An art-inspired gift guide to bring a little colour, creativity and inspiration to your Christmas gift giving.
Can you believe it’s the last month of the year? I think a lot of us will breathe a huge sigh of relief when the curtain closes on 2020. And with such positive developments on the vaccine front, there are good reasons to feel hopeful about next year.
This year, the Broad has decided to take a different approach with the first blog post in December. Instead of the usual round-up of TV shows and books, this time it’s an art-inspired guide featuring ethical, sustainable and artisan suggestions for gifts. Hopefully you will find some ideas with an artistic flavour for your loved ones.
Gallery Membership
Consider a gallery or museum membership. It makes a thoughtful gift that will last all year and inspire the receiver to indulge in art. The Art Gallery of NSW has memberships and an online store with lots of art-inspired gift ideas like this Margaret Preston, Anemones, mounted print.
Hit the gallery gift store, online
The Museum of Contemporary of Art also has an online store with plenty of cool, artistic gift like this Pen & Pencil Set from Philippi’s Colori or this boatneck t-shirt dress that features the work of Sally M Nangala Mulda of Tangentyere Artists.
Artworks
This beautiful artwork, Burn off II, by Aboriginal artist Ryhia Dank, nardurna, is an oak-framed print on cotton rag.
The National Museum of Australia has a wonderful online store complete with kids games, books, Christmas decorations, jewellery, art prints and much more.
Craft ACT has put together a Christmas gift guide of art and design-inspired products, including these Margaret Brown coloured bowls.
The Australian Ballet has released these vintage-inspired tees with retro logos and styling.
Shop Ethically
The Fair Trader Store has all sorts of ethically made homewares, jewellery and clothing, including this beautiful jute floor mat.
Indigenous artists
Dreamtime Kullilla-Art is an Aboriginal owned and managed family business that sells a wide variety of Indigenous products like jewellery, homewares, stationery and artifacts. This knitted cotton throw rug, Ngarrindjeri Makes Country by Cedric Varcoe is a standout.
Better World Arts is an online store selling artworks and traditional handicrafts from artists and artisans in Indigenous communities in Australia and remote places around the world.
Gift Guides for Inspiration
If you’re looking for more ideas, here are some other round-ups. The Broadsheet gift guide has lots of different ideas, from scrunchies and eye masks to boxers and platters.
Volunteer-based collective, Sydney Made, is made up of independent artists and makers, who are committed to providing high-quality products directly to the public. The collective has created an interactive gift guide you can view online and click through to shop online.
Top Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash
