The inaugural 2022 Robert Foster F!NK National Metal Prize will be launched by Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre at a VIP event on Thursday 28 April.
The award will celebrate outstanding work in the field of contemporary metal work by designers and craftspeople – both established and emerging. Ten artists will be selected as finalists and have their work exhibited at Craft ACT as part of the DESIGN Canberra Festival later this year.
Jodie Cunningham, CEO and Artistic Director at Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre, said the organisation was “privileged to work with F!NK + Co to launch this significant prize”.
“It is an honour to acknowledge the important contribution the late Robert Foster made to contemporary design and metal work in Australia, and we are incredibly grateful to the Tall Foundation and F!NK + Co. for their generous contribution to this prize which supports innovation and skill development in contemporary craft and design,” Cunningham said.
From the finalists, three makers, will be selected and awarded generous cash prizes: Major award ($10,000), Emerging artist award ($3000), and the Tall Foundation acquisition award ($5000).
The Robert Foster F!NK National Metal Prize is open to Australian-based metal working artists who create hollow-ware, flatware, lighting, small scale sculpture and objects.
Ten artists, including a minimum of three emerging artists, will be selected by a panel of expert judges: Ewan McEoin, National Gallery of Victoria; Brian Parkes, Jam Factory; and Rohan Nicols, University of Tasmania.
About Robert Foster
F!NK + Co. was established by Robert Foster in 1993 in Queanbeyan, NSW, with the aim of creating a design and manufacturing business that would support and generate opportunities for Australian designer-makers. Joined by Gretel Harrison in 1995, together they built F!NK + Co. into a much loved and respected Australian design company with an international reputation for producing world-class tableware, hollow-ware, jewellery and lighting.
Tragically, Foster was killed in a car accident in July 2016. Today, F!NK + Co. is spearheaded by Gretel Harrison, who is not only the face of the company but leads a team of practitioners who continue to build on the legacy of Robert Foster.
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