Kevin Murray

UPDATE: We reached out initial target within four days thanks to amazing support from across the region. This means that Garland will be a reality. What comes in now will go to supporting the writers who will tell the stories of the objects made from the world around us. 

Garland will be a platform for celebrating the meaningful objects of our time and place. The magazine will elevate the traditions, values, skills and imagination of today's craftspersons.

As a platform, Garland will raise money to support writing of reviews, essays and profiles of crafts sourced from our editorial board from the broader Asia Pacific region. Each quarter, the magazine will focus on a different creative centre in the region, building up a profile of active places and major events. The first issue will feature Korean craft and be launched at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale.

A feature of Garland will be a quarterly essay where a professional writer is commissioned to produce a 5,000 word essay on a crafted object, its maker and their world. The first will be by renowned craft writer Julie Ewington. This will be available to subscribers as an e-book and for sale in a specially hand-crafted edition. The first is being made in collaboration with the Melbourne Artists for Asylum Seekers: commissions go direct to the artists. You can find a teaser article here about a stunning recent exhibition of textile art in Delhi. Check the Facebook page for latest news. 

Australia has an extensive craft tradition, however the exploration of it has been hindered by the de-funding of our national craft organisation. Garland is an accessible way to engage with the best of local and regional craft. Australian designer-makers live throughout the region and have for decades drawn great inspiration from the cultures of our Asian neighbours. Garland will provide exclusive insights into regional craft practices that are rarely presented to a local audience in a meaningful and contextual way.

Garland will marry great writers to equally remarkable objects. The result will be a unique literary exercise. There are many design magazines in Australia. None look deeply into how one brilliant object can deliver a broad reflection of a society. Garland undertakes that task.

It will be an amazing journey. Please join us: 

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What they are saying...

"I think the Garland initiative would be most beneficial for the field of craft and I sincerely congratulate the establishment of it. I give my utmost support."
Hyeyoung Cho
Director, Cheongju International Craft Biennale
South Korea

"The Garland launch at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale offers a unique platform for engaging Korean audiences. It positions Australia at an important fulcrum in connecting cultures across our region. JamFactory has a keen interest in engaging with Korean craftspeople and designers and last year hosted a Masterclass by renowned jeweller and metalworker Master Sung-Joon Cho. The networks that will strengthen and develop as a result of the Garland project will become a very useful resource for organisations like the JamFactory to develop future exchanges with the Asia Pacific region."
Brian Parkes
Director, JamFactory Craft & Design Centre

"Garland is a good reminder that craft is worldwide. Recognising that fact, and building a platform that supports conversations across regions and cultural traditions and histories is a transformative process, and it is exciting to be part of a project that claims new ground on which to identify the relevance and urgency of craft."
Damian Skinner, Curator at the Auckland Museum

"Garland could offer an ongoing forum for sharing information about what is happening nationally in Australian craft and design and also could extend the discussion into the Asia Pacific region."
Tamara Winikoff
Executive Director, National Association of the Visual Arts


"In an era when we flick through everything Garland will deliver the necessary deep reflection on singular objects."

Lou Weis,
Creative Director Broached Commissions.

"Much of the world’s written histories stem from travel across and around the Atlantic Ocean. Garland expands history into the 21st Century – offering a global lens through which other borders and exchanges will come into view."
Namita Wiggers
Director and Co-Founder, Critical Craft Forum and former Director and Chief Curator, Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland

"With increasing pressure on Aboriginal communities to derive income from their land, craft helps towards the goal of economic independence that supports living in homelands. Articles about the innovative work being produced in communities can highlight the use of unique local materials, giving value to these works. Writing that reflects on local conditions can lead to a greater understanding of the meaning of Aboriginal art and craft . This is particularly important for Asian audiences where interest in Aboriginal cultures is growing. It would be good t o share knowledge about e­commerce as a means to achieve this."
Christina Davidson, CEO ANKAAA

Thanks to

The initial costs are very basic:
- $2,000 for graphic design
- $2,000 for the first quarterly essay by Julie Ewington

Garland is organised to ensure that maximum proportion of its budget goes to supporting writers, mostly through writers' fees. 
We're hoping to raise funds beyond the initial target of $4,000 for:
- Three more quarterly essays
- Writers fees for reviews, histories and profiles
- E-commerce portal for selling storied objects

Given the breadth of cultures in our region, translation is a key issue. The articles in Garland will all be in English. The publication is possible now due to the emergence of talented writers in Asian countries who are proficient in English. To broaden the accessibility, however, we will work with local governments to gather funds to publish these articles in the original language, where possible.