The hidden world of Craft Victoria

Tucked away on Watson Place off Flinders Lane lies the only craft and design-focused organisation in Victoria. 

While the creative industry is packed with a diverse range of practices, “craft” isn’t often an art form that gets the attention it deserves. 

But one organisation, located in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, exists to ensure that a platform is granted to champion artists in this field, connect audiences and build capacity in the sector. 

Established in 1970, Craft Victoria (formerly Craft Associations of Victoria) grew out of a worldwide engagement with craft and making and the need for an organisation that would represent the interests of Victorian craftspeople. 

Last year alone, the not-for-profit organisation generated more than $700,000 for the sector and engaged and presented around 1000 artists, welcoming more than 45,000 people through its Watson Place gallery. 

Hidden behind the popular Asian-fusion restaurant Supernormal, you’d be forgiven for missing Craft Victoria’s underground gallery were it not for the signage at the corner of Watsons Place and Flinders Lane. 

But once you take the turn and discover the gallery, you will step into a calming and peaceful space featuring regular rotating exhibitions and a range of stunning pieces by some of the state’s finest craft practitioners to purchase.

Craft Victoria’s strategic partnerships and communications manager Kathy Leung said pieces ranged from the more traditional and functional works to the less functional, abstract, and more decorative, and that each one had engaging stories to tell. 

“Craft traditionally hasn’t been seen as a creative practice, so the organisation has been trying to transition that thinking and change that perception for a very long time,” Ms Leung said. 

“We call it contemporary craft and design because when you look at the things that we present we don’t necessarily associate that with ‘craft’ as a word, but craft is about material practice.”

CBD News was given an in-depth tour of Craft’s current exhibition, Moombarra (running until August 3), which coincides with NAIDOC Week and is the fourth iteration of the organisation’s annual First People Led Exhibition Program. 

Curated by Wadawurrung artist Kait James, Moombarra, which translates to “stick it up your arse”, delves into the depths of Blak humour, confronting issues of cultural appropriation, stereotyping and the pervasive impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities.

This seemingly irreverent phrase encapsulates a profound commentary on the complexities of Indigenous identity, and the ongoing struggles against racism and tokenism in the wake of last year’s referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Ms Leung said the exhibition was about “handing over the keys” to First Nations artists and allowing them to “say what you want to say” – an approach which has resulted in some brilliant works and compelling stories under one emphatic message. 

Craft Victoria hosts a range of exhibitions and workshops throughout the course of the year. For more information and to find out how you can support its makers, visit craft.org.au.