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Hello <<First Name>>

It’s begun! Festival exhibitions are beginning to open, artists and gallery teams are installing works, and yes! You can now book tickets to the IOTA21 conference and fashion event.

If you are in Western Australia, we invite you to attend the IOTA21 opening events in person and for those of you interstate and overseas you will be able to access the conference virtually as a webinar.

Read on for the announcement of our special Keynote Speaker, where to find more info, some festival highlights, and a great funding opportunity for WA-based regional artists, craftspeople and arts workers.

Please share the news widely with your friends, colleagues and family. We look forward to seeing you at an IOTA21 event soon.

FUTURING CRAFT & CURIOSITY AND THE CLOTH

A two-day conference and a fashion event. ‘Futuring Craft’ addresses matters that traverse craft from design, environment, economies and fundamental human rights. Augmented by ‘Curiosity and the Cloth’ – a fashion event like no other! Join us!

• DAY 1: Friday 17 September, 8:30AM - 4:00PM, WA Maritime Museum, Fremantle

• DAY 2: Saturday 18 September. 9:00AM – 4:30PM, Curtin University, Bentley Campus

• DAY 3: Sunday 19 September, 6:30PM, WA Museum Boola Bardip, Perth

Keynote Speaker: Nyadol Nyuon

Who tells our stories, how do they tell them, and what informs the rights they have to speak?

Friday’s opening Keynote address is brought to you by Nyadol Nyuon an award-winning human rights advocate, lawyer and writer. Nyuon will share her observations of the region in terms of the political, social and economic issues confronting many of our regional neighbours with a specific focus on 'authenticity'.

A fashion event like no other. Curiosity and the Cloth features designers from Kenya, South Africa, India, Malaysia, and Thailand alongside First Nations designers from Western Australia & Northern Territory.

Image: Courtesy péro. Photo @flyingbootsproduction

The IOTA21 Conference and Fashion Event are presented in collaboration with Curtin University's School of Design and the Built Environment, supported by the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts, the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program, Business Events Perth and the WA Museum.

IOTA REGIONAL PARTICIPATION GRANTS

Regional Arts WA is delighted to support regional artists, arts workers and craft practitioners to attend the inaugural Indian Ocean Craft Triennial Opening Events; Futuring Craft conference and Curiosity and the Cloth fashion event, in Perth, 17-19 September 2021.

Designed to support regionally based arts and craft practitioners who would otherwise be unable to attend, Regional Arts WA will provide grants of up to $500 ($1,000 for participants from remote locations or above the 26th parallel) towards costs associated with travel, accommodation, or registration fees. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis but must close before Wednesday 25 August.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

OBLIVION Bunbury Regional Art Gallery 7 AUGUST – 7 NOVEMBER

Ruth Halbert, Elisa Markes-Young, Katharina Meister

‘Oblivion’ is a word heavy with meaning and the threat thereof is central to the contemporary mindset. Further to the migrant experience and fears of pending ecological and societal collapse, our complex digital lives can also elicit significant issues and outcomes.

Image: Elisa Markes Young, Small Heirlooms (detail), 2020, Wenzhou rice paper, paper, sequins, thread, wood, Variable. Photo: Christopher Young.

MATTER Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery 10 JULY – 27 NOVEMBER

MATTER is an exhibition of works from the Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art focusing on materials and materiality. Featuring works of grit, weight and significance, MATTER invites audiences to reflect on the material choices artists make.

Image: Toni Warburton, Self portrait in a fair isle pullover, 1983-85, Terracotta and tin-glazed majolica, 15 x 5 x 8 cm, Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art, The University of Western Australia, Copyright and courtesy of the artist.

FINDERS KEEPERS: NALDA SEARLES Mundaring Arts Centre 14 AUGUST – 31 OCTOBER

With her uniquely Australian approach to craft practice, Nalda Searles has been the central instigator of an art movement based around the innovative use of Australian plant fibre and found objects from the landscape. FINDERS KEEPERS embraces both previous and new works, drawing together a captivating representation of the artist’s extraordinary practice over the decades.

Image: Nalda Searles, Ggrrr, 2000, Rubber doll body and animal head (both found on roadside, 1990s), Xanthorrhoea bracts, acrylic medium, 16 x 11 x 11cm, Courtesy of the Artist, Private Collection, Perth

The Indian Ocean Craft Triennial respects and acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands and waters where we operate and present in Western Australia – in particular the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation.

We respect their culture, the Elders past, present and emerging; and give thanks for the continuing contribution they make to the life of this region.

Follow us on social media, share news of the Craft Triennial with all your friends and colleagues – and let us know about your activities too by tagging us: @crafttriennial

We will be in touch again soon. In the meantime, do not hesitate to contact us with any queries.

Best of health to everyone,
The Craft Triennial team.

IOTA21: Indian Ocean Craft Triennial is supported by Lotterywest; and assisted by the State Government of Western Australia through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries; the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts, Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program, the Australia Council for the Arts, and the Australian ASEAN Council.

Exhibition partners Fremantle Arts Centre and John Curtin Gallery;
and festival partner Mundaring Arts Centre.

Project partners include Midland Brick, CENDANA, Maker&Smith, Royal Thai Embassy, Garland magazine, World Crafts Council - Australia.

Interested in becoming a corporate partner? There are great opportunities to leverage the Triennial to suit a variety of corporate aims. Contact us today about what’s possible.