The future looks bright for ACT art and design

A handpicked selection of early career artists and designers working in furniture, ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles and more will this month launch the 2020 CraftACT artistic program.

Two exhibitions will open on February 6.

Distorted Trajectories and Emerging Contemporaries show the future is bright for contemporary craft and design in the Canberra region and beyond, according to Craft ACT CEO and artistic director Rachael Coghlan.

The exhibitions come, also, as "the global appetite to support the local and the handmade only grows", she says.

"Craft ACT is honoured to present these two exhibitions featuring impressive and high-quality work from emerging and early career artists across all the craft mediums," Dr Coghlan said.

Contemporary glass artists, Madeline Prowd and Marcel Hoogstad Hay, explore the combinations of pattern and form through the medium of blown glass in their exhibition Distorted Trajectories.

Both graduates of the ANU School of Art, Prowd and Hoogstad Hay have gone on to complete the two-year associate training program at the acclaimed JamFactory in Adelaide.

Emerging Contemporaries , meanwhile, is a highlight of Craft ACT's annual exhibition program, showcasing the work of graduates and emerging craft practitioners selected from the ACT and surrounding region.

"These early career makers, selected from the best in Canberra and beyond, spark new conversations and generate inspiring ideas which will launch our 2020 artistic program," Dr Coghlan said.

Emerging Contemporaries participants were selected by institutions such as the ANU School of Art + Design, University of Canberra, Sturt School for Wood, Canberra Institute of Technology and Canberra Potters Society.

"I thank these respected institutions for nurturing the next generations of craftspeople and designers," Dr Coghlan said.

• The exhibitions open at 6pm, Thursday, February 6, Craft ACT Gallery, Level 1, North Building, 180 London Circuit.