Hilary Green and vase, 2025; photo: Ayden Demiri
A new space dedicated to collecting beautifully made craft is emerging in Melbourne.
Imagine a Museum of Modern Craft (MoMC). What would it be like to visit a prestigious major gallery of contemporary craft? This is a question that Dale Hardiman poses in a display he has curated for the Finders Keepers design makers.
Hardiman has invited 63 ceramicists, glass blowers, woodworkers and artsts to offer one of their vases for viewing and potential sale. Unlike the abstract nature of most art spaces, Hardiman has used locally handmade display materials. These include:-
- Lousy Ink: 100% recycled ink in Melbourne
- Dodgy Paper: Hand-made recycled artists’ paper in Melbourne
- Safa El Samad: Embroided patches in Melbourne
Hardiman aims for a quiet space in an otherwise busy design market:
My experience of visiting design markets is that they’re overstimulating. They are aesthetically overwhelming because everyone has their own booth and their own personality. By the time you get to about the fifth booth and there are a couple of hundred of them, you’re kind of overly stimulated aesthetically. So the idea was to create a cohesive space to present the pre-existing work of people already showing at Finders Keepers.
In 2014, Dale Hardiman, with Adam Lynch, founded a furniture company, Dowel Jones. It currently has two factories in Geelong producing a range of furniture. In addition to running a successful business, Hardiman enjoys creating spaces that platform the maker community as a whole. Earlier this year, he curated 100 Lights by 110 architects, designers and craftspeople for Melbourne Design Week.
The works at MoMC are offered for sale without any commission. Once they are taken away, the objects will be replaced with their photo. You’ve find vases by ACV studio, Adriana Christianson, Albatross Ceramic, Alexandra Howie, Alterfact Studio, Alyssa Nuttall, Amanda Dziedzic, Amy Leeworthy, Anamone Studios, Andrew Carson, Asobimasu Clay, Astrid Salomon, Austin Flowers, Benna co, Cate Brown, Charlotte Litteck, Cheryl Edwards, Christina Mclean, Clae Studio, Claire Ellis, David Elliot, Ella Bendrups, Em Frank, Franky Frankland, Georgina Proud, Gillian Martin, Hamish Bassett, Hilary Green, Hollie Kent, Ignem Terrae, Ingrid Templonuevo, Issy Parker, Jade Thorsen, James Lemon, Jane Sawyer, Jenn Johnston, John Brighenti, John Stewart, Lauren Barton, Lucy Be, Manuela Serje, McNamara Woodcrafts, Melody Brunton | Emi Ceramics, Molly Melican, Naomi Taplin, Nicola Hart, Nina Chechelashvili, Ruth Allen, Ryan L Foote, Sogo Ceramics, Steve Lees, Suemi Chiba, Susie Brooks, Tantri Mustika, Ted Secombe, Terunobu Hirata, ThroughGood Pottery, Vickie Liu, Voluptuary Ceramics, Wonki Kim, Woochang Kim and Yen Qin 燕琴.
The word “craft”, as an acknowledgement of the handmade, is often omitted by institutions, such as the National Gallery of Victoria’s Rigg Design Prize. So it is refreshing to see “craft” on proud display in the Melbourne Design Market. Up to 40,000 people are expected to visit the MoMC in its inaugural exhibition.
MoMC, Finders Keepers, Melbourne Design Market, 10-12 October 2025
