The Australian Government has awarded $121,128 to support a national tour of the 6th Tamworth Textile Triennial, allowing one of Australia’s leading contemporary textile exhibitions to travel to 10 venues across five states and territories.
The funding, announced through Round 22 of the Visions of Australia program, will enable Nature Machine: 6th Tamworth Textile Triennial to tour New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania between 2027 and 2029.
Curated by Blake Griffiths, the exhibition features work by 18 established and emerging Australian textile artists. It explores the relationship between handcraft, technology and the environment, with works examining sustainability, traditional craft practices, material innovation and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Griffiths said the exhibition highlights how contemporary textile artists are combining inherited knowledge with new methods of making.
“Textiles have long been a meeting point between people, technology and the natural world,” he said. “Nature Machine celebrates artists who are expanding the possibilities of textile practice in the age of AI.”
Tamworth Regional Gallery director Bridget Guthrie said the funding recognised the exhibition’s national significance and would bring contemporary textile art to audiences across Australia.
“The Tamworth Textile Triennial has a proud history and is regarded as Australia’s premier showcase of contemporary textile practice,” Guthrie said. “This funding ensures audiences well beyond our region can experience the extraordinary creativity and innovation that the exhibition represents.”
The exhibition will open at Tamworth Regional Gallery on 18 September 2026, running until 22 November, before beginning its national tour in April 2027. The tour is scheduled to conclude at the Museum of Art and Culture, Lake Macquarie, in early 2029.
The Tamworth Textile Triennial traces its origins to textile competitions established in the 1960s and has grown into Australia’s flagship exhibition of contemporary textile practice.
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