By arts editor HELEN MUSA

With the ongoing bid to see Canberra recognised as a UNESCO City of Design in mind, the 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival was launched in fine style at the National Film and Sound Archive on Thursday evening.

Jodie Cunningham, CEO and Artistic Director of Craft + Design Canberra introduced the November event to a large crowd, telling them that the festival would run for a full 10 days with over 130 activations and one month of associated exhibitions.

With the underlying purpose of celebrating Canberra as a creative city of design, the event would showcase the work of more than 500 artists, makers and designers responding to the theme of “dissent.“

Cunningham expanded on that theme, explaining however creating a group quilt or glass art from recycled material could be seen as dissent, inviting the public to “dissent with us” and discover work that engaged with environmental and social impact, sustainability well-being, accessibility and above all the future of this city.

The key focus, she said, would be on work made with the human hand and is this event this and with this in mind she outlined a program of events art shows, markets, open studios, dance performances, public artworks symposiums talks tours and workshops.

The 2026 image of the festival features a striking work by Queanbeyan glass artist Matthew Curtis, whose partner Harriet Schwarzrock was on hand to outline another glass- related venture, her own planned exhibition Delightly, which would focus on her experiments with neon.

Craft + Design Canberra would be at the fore, presenting no fewer than four exhibitions at its own headquarters in the North Building, including the 2026 Robert Foster Metal Prize.

Very different from other inclusions would be dance artist Liz Lea will be presenting an international performance, Alter, at Belco Arts Centre, of whch Cunningham noted that choreography was “design in motion.”

The wide variety of events, we heard, would include a sustainable fashion and circular design festival, Clothing The Loop, spearheaded by the Australian Dance Party, moonlight meander night walks with Localjinni and targeted night walks with teenagers organised by Canberra Youth Theatre.

2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival, around Canberra, November 5-15. All details now available here.

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