W I D E W O R L D O F C R A F T
L eft:
Julie B lyfield
Brooch - Scintilla senes,
2010
oxid ized sterling silver,
enam el paint, w a x
approx. 3 x 4 x 1.5 in.
L eft:
JeffMincham
Fields o f Hope,
2008
multifired, m ultiglazed,
midfired ceram ic
18.1 x 17.3 x 10.2 in.
Left:
Jan e B o w d e n
Circles and Squares - Wrapped Bangle,
2009
sterling silver, 18k y e llo w and w h ite gold,
w rap ped in palladium
.6 x 3.1 in. dia.
B elow :
G iles B ettison
Textile,
2010
M urrini glass
11.75
x 8-25 in. dia.
w as flooded w ith m akers,
andJam F actory reconfirm s
this im pression.
T h e Jam, as it’s com m only
called, was established in 1973
b y a beloved progressive premier
o f South Australia, D on Dunstan,
and is currently one o f 14 indepen-
dent, state-supported Australian
craft and design centers. First
located in an old you-know-what
factory, the organization is now
housed in an impressive struc-
ture, built to its specifications.
Its w orkday occupants include
Brian Parkes, C E O ; office, shop,
and gallery staff; creative direc-
tors and supporting staff in the
four medium-specific studios;
and about 20 associates in two-
year craft and design training
programs. A nother 20 or so mak-
ers rent space in the building.
Graduates often stay in Adelaide,
benefiting from the close-knit
com m unity it fosters, anchored
by significant artists w h o live
nearby - Jessica Loughlin and
Giles Bettison in glass, Jeff Min-
cham in ceramics, and Julie B ly-
field in metal among them.
Australians take the pairing
o f craft and design seriously.
Since the country has a relatively
small base o f patrons, legislators
and makers often see production
w o rk , or “ creative m icrobusi-
ness,” in Parkes’ w ords, as the
path to econom ic grow th and
self-sufficiency. Associates in
the Jam ’s glass w orkshop, for
exam ple, train through produc-
tion and repetition, honing
their skills b y b low in g the oil
bottles that are m arketed under
the Jam ’s name. In the furniture
w orksh op , associates spend
h alf their tim e m aking their
ow n pieces, and half w o rk in g
on products com m issioned
through the studio, for w hich
they receive 50 percent o f the
profit. T h e n e w display cases
in Jam F actory’s store, for
exam ple, w e re m ade b y furni-
ture w orksh op associates after
designs b y Khai L ie w , w h o se
sh ow room on M agill R oad is a
m ecca for design enthusiasts.
W h en you leave the Jam,
w alk back east along H indley
Street, a half-block aw ay. Ignore
the adult bookshops on the next
fe w blocks; you ’ll soon be cross-
ing K ing W illiam Street, w here
road names change unpredict-
ably (possibly because o f a colo-
nial folly about not crossing the
path o f a m onarch), and y o u ’re
on R undle M all, the pedestrian
shopping core. T h ere you ’ll find
the Jam ’s auxiliary store and the
Adelaide A rcade, a lovely 19th-
century building that contains
H aigh’s artisan chocolates, a
button shop, a bespoke tailor,
and Z u D esign for fine jew elry.
Z u partner Jane B ow den has her
w orkbenches out in public, as
w ell as a good sampling o f A u s-
tralian jew elry in cases. C o n -
tinue east past the mall and y o u ’ll
find small shops and cafes, a fine
area for strolling.
o
america craft
aug/sep 11
Brooch
and
Circles
photos: Grant Hancock /
Fields
photo: Sabbia Gallery /
Textile
photo: Courtesy o f Jane Sauer Gallery
