Feature Artists
Feature Artists and Events are announced gradually in the lead up to the event, and our Premier's Arts Award winners announced at the fair.
FEATURE ARTIST 2024
Matt Sloane
Matt Sloane is a Tasmanian based, metal sculptor.
Matt was a past Tasmanian Craft Fair exhibitor and runner up Premiers Award winner in 2019. He is in high demand as a metal sculpture artist, using scrap steel, farm machinery and boxes of discarded tools. But he breathes new life into these forgotten materials, transforming them into life-size animals, showcasing the boundless possibilities and versatility of repurposed materials.
Each piece tells a story of its own, with elements of history and craftsmanship intertwined in every weld and curve.
From the gracefully beauty of a horse, to the calm, loyalty of a dog, his sculptures strive to capture the very essence of the animal it represents.
Matt has created work for private buyers and also has pieces in public and commercial spaces. He is always up for the challenge of creating new and unique sculptures, so get in touch if you would like to discuss commissioning a piece.
Emerging Artists 2024
Two outstanding emerging artists will be featured at the Tasmanian Craft Fair this year, and will be located at Meander Valley Performing Arts Centre (venue 4).
Aunty Dawn Blazely: Contemporary Aboriginal Artist and Cultural Educator
Aunty Dawn Blazely is a celebrated Aboriginal artist and elder, deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of the Badger Island people. She is known for her intricate weaving of cumbungi fibres, a practice that connects her to centuries of tradition. With a Fine Art degree from the University of Tasmania, Aunty Dawn's artwork reflects her commitment to preserving the cultural narratives of her people through contemporary mediums.
Danny Gardner: Knowledge sharer, performer, artist
Danny Gardner is a proud palawa and pakana cultural knowledge sharer, performer, and artist based in lutruwita (Tasmania). With over ten years of experience as an Aboriginal Education Worker in Tasmanian schools, Danny is deeply committed to sharing his rich cultural heritage and knowledge with diverse audiences. Danny has been practising and creating cultural arts and crafts from a young age, his crafts allow him to continue a deep connection to both culture and country here in Tasmania. Using natural materials provided from country he creates a range of products ranging from traditional hunting and gathering tools, miniature bark canoes and skin art telling of creation and cultural knowledge.
2023 FEATURE ARTIST Francoise Lane
Francoise Lane’s creative practice straddles the intersection of art and design with a focus on indigenous themes and values. As a descendant of the Meriam and Kaurareg peoples of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands, Australia) Lane’s practice draws upon her family’s cultural values of respecting and caring for land and sea, taking only what you need and honouring elders. She produces fine artwork, sculptural furniture, textile designs and collaboratively works with indigenous art centres and independent artists on creative projects.
She is instinctively drawn to subjects where patterns create their own ‘energy’ on a canvas. Her exploration of new approaches in the creation, understanding and valuing artworks in the genre of contemporary indigenous art has seen her awarded the 2022 HIAP Helsinki Residency from the Australia Council for the Arts.
2022 FEATURE ARTISTS
Each year, the Tasmanian Craft Fair hand picks feature artists from within Tasmania and abroad. This year we have selected Mae Finlayson. A Launceston based artist who makes soft sculpture, blending familiar and ordinary materials in unusual ways.