also with a knowledge of theory and art
history —and other forms of acquired
knowledge— and putting this into
practice with artistic judgement and
analysis, to make brave new choices,
curating new names, new artists,
that bring new voices and images to
audiences, rather than solely reinforcing
the pedigrees of celebrated art heroes.
Both the art heroes and the newcomers
are important, but I offer a provocation
to curators to be clever and creative in
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discovering new work; and I hope this
statement will also offer inspiration
to those ‘Emerging Contemporaries’
exhibiting here at Craft ACT; knowing
that curators and institutions do look
and observe, and new opportunities and
partnerships are always forming and
evolving.
The Craft ACT 2021 program launches
strongly, catering to the different
streams of both emerging artists and
established practitioners, as evidenced
so well, with these two exhibitions
that mark the commencement of the
2021 program. There is a very worthy
commitment here, to encouraging and
sustaining creative people and emerging
artists, and profiling the work of some
of Canberra’s most established artists
and craftspeople. I congratulate each of
the artists, designers and craftspeople
involved, together with Craft ACT CEO
Rachael Coghlan and her team.
Dr Sarah Schmidt, Director
Canberra Museum and Gallery | The
Nolan Collection
Image left: Olinda Narayanan, Drifting in one place
(detail), 2020, indigo dyed thread, copper and wooden
supports. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Page 14-15: Emerging Contemporaries, installation view.
Photo: 5 Foot Photography