Spring has sprung and Sydney’s beloved Artisans in the Gardens returns, transforming the city’s green heart into a wonderland of Australian craft and creativity. Now in its 24th year, the free exhibition features more than 3,000 works by over 40 established and emerging artists, spanning sculpture, ceramics, glass, jewellery, and textiles.
Set across the historic Lodges at Sydney’s Royal Botanic, this year’s exhibition spills outdoors, with a sculpture walk winding through the Garden’s blooming landscape. From intricate hand-blown glass to monumental centrepieces, every piece is for sale.
Craft and creativity bloom at Artisans in the Gardens
Presented by Foundation & Friends of the Botanic Gardens, the event has become a fixture in Sydney’s cultural calendar, where art meets community. Part of every sale supports the Gardens’ Education Access Program, giving students across NSW the chance to learn outdoors—exploring nature, plant science and First Nations histories.
“Artisans in the Gardens brings the best of Australian craft into the heart of Sydney,” says Paul Thorley, Executive Director of Foundation & Friends. “Every purchase supports local artists and helps deliver hands-on learning for young people. It’s a beautiful way to take something home and give something back.”
Thorley adds that many works “are rooted in the Gardens—you can feel the angophoras, the leaf litter, the flash of a wren in every piece.”
Curator Bronwyn Joffick has expanded the 2025 exhibition, shaping what she calls “a joyful snapshot of Australian craft and design.” Visitors can expect everything from delicate jewellery to gallery-scale sculpture, bound by themes of reuse, innovation, and a deep connection to the natural world.
“A quiet thread runs through the show: make with care, waste less, notice more,” Joffick says. “From smoke-fired ceramics to sculptures woven from shed leaves, Artisans in the Gardens reimagines materials and reveals beauty in what’s often overlooked—an artful reminder of our connection to place.”
Meet local artisans at work on ceramic totems and luminous glass
Among the many featured artists is ceramicist Susan Trimble, whose hand-built totems celebrate the flora and fauna that helped her feel at home after migrating from South Africa.
Susan Trimble’s handcrafted ceramic totem at Artisans in the Gardens.
“My work is about connection—between people and nature,” Trimble says. “They’re made for protected garden spaces and suit balconies beautifully, while my interior vessels explore form and pattern more playfully—pieces meant to live close to everyday life, where art and garden meet.”
Photographic textile artist Alissa Cook draws inspiration directly from the Gardens, stitching texture and depth into her images.
“The Artisan series of ten is linked by the beauty of nature and the colour red,” she explains. “Even the moss studies have one speck of red—you’ll have to look closely.”
Alissa Cook’s embroidered photographic textiles as part of the Artisan‘s series.
Also on display are Matthew Curtis and Harriet Schwarzrock of Curtis Glass Art, a Queanbeyan-based duo who work with molten glass, neon, and plasma illumination. The pair are known for “revitrifying” waste glass—transforming discarded fragments into luminous new forms.
“We walked through the Gardens when we first dated,” they recall. “To now show our work here feels like coming full circle.”
Matthew Curtis and Harriet Schwarzrock of Curtis Glass Art’s luminous glass works.
Whether you’re a collector or just curious with a green thumb, it’s a lovely way to wander, meet local artisans—and maybe take home something truly made with heart.
Artisans in the Gardens runs from 25 October to 2 November at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
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