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Alison Jackson has always been a tinkerer. ‘As a kid I hung out in my Dad’s workshop working on little projects. I think that’s where I developed a fascination for metal and making in general’ she says. Alison grew up in Sydney, where she took after school jewellery classed throughout her high school years. It was here, with the encouragement of her teacher, where she realised she could study gold and silversmithing, and potentially make a career of it.
After high school, Alison moved from Sydney to Canberra to study Gold and Silversmithing at the ANU School of Art. In her final year of study, she was lucky enough to find a fantastic studio space, allowing her to continue her practice after uni, and launch her own business in mid 2008. Seven years on, Alison’s practice has steadily grown to become a fully functioning Silversmithing studio, where she now works full time.
Alison mostly works in silver, although copper, stainless steel and brass also feature heavily in her work. She is inspired by the idea of making ‘useful’ things. ‘I have always had a need to make functional things’ Alison says. ‘The idea that someone might fall in love with one of my pieces and let it become a part of their every day ritual is really exciting to me.’
‘Table Tools’ is the name of Alison’s upcoming solo exhibition in Canberra. The show will present an array of meticulously crafted functional tools and vessels made by Alison over the past year.
Beyond this show, Alison is also really looking forward to the upcoming release of a limited edition collaboration she has been working on with furniture maker Jon Goulder, which will be launched soon at the opening of AGENCY, a new store by Craft ACT in Canberra. Man, there is a lot of awesome going on in Canberra right now…!
Table Tools by Alison Jackson
Open from 10 September until 24 October
CraftACT: Craft & Design Centre
Level 1, North Building
180 London Circuit
Canberra ACT
