BRISBANE.- Australia's makers have long shaped the nation's cultural identity, and their creative sector now has a dedicated forum to chart its future. This September, artisan launches MADE 2026 – a new symposium bringing together the people, organisations and ideas driving contemporary craft and design across the country.

Held on Thursday 10 September at artisan's new home within the State Library of Queensland, MADE 2026 is conceived as a state-of-the-nation gathering for the maker sector.

MADE 2026 puts makers first. The forum gives industry leaders, practitioners, curators, educators and students the chance to identify the priorities, partnerships and actions needed to strengthen the sector for the decade ahead.

The timing is significant. Australia's contemporary craft and design sector is navigating a period of profound change. Institutions are facing mounting financial pressure. Stable operational funding is increasingly difficult to secure. Demand for funding continues to outstrip available investment. The need for coordinated national action has never been greater. The recent closure of New South Wales's Australian Design Centre underscores the importance of sustaining the organisations that champion makers as critical sector infrastructure. MADE 2026 aims to become the meeting place for the people shaping the future of Australian making.





“From First Nations art centres and regional studios to metropolitan workshops, Australia's makers contribute to the nation's cultural identity, local economies and creative industries. Yet many continue to face shared challenges around visibility, skills and access to markets, while the organisations that support them compete for funding, investment and policy inclusion. MADE 2026 provides a platform to examine those challenges collectively and imagine what’s possible when makers are at the centre of the conversation,” says artisan CEO Carmel Haugh.

The MADE 2026 program opens with a keynote from Sally Brand, Curatorial Manager, Australian Art at QAGOMA, exploring objects, collections and cultural identity. The keynote address is followed by the plenary, A Nation of Makers – presented with the Australian Craft and Design Centres network (ACDC). This panel discussion between sector leaders Brian Parkes (JamFactory), Travis Tiddy (Design Tasmania), Aimee Frodsham (Canberra Glassworks), Melanie Gibson (Indigenous Art Centre Alliance) and artisan CEO Carmel Haugh explores the opportunities and challenges ahead for contemporary craft and design organisations across the country. Breakout sessions throughout the day invite delegates to contribute to a shared action plan for the growing maker sector. More speakers and sessions to be announced.

With Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games as one important catalyst, the MADE 2026 focus is on strengthening networks, elevating makers and forging sustainable opportunities for contemporary craft and design organisations nationwide to build on a legacy of cultural creativity.