Adam Goodrum, Sydney, November The Australian Furniture Design Award MEDIA RELEASE

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2 MEDIA RELEASE The Australian Furniture Design Award JamFactory and Stylecraft are pleased to announce the establishment of an exciting new biennial award for Australian furniture design. The award is anticipated as one of Australia s richest and most prestigious design awards and aims to raise the profile of Australian designers and encourage innovation in furniture design. The winner of the Award will receive a $20,000 cash prize and a residency at Adelaide s JamFactory to develop a design through to commercial production for national distribution through Stylecraft. No other award offers such a substantial prize pool and rigorous mentoring programme. The professional advice means that a designer can transform their great idea into a resolved, market place product. There are very few platforms that nurture Australian designers in such a practical, career-defining way. Adam Goodrum, Sydney, November 2014 JamFactory s CEO Brian Parkes says, The opportunity for the winner to work with Jon Goulder and the team in our Furniture Studio and to access our local manufacturing networks is a significant value-add for the prize. Stylecraft s Managing Director Anthony Collins agrees, noting that the guaranteed distribution outcome will provide real long-term benefits for the winning designer. Another major element of the Award will see the winner s prototype work acquired by the Art Gallery of South Australia. The Gallery s Director Nick Mitzevich says, The purchase of work through this important new Award will enable the Gallery to continue to build its design holdings. The Gallery s impressive collection includes several important prototypes such as the Marc Newson Lockheed Lounge currently on display. From entries submitted online, six finalists will be chosen by an expert judging panel. Prototype pieces by the finalists will be exhibited at Stylecraft s Adelaide showroom in July 2015 when the winner will be announced. The exhibition of finalists works will tour to Stylecraft showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth over the following 12 months. The Award is open to all Australian designers or designers currently resident in Australia. Entries can be submitted on-line between now and the closing date 22 May For more information or to request interviews please contact Sophie Guiney on (08) or sophie.guiney@jamfactory.com.au Supporting partners JamFactory s Government partners Cover Image: Jon Goulder, Easy Chair, 2014

3 ABOUT PRESENTERS JamFactory JUDGES Established by the State Government of South Australia in 1973, JamFactory is Australia s leading not for profit organisation supporting good design and fine craftsmanship. Along with operating purpose built studios, galleries and shops in the Adelaide CBD and the Barossa Valley, JamFactory produces a nationally distributed range of locally designed and made products and delivers an Australia-wide touring exhibitions program. Central to JamFactory s activities is its internationally acclaimed two-year training program for creative entrepreneurs working in ceramics, glass, furniture or metal design. Successful alumni from this program are working across Australia and around the globe. Furniture is a key area of focus for JamFactory and its Furniture Design Studio, under the leadership of recently appointed Creative Director Jon Goulder, regularly works with architects and interior designers to develop bespoke furniture and interior elements and is developing a new range residential and commercial furniture for release in Stylecraft Stylecraft have been providing furniture of original, contemporary design for over 60 years. First established in Melbourne, Stylecraft now have six showrooms around Australia together with a showroom in Singapore to support the Asian market. The Stylecraft product offering is suitable for commercial, educational, hospitality and residential spaces and is a broad collection of Australian designed and manufactured furniture together with international brands represented on an exclusive basis. Stylecraft is passionate about original design, investing in brands and people who share this passion. As a committed supporter of Australian design and manufacturing, Stylecraft have worked with a wealth of local talent including the likes of Alexander Lotersztain (Derlot Editions), Helen Kontouris (LEN), Ross Gardam and Keith Melbourne, with the belief that it is important to provide these designers the opportunity to build their brands at home. Jon Goulder Creative Director, Furniture Design Studio, JamFactory Internationally acclaimed designer Jon Goulder founded his studio in A graduate of the Canberra School of Art, his work has featured in a number of major exhibitions and publications around the world. Jon was the inaugural winner of the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award in 2003 and winner of the City of Hobart Art Prize (Furniture) in His design and making practice spans bespoke works for exhibitions, private commissions, limited edition pieces and design for manufacture under licence. His work is held in major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Powerhouse Museum and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Jon has consistently taught and mentored emerging designers through various roles at the University of Technology in Sydney, FORM in Perth and more recently at the JamFactory in Adelaide. Tony Russell National Product and Brand Manager, Stylecraft Tony Russell commenced with Stylecraft Melbourne in 2000 after previous experience in sales and marketing roles within the fashion industry. In 2006, Tony was promoted to State Manager for Victoria and in the ensuing years took on the position of Regional Manager overseeing Stylecraft s operations in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Tony s current role as Product and Brand Manager encapsulates product selection with European suppliers and the development of Australian design and manufacturing exclusively for the Stylecraft collection whilst ensuring a smooth integration and execution across all levels of marketing. Nick Mitzevich Director, Art Gallery of South Australia Since his appointment as Director at the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2010, Nick Mitzevich has significantly enriched the Gallery s collections with major acquisitions, dramatically increased private benefaction and broken audience attendance records. Previously Nick was Director of the University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, and prior to that, Director of the Newcastle Region Art Gallery, a position he held for six years. He has curated notable international and national exhibitions, including the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Dark Heart (2014). He has also previously worked as a university academic lecturer in art history and museum studies. Fenella Kernebone Presenter, By Design, ABC Radio National Fenella is a television and radio presenter and producer, MC, interviewer and writer. In , Fenella hosted Art Nation on ABC TV and presented and produced on the previous arts show, Sunday Arts. Prior to that, she was one of the hosts and film reviewers of The Movie Show on SBS TV. In addition to her role on Radio National s By Design, Fenella is also the host of the electronic music show The Sound Lab on Triple J radio. Rosina Di Maria Principal, Woods Bagot, Adelaide Studio Rosina returned to Adelaide after leading the interiors portfolio in the Woods Bagot London Studio. In the workplace sector, Rosina led HSBC s Global Headquarters at Canary Wharf and other prestigious projects for Bloomberg, Barclays Capital and Macquarie Group. As lead interior designer, Rosina delivered the Eccleston Square Hotel, Grosvenor House refurbishment on Park Lane and award winning Minthis Hills Golf Resort in Cyprus. Having led significant global projects, Rosina balances her role as a creative designer and client manager. Locally Rosina has completed the interiors of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Hilton s Collins Bar and more recently the current $350m Adelaide Convention Centre Redevelopment and People s Choice Credit Union new HQ on Flinders Street.

4 ART GALLERY OF SA FURNITURE COLLECTION The Art Gallery of South Australia has collected decorative arts since the late nineteenth-century and has developed a fine collection of historical and contemporary furniture. With the acquisition of Australian and international furniture design, the Gallery s collection now numbers over two-hundred and fifty pieces of which a selection are always displayed. One of the highlights is Marc Newson slc1 chaise longue, 1986, and through continuing to actively support contemporary Australian furniture design the Gallery hopes to secure tomorrow s icons. Other examples in the collection include: Frank Gehry, Wiggle side chair, 2001, designed in 1972; the earliest Australian piece in the collection Hobart, Tasmania, Sideboard, c.1810 and Gerrit Rietveld s, Zig-zag chair, c.1937, designed in 1934.

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