Explore the
2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival Program
Dissent and the Griffins’ Canberra | Canberra Modern Coach Tour
14 November 2026 | City
Canberra Modern’s tour will take you to significant sights around Canberra. Experience the Griffin’s internationally significant plan from an act of creative dissent, through to implementation as a city embodying democratic ideals. Visit locations in the central national area from elevated vantage points to hidden sights, including the historic Cork Oak plantation, General Bridges grave, the Incinerator and much more.
Weaving Waters
5 July – 13 December 2026 | Tuggeranong Arts Centre
In dissent against the decline of the Murray Cod, Tuggeranong Arts Centre invites you to join collaborative community weaving sessions, using natural fibre and recycled materials to complete a large scale textile sculpture. Hear First Nations stories and learn about the environmental conservation efforts surrounding this threatened and culturally significant species.
Robert Foster 10 Year Memorial Exhibition
7 – 15 November 2026 | Grainger Gallery
In celebration of a maker whose vision continues to resonate as an enduring act of creative dissent, Robert Foster 10 Year Memorial Exhibition brings together 10 of Robert's most significant original works alongside new collaborative pieces by 10 artists whose practices were deeply shaped by his influence.
Pattern Play
14 November 2026 | Ainslie Arts Centre
Discover the infinite possibilities of simple printmaking in this playful workshop. Using recycled materials and reclaimed textiles, you will create your own patterned cloth to take home, a small and wearable act of dissent.
Moonlight Meanders Night Walks
7 + 14 November 2026 | Canberra City West
In a spirited act of dissent against the boundaries of public space, Localjinni presents two projected night walks through Canberra’s Civic Centre. Led by local artists these saunters reclaim the right to roam and creatively reimagine the city after dark.
Tuggeranong Arts Centre Exhibitions
23 October – 12 December 2026 | Tuggeranong Arts Centre
Dissenting the trend of mass manufactured consumer goods, Tuggeranong Arts Centre presents outstanding craft and design in three exhibitions that privilege slow craft to refute disposable consumerism in favour of intergenerational investment in quality crafted and designed objects.
Dissenting Bodies | Art, Anatomy and Medicine
14 November 2026 | ANU School of Medicine and Psychology
How do we view, hear and learn from the human corpse? Artists and anatomists from the Australian National University School of Medicine come together to explore how art and narrative can protect and preserve the humanity of the human body.
Protest Puppets
6 – 18 November 2026 | Q Gallery
Want to ‘give the finger’ to actions (or inaction) that cause you distress? Sick of responding to issues and concerns with anger or sadness? ‘Radical Joy’ can help you find humour and hope to communicate your concerns.
POWER – The Future is Here
7 November 2026 – 30 January 2027 | Canberra Contemporary
In the spirit of Dissent, Canberra Contemporary presents POWER – The Future is Here by Denis Golding, curated by Kyra Kum-Sing, alongside Tal Fitzpatrick's solo exhibition Quietly Seething: Fate, Fury and Transmutation. Together, these exhibitions interrogate power, resistance and transformation through bold and uncompromising contemporary practice.
Elder Art
6 – 22 November 2026 | Queanbeyan Hive
A powerful act of dissent against the marginalisation of older voices, Elder Art is an exhibition of artworks by older members of the community. Through art and artist talks, the exhibition amplifies these voices, celebrating the richness that a long life and diverse experiences of history can bring to our shared community.
Break // Make: UC x Miko
9 – 15 November 2026 | Miko Designs
Break // Make: UC x Miko is a multidisciplinary design collaboration between University of Canberra students and Miko Designs. Exploring ‘Dissent’, students challenge convention, blend tradition with technology and push the boundaries of craft, architecture and design to envision our sustainable and creative futures.
Radical Joy
6 – 18 November 2026 | Q Gallery
Want to ‘give the finger’ to actions (or inaction) that cause you distress? Sick of responding to issues and concerns with anger or sadness? ‘Radical Joy’ can help you find humour and hope to communicate your concerns.