Top: Photo of Brian Parkes. Image courtesy of JamFactory.
Mid-left: Photo of Imelda Miller. Image courtesy of Imelda Miller.
Mid-right: Photo of Kimberly Stokes. Image courtesy of Kimberly Stokes.
Lower-left: Photo of Sally Brand. Photography by Alanna Bishop.
Lower-right: Photo of Dr Simon Maidment. Image courtesy of Useful Objects.

Brian Parkes
CEO | JamFactory

Brian Parkes has been CEO at JamFactory in Adelaide since April 2010. He has overseen significant development of the organisation’s exhibition, production and training programs and substantial growth in its audience and operational budget. He has worked in senior curatorial and commercial management roles in the visual art, craft and design sector in Australia for over 30 years, including stints at the Australian Design Centre, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Gallery of Australia. He has curated numerous exhibitions focused on contemporary Australian craft and design and has remained active in mentoring and supporting emerging artists, designers and creative entrepreneurs over the past two decades.


Imelda Miller
Curator, First Nations Cultures | Queensland Museum

Imelda Miller is the Curator, First Nations Cultures at Queensland Museum. Imelda works with material culture and archival collections inside and outside of traditional museum environment and spaces to create access to collections for communities of origin. Her collaborative curatorial practice incorporates a combination of cultural practice, community engagement and community-led research and development. Imelda’s research focus is primarily on Australian South Sea Islander history, heritage and identity.


Kimberly Stokes
Curator | HOTA, Home of the Arts

Kim Stokes is an artist and curator based in the Yugambeh Language Region / Gold Coast. As Curator at HOTA, Home of the Arts, she has worked with the gallery’s expansive ceramic collection and will oversee the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award in 2026. Across her combined practice, she is concerned with ecologies of digital culture; exploring archival, assemblage, and expanded photographic methods. She is a former Co-Director of Nextdoor Artist Run Initiative (2020-2023), and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Queensland University of Technology.


Sally Brand
Curatorial Manager | Australian Collection, QAGOMA

Brand is regarded for her capacity to bring to life ambitious contemporary art projects in Australia and internationally. At the National Gallery, she was integral to presentations of Patricia Piccinini’s 'Skywhales: Every Heart Sings' (2021-2023) and Jordan Wolfson’s cutting-edge robotic animatronic 'Body Sculpture' (2023). From 2015 to 2018, Brand was Curator, Art & Object at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Prior to working in public museums and galleries, her time in the commercial art sector included seven years in Beijing and three in Sydney. Brand is excited to return to her hometown of Brisbane after 20 years away.


Dr Simon Maidment
Director | Useful Objects
Artist, curator, writer, art consultant and commissioner

As an artist, curator, writer, art consultant, and commissioner, Simon has extensive experience in leading the artistic direction and management of arts organisations across both institutional and grassroots contexts. His expertise makes him an invaluable assessor for this unique opportunity to support an established Queensland maker working with furniture or furniture techniques.

Dr Maidment is the founder and director of Useful Objects, a Melbourne-based gallery specialising in collectible design. The gallery supports designer-makers who tell compelling stories of our time through objects that challenge conventional materials and functionality in sophisticated, unexpected ways.

A significant tenure as Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) established his curatorial expertise, where he led the acquisition and exhibition of key contemporary art collections, including landmark exhibitions such as the NGV Triennial. Simon has also held key roles at the University of Melbourne’s Art Museums, the Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne Now, Melbourne International Arts Festival co-developed programs with Arts Victoria and the Australia Council for the Arts.

Additionally, Simon holds a PhD in Art Theory, Curating, Social Agency, and Contemporary Art from the University of Melbourne.

With over 20 years of fieldwork, research, and cross-disciplinary project development, Simon maintains a deep knowledge of both Australian and international cultural practices. He has built a global network of artists, designers, writers, curators, collectors, and museum professionals.

Applications are open to practitioners who meet ALL of the following:

• Education or practice history in this field reflecting ongoing commitment to craft/design practice, i.e. the practitioner is a/an:
  • current student or graduate of an accredited craft, fine art or design degree (TAFE Advanced Diploma, Associate Degree, Bachelor, Honours, or Masters) in Queensland, OR
  • Early-career practitioner within five years of completing their most recent relevant qualification, OR
  • Self-taught maker who can demonstrate an active, developing professional practice 
• The practitioner has documented connection to Queensland - through residence, study, or sustained practice in the state
• The works proposed for exhibition must have been created within the last two years and be available to be display for the full duration of the exhibition 
• The practitioner is in the early-career stage of their professional practice.

Career Stage Definition

We define 'early-career' as practitioners in the stages of professional practice following formal study, or self-taught makers who have not yet held a major solo exhibition with a state or national gallery. artisan recognises that career timelines are not linear and encourages applications from practitioners whose paths reflect diverse life circumstances, including those returning to practice after a break.

Who is Not Eligible

• Practitioners who have held a solo exhibition in a major state or national gallery institution 
• Practitioners who have previously exhibited as a selected artist in UNLEASHED+ (prior alumni may apply for artisan's other programs) 
• Works created more than three years prior to the application closing date (the work must have been finalised after February 2023).

UNLEASHED+ artist selection is made by an independent panel of industry professionals using a structured assessment framework across five criteria.

Applications are assessed on a scale of 1 to 5 across each criterion. A score of 5 — Exceptional — reflects work and practice that exceeds professional standards and demonstrates genuine mastery and innovation. The definitions below describe what each criterion means and what a score of 5 looks like in practice.

The Five Assessment Criteria

Note: Applicants should consider these criteria throughout the application. You may choose to address them directly or incorporate throughout the form.

1. Originality of Design | Creative innovation, unique artistic voice and conceptual depth
   
   This criterion assesses the distinctiveness, inventiveness and conceptual strength of your work. The panel is looking for a clear creative voice — work that is genuinely original, pushes the boundaries of your medium and contributes meaningfully to contemporary craft discourse.
   
   Excellence (5) looks like: Groundbreaking innovation with a distinctive artistic voice. Work that challenges the conventions of the medium, demonstrates sophisticated conceptual development and original thinking, and makes a meaningful contribution to the field.
   
   
   
2. Craftsmanship | Technical skill, execution quality and material mastery
   
   This criterion evaluates the technical rigour and quality of execution in your work. It encompasses your command of materials, the precision and care of your making process and your ability to deploy technique in service of your creative vision.
   
   Excellence (5) looks like: Masterful technical skill with flawless execution across all aspects of production. A sophisticated understanding of materials and an innovative application of technique that elevates the work beyond competent making.
   
   
   
3. Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability | Consideration of environmental impact and sustainable practices
   
   This criterion reflects artisan's commitment to a craft and design sector that takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. The panel will consider how sustainability principles are embedded in your material choices, production methods and overall approach to making.
   
   Excellence (5) looks like: An exceptional and demonstrable commitment to sustainable practice throughout the entire production process. Responsible material sourcing and selection, resource and energy efficiency and innovative problem-solving in response to environmental challenges.
   
   
   
4. Collectability & Market Visibility | Potential for works to be collected, editioned or commercially viable
   
   This criterion considers the commercial and collector appeal of your work — its potential to be acquired, sold, editioned, or to find a meaningful market. The panel recognises that commercial viability is a critical dimension of a sustainable creative practice.
   
   Excellence (5) looks like: Strong commercial potential with clear collector interest. Work that demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the market — its audiences, its price points, its appetite — and is positioned compellingly within it.
   
   
   
5. Professional Development & Sector Impact | Career trajectory clarity and capacity to share learnings with the Queensland community
   
   UNLEASHED+ is a development program, not only an exhibition opportunity. This criterion assesses your clarity of purpose as a practitioner, your understanding of how this opportunity will accelerate your career and your commitment to contributing your learnings back to the Queensland craft and design community.
   
   Excellence (5) looks like: A clearly articulated career trajectory with specific plans for leveraging this opportunity. A strong commitment to knowledge sharing and community engagement, with genuine evidence of leadership potential within Queensland's craft and design sector.

A Note on the Assessment Process

The panel will assess all applications independently against these five criteria using a 1–5 scoring scale. Scores across criteria are weighted equally. The panel's decisions are final.
We acknowledge that applicants at different stages of their career may approach these criteria differently. Emerging does not mean undeveloped — the panel is as interested in the quality of your thinking and the potential of your practice as it is in the polish of completed work.
We look forward to seeing your work and learning about your practice.

artisan will provide the following:

• Artist fee of $500 (including GST), as per NAVA Code of Practice - Artist Fees.
• Professional installation of the Work at HOTA Gallery, Home of the Arts, Gold Coast.
• Coordination of artwork sale
• Marketing and social media promotion
• Exhibition opening event

Finalists must:

• Manage the delivery and collection of the Work to HOTA Gallery, Home of the Arts, Gold Coast, at your own cost. Exact delivery dates are to be confirmed, and any artworks delivered outside of these dates will not be accepted.

• Package the Work how it is to be returned. artisan will not cover any additional repackaging/recrating cost.

• Supply the Work ready for exhibition and provide any specific display hardware, if required. Standard plinths and shelving will be provided by artisan.

• Contribute to and share content for artisan social media and other promotional activities (you may be invited as a Collaborator on artisan Instagram to assist the engagement of new audiences for the exhibition).