Australian Design Centre: The end is nigh, but it's not over yet

6 March 2026

Window view of Second Look, slated to be the last exhibition that will be presented at Australian Design Centre's Object Shop. Photo: Jacquie Manning

The end of March marks the closure of Object Shop in Sydney. At the end of June, Australian Design Centre (ADC) is set to close permanently. This marks the end of a distinguished 62 year history of presenting craft and design on a diverse range of platforms.

The news of ADC closing has been met with shock and disbelief by artists and supporters around Australia and overseas. There is still time to reverse this decision if annual funding of $500,000 for the next two years is secured.

In the past decade, Australian Design Centre has:

Reached an audience of more than 3 million people
Presented 175+ exhibitions in Sydney
Presented 90+ touring exhibitions across Australia
Supported 13,200+ artists with its exhibitions and programs
Generated more than 2.5 million dollars in income for artists
Supported 150+ artists and craftspeople each year through Object Shop
Presented 2,000+ artist-led workshops and events encouraging audiences to actively participate in hands-on making
Produced films, podcasts, books, monographs and catalogues
Launched important new initiatives such as the popular annual Sydney Craft Week Festival with events across Sydney and regional NSW; the MAKE Award: Biennial Prize for Innovation in Australian Craft and Design, the richest non-acquisitive prize for craft and design in Australia; partnering with the annual National Indigenous Art Fair to support First Nations artists and curators.

In the early 1970s, Jane Burns received funding of $10,000 from H.C. ‘Nugget’ Coombs to support the craft organisation that would become the Australian Design Centre. An economist and public servant, Coombs was the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia and first Chair of the Australian Council for the Arts. As an early driver of the NSW Crafts Council of Australia founded in 1964 (ADC’s precursor), Burns was a lifelong passionate advocate for craft.

ADC has received core operational funding for decades through Create NSW and Creative Australia (formerly the Australia Council), principally through the Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy (VACS) program, set up more than two decades ago following an important review into the needs of small to medium visual arts, craft and design organisations.

In 2025, ADC was cut from the four-year government funding program and lost $300,000 in annual funding without explanation, despite being recommended for funding by peer assessors. This small, independent organisation working with more than 1000 artists annually across diverse platforms has been operating on $500,000 a year for the past decade, with no increases to reflect the escalating cost of operating.

With a staff of only seven, ADC produces and presents 18 exhibitions annually in Sydney and hundreds of events including hands-on workshops and the Sydney Craft Week Festival; tours exhibitions across the country and overseas; produces publications including major artist monographs; and operates Object Shop in Sydney and online selling the diverse work of 100 practicing artists, makers and craftspeople.

Responding to the funding cuts, ADC and its board discussed options, met with government representatives, funding bodies and supporters, and applied for alternative funding and philanthropy, but ultimately has been unable to replace this annual core government funding.

ADC’s closure leaves NSW as the only Australian state without a peak organisation representing craft and design. This not only affects Sydney but also regional galleries and artists around Australia who have lost important opportunities to reach audiences through ADC’s extensive touring program, which also promotes Australian artists overseas.

Get in touch with the ADC via https://australiandesigncentre.com/