Explore the
2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival Program
NEST | Design for a Displaced Future
5 November – 6 December 2026 | Civic Square
NEST | Design for the Displaced Future is a major public art commission for the 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival, responding to the theme of Dissent. Located in Civic Square, the temporary public art installation brings together sculptural works exploring the universal instinct to nest and belong in a changing world.
Revitrification
5 – 15 November 2026 | Australian National Botanic Gardens
Revitrification transforms discarded architectural waste glass into sculptural installations at the Botanic Gardens, in the process researching circular methodologies that give new value to landfill-bound materials. The project embodies dissent, rejecting the convention that discarded glass has reached the end of its useful life in our designed city.
Signs of Dissent | Graphic Interventions
5 November – 6 December 2026 | Various Locations
Featuring works by Yamile Tafur Rios, Brock Willis and Danish Quapoor, Signs of Dissent | Graphic Interventions transforms public space through site responsive artworks responding to the Festival theme of Dissent. Drawing on cultural identity, environmental narratives and quiet acts of resistance, each artist challenges everyday perspectives and reimagines the visual landscape of Canberra.
Stories in the Dark
5 – 15 November 2026 | Civic Square
Stories in the Dark is an animated public light installation in Civic Square by Eggpicnic. Shifting between daylight and nighttime hours we see and hear species and ecosystems that have been ignored or erased, challenging us to confront ecological neglects. Transforming our attention into responsibility and making dissent a deliberate act of ecological care.
Weaving Waters | Mangi the Murray Cod
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.