Victoria is home to some of the world’s best contemporary craft, but how do you know what it is and where it is?

Craft Collections is part of a larger online resource called Craft in Context, a section of the resource where you can browse key objects and learn about significant Victorian craft collections, locate the collections using the Organisations side menu.

Ranging from highly visible works, such as the sculptures located at the William Rickets Sanctuary to appointment-based private museums, you can gain virtual access to some of Victoria’s hidden (and some not-so-hidden) craft treasures. 

Craft Collections focuses on craft produced after 1970, a time that saw the decorative arts prosper. Galleries and various public institutions began collecting significant examples of craft including ceramics, glass, textiles, furniture and jewellery, and art-school enrollments swelled. This has provided the foundations for the thriving, vibrant Victorian craft culture that we are now familiar with.

Today, organisations like Craft Victoria continue to foster this growth. Whether we know it or not, we are surrounded by fascinating examples of contemporary craft in our everyday lives – you just have to know where to find it!

Craft Collections "provides a dynamic resource to explore the rich collection of craft and design held in Victoria. It is an ideal resource for researchers who are interrogating our material history. It is also a wealth of information for tourists. As a tourism resource it provides a colourful engagement with Victoria’s regions and its artists." Catrina Vignando, General Manager, Craft Australia.

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Content for Craft Collections was originally collated by Craft Victoria with research undertaken by Kimberly Brockett, Joe Pascoe and Julianna Green, with updated research undertaken by Tiffany Parbs and Hannah Sottile.