The year 2019 finished with a flourish helped along by Craft ACT's DESIGN Canberra Festival and a cluster of outstanding exhibitions. Among them were Ian Jones' celebration of 40 years of making ceramics at the Watson Arts Centre and Clare Belfrage's exhibition A Measure of Time at the Canberra Glassworks.
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In 2020 there will, inevitably, be some changes. Bilk Gallery in Manuka will close after Carlier Makigawa's solo exhibition Linked that opens in late January. Johannes Kuhnen, Helen Aitken-Kuhnen and Mio Kuhnen will take time out to concentrate on their own work with the latter two planning a study trip to Japan. They hope to return and open a new gallery but are not sure what form it would take.
Watson Arts Centre will have a newly renovated shop. In future it is hoped that the shop will show products that are linked to the ceramic exhibitions in the gallery.
I am looking forward to A la carte - from Studio to Table, an exhibition at the Watson Arts Centre that will bring together potters in Canberra who make ceramics for restaurants and cafes.
This is planned to coincide in February with Good Food Month Canberra. Strathnairn has also revamped its shop (it had an impressive Christmas display of artists' work) and the coffee shop has reopened making a visit a pleasant excursion.
We can look forward to some very good exhibitions at the Beaver Galleries in 2020. They include glass by Ben Edols and Kathy Elliott in May.
It has been eight years since these renowned glass artists have had an exhibition at the Beaver Galleries.
Dai Li, who has a solo exhibition in February, is an interesting young artist. I must admit to being beguiled by her enigmatic ceramic sculptures of young women in contemporary attitudes.
And in November, Kelly Austen will have a solo exhibition of her serene still life ceramic installations.
The Canberra Glassworks has an exciting project for 2020.
Upending Expectations - Contemporary Glass is an exhibition that will include Gabriella Bisetto, Cobi Cockburn, Nadège Desgenétez, Mel Douglas, Rose-Mary Faulkner, Nicholas Folland Jonathon Jones, Kirstie Rea, Harriet Schwarzrock, Brendan Van Hek and international artists Annie Cattrell (Britain) and Anna Miasowsky( US). It will tour selected regional and metropolitan galleries in 2021-23
Craft ACT will have an exhibition in August that picks up on a theme that has inspired past Craft ACT exhibitions - the practice of design and the actual process of making. Creative partners Alison Jackson and Dan Lorrimer's exhibition will give an insight into their art practice by exploring the links between their collectible stand-alone unique artworks and their popular small-run "production" items.
GOST (Gallery of Small Things) is a gem of a gallery tucked away in a Watson suburban street.
In April, GOST will team up with a similar small gallery in Orange, The Corner Store Gallery (TCSG). for a special group exhibition of artists from both locales that will alternate between the two venues.
The Spinners and Weavers have been able to hold small exhibitions in their gallery space at The Chifley Health and Well Being Hub.
In June however they will hold an exhibition, The Cartography of Cloth, at Strathnairn.
This will be the inaugural exhibition of textiles by Australian members of the Complex Weavers international organisation.
I missed the opening of Sharon Peoples' exhibition Still Waters at the Tuggeranong Art Centre, the outcome of the artist's residency there.
However, it is an exhibition I do not want to miss (it has been extended until 1 February) so it will be among the first exhibitions I will go and see in 2020.
