The annual DESIGN Canberra Festival, which celebrates and promotes Canberra as a global city of design, has announced the expansive 2022 program featuring more than 200 events.

The 2022 program represents DESIGN Canberra’s largest offering to date. The ninth edition of the Festival includes an ambitious line-up of talks, tours, exhibitions, public art installations, workshops and symposiums that will be presented across the nation’s capital from 2nd – 20th November 2022.

Presented by Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre, DESIGN Canberra 2022 explores the theme of Transformation, inviting audiences to speculate on how we might transform our city, our community and our world through design and creative practice. 

“With a highly anticipated return to a full physical festival, this year’s program is delivered through collaboration between artists, designers, craftspeople, industry, sponsors, educational institutions, organisations and supporters – all of whom contribute to Canberra’s world class design community,” Jodie Cunningham, CEO and artistic director said. 

“After postponing the festival in 2021 due to the pandemic, we are excited to again showcase the work of Canberra’s talented artists and designers and to engage our community in important dialogue and programs that speak to our collective design futures.”

Canberra sculptor Lucy Irvine – whose work transforms the traditional craft practice of weaving into sculptural installations – will be the 2022 designer-in-residence. Responding to the theme of Transformation, Irvine has created a signature work for the Festival titled ‘The Stills’, which will be exhibited at Canberra Contemporary Art Space as part of the Home Made exhibition.

The 2022 program includes keynote speeches by authors Elizabeth Farrelly and Tony Fry, as well as artists Blanche Tilden and Tom Moore; an exhibition celebrating contemporary Italian design; open studio access to more than 77 Canberra-based artists and designers; public art installations; architecture talks and tours; hands-on ‘nurture’ making workshops; and a Bauhaus influenced exhibition of light works.

Key highlights of 2022 DESIGN Canberra Festival:

Architecture Talks: DESIGN Canberra’s Design Revisited series, supported by the Alistair Swayne Foundation is a unique opportunity to celebrate architectural history and design excellence in a city of design.

Architecture Tours: Explore some of Canberra’s modernist architectural homes including Karma House by Derek Wrigley and Little Loft House being renovated by Lighthouse Architecture & Science.

Open Studios: More than 77 of Canberra’s best makers and designers are opening their studios during the Festival to give the public an opportunity to gain an insight into their practice, philosophy and techniques.

2022 Robert Foster F!NK National Metal Prize at Craft ACT: The inaugural award celebrates outstanding work in the field of contemporary metal working by designers and craftspeople.

Creative Kids: For the first time, DESIGN Canberra includes programs for the whole family. Join with local artists to weave a bush animal, create with clay or imagine your future Canberra in our kids design thinking workshops.

Explore the 2022 program for the DESIGN Canberra Festival.

Tickets are now available for sale at www.designcanberrafestival.com.au

Photo credits:

Lucy Irvine, The Stills, DESIGN Canberra 2022, Signature Artwork, Photo - Lean Timms

DESIGN Canberra Festival 2020, Cathy Franzi Open Studio, Photo - 5 Foot Photography

DESIGN Canberra Festival 2020, Spinners and Weavers Workshop, Photo - 5 Foot Photography