Saving Craft Australia... A Letter

As I mentioned previously, Craft Australia has been defunded by the Australia Council and will no longer operate beyond the end of 2011, unless their appeal for interim funding is granted. I have written a letter expressing my support for Craft Australia and sent it to the Australia Council's Visual Arts Board, Minister for the Arts and Shadow Minister for the Arts , as suggested by the Save Craft Australia initiative. Each of these contact details are given on their blog.

The content of my letter is below; please feel free to borrow liberally from it if you would like to support Craft Australia by sending your own letter.

To Whom it May Concern:

I am writing to express my support for Craft Australia, recently defunded by the Australia Council for the Arts, and its request for interim funding to continue organisational operations.  As an Australian craft artist and tertiary craft educator, I believe strongly that Craft Australia is an invaluable resource to the craft and design sector.

Through its website, e-newsletters and blog Craft Australia provides craft artists, students, educators and stakeholders with:

•  a portal for the dissemination of craft and design research excellence, including the online journal craft + design enquiry
• an international forum for discussion about current issues in contemporary craft and design, including a recent focus on issues of sustainability
• national advocacy for Australian craft and design, ensuring that the craft and design sector has a voice on national decision making organisations such the Australian Design Alliance (AdA), ArtsPeak, the National Visual Arts Craft Network (NVACN) and the Council for Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, (CHASS)
•  a vital resource for up-to-date, industry-specific news and information about the craft and design sector
• an ongoing historical and contemporary record of Australian craft through the digital Image Bank
• a central hub uniting diverse areas of craft and design nationwide

Craft Australia is a unique and essential organisation supporting and promoting the vibrant Australian craft sector. There is no other national body advocating for craft and design in Australia.

I strongly encourage you to support Craft Australia’s request for interim funding as well as long-term funding solutions to ensure the ongoing viability of Craft Australia. 

Kind Regards,

Mel Miller

Craft Artist and Educator