Our Tactile Territory
IF YOU’RE YET to find the perfect gift to spoil your Mum, the annual Tactile Arts Mother’s Day Craft Fair has got the answer.
By Kate Conway
“We’ve got some incredible ceramics, printed fabrics, beautiful homewares, lots of jewellery. It is kind of like the one place you could go and be guaranteed to find a beautiful gift for your mum,” says Tactile Arts General Manager, Tessa Duke.
This year’s fair received record applications, hosting over 60 stalls featuring crowd favourite established artists, as well as new stall holders bringing new varieties of craft.
First time exhibitor Zoe Fitzgerald of Mango Lala crafts hand-tufted floor rugs and wall hangings, while A Happy Home’s Samantha White creates on trend, crochet jute homewares such as table runners, placemats and bags.
If hand-crafted and unique beauty products are more Mum’s style, look no further than Olive & Silk. Anne-Marie Onyeani makes her soap by hand with pure silk from silkworms she’s raised herself. It doesn’t get much more tactile than that!
Returning to the Darwin Waterfront lawns, there’s good reason the picturesque grounds have been the venue of choice for the highly anticipated craft market for over a decade. The sparkling ocean and sprawling green lawns make a perfect backdrop the for this exciting exposé of Top End creativity.
“The beauty of that location is it enables people to have a relaxed and extended experience of their day. We like to encourage people to make a day of it! Bring a picnic blanket, browse the stalls, and have a swim in the lagoon.”
Something extra special to fair organisers this year is the involvement of Total Recreation, showcasing a wide range of crafts from artists working with disabilities. Market-goers can also pick up some authentic and original Aboriginal art from art centres including Injalak Arts, Ikuntji Artists and Waralungku Arts.
“Even if you don’t need to buy a gift, I would recommend you come down and have a browse anyway. It’s a beautiful way to really get to see the breadth of creativity that we have here in the Top End. It can be quite surprising for people to see how many artists we have operating at such a high level,” Tessa says.
Pack your swimmers and a picnic rug, head down to the Waterfront and prepare to spend a sunny Sunday Mother’s Day, wowed by some of the most beautiful crafts our innovative and creative Top Enders have to offer.
Tactile Arts Mother’s Day Craft Fair
WHEN SAT 7 MAY | 9AM-3PM
AT DARWIN WATERFRONT
COST FREE
INFO tactilearts.org.au
