Territory rig
FEELING CRAFTY NT creatives are challenging the world of mass production, crafting gorgeous one-off pieces for your wardrobe, jewellery box and home
The next generation of knitters and stitchers are patching a hole in the void for arts and crafts, creating a new movement and microindustry alongside an appreciation for Top End talent. Beyond fashion items, they are painting, drawing and crafting homewares.
In complete contrast to the mass-produced, globalised, ‘fast-fashion’ channels of the clothing industry, local artists and designers are sharing their skills across the Territory, building a heightened appreciation for unique or tailor-made accessories and clothing.
Workshops, short courses and expos are providing opportunities for participants to indulge their creative streak, be it through pottery, jewellery making, sewing or sketching.
Central Craft in Alice Springs, a not-forprofit member-based organisation located at the Araluen Cultural Precinct, hosts more than 50 workshops a year, testament to the town’s rich and proud history of local artistic talent.
And if things get serious and creators decide to commercialise, the Territory’s steady and constant stream of markets, as well as online platforms such as Facebook, provide a low-cost alternative to a shopfront through which to sell their handicrafts.
Tactile Arts hosts markets in Darwin several times a year, and they are only one type of designated, popular event that allows local creatives to showcase their creations.
Elsewhere, Ginger Pink boutique, on Cavenagh Street in Darwin’s CBD, has opened a shared space for artisans and designers to share their wares, allowing local talent the advantages of a regularly opened store, without having to commit to their very own bricks and mortar. Feeling crafty? This weekend, Darwin-based Accomplice, a regional creative producing company, is hosting a two-day ceramic workshop, one of many opportunities the collective provides to learn a new skill and share the talents of local artists, some of who are in residence at the Coconut Grove headquarters.
In August, Accomplice will host a statement earring workshop led by Darwin-based artist Sarah Martin and participants will leave with their own pair of ear candy, crafted from recycled cardboard.