New Exuberance - Contemporary Australian Textile Design

Meryl Ryan (exhibition curator, catalogue editor and essay writer) is a widely travelled curator with over three decades experience in the arts sector, including seven years as an editor/writer in London, UK. Currently commissioned for a biennial exhibition series at The Lock-Up (2020-2028), and previously Senior Curator, Museum of Art and Culture yapang, she has curated over 70 contemporary multidisciplinary exhibitions with projects and publications endorsed through national awards. Meryl was recipient of ANU's inaugural Janet Wilkie Memorial Scholarship for Fine Art, the 2009 ASIALINK Curatorial Exchange (Japan), and 2013 M&G NSW Fellowship (NYC, USA).

Stephen Goddard (catalogue and lead exhibition designer) is a multidisciplinary designer, curator and academic. Stephen has worked with JamFactory on four survey exhibitions: Wood (2013), Glass (2015), Steel (2017) and Concrete (2019). During the COVID lockdown in 2021, he conceived, curated and built the project Happy objects for the Australian Design Centre, which included Window, Cricket Bat in collaboration with Griffin Theatre Company and writer Hilary Bell, presented as part of Sydney Festival 2022. Stephen is currently Design Domain Coordinator and a lecturer at UNSW Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, School of Art and Design.

Clare Press (essay writer) is a Sydney-based author and documentary filmmaker, and founder of 'The Wardrobe Crisis', a sustainable fashion podcast and online course platform, based on her 2016 book of the same name. She produces and co-hosts the 'Ethical Fashion' podcast with UN officer Simone Cipriani, and pioneered the role of Sustainability Editor at Vogue. Clare has been a member of the Australian advisory board of Fashion Revolution since 2014, and sits on Copenhagen Fashion Week's Sustainability Advisory Board. She is currently writing her fourth book.

Shannon Brett (essay writer) is a proud Wakka Wakka/Butchulla/Gooreng Gooreng person and experienced researcher/writer and curator who is skilled in various areas of research, arts management, arts writing, fashion design, graphic design, public speaking, photography and arts mentorship. They hold a Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art; Photography and Fine Art via the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, and have worked in numerous arts institutions throughout 'Australia' while maintaining the small textiles brand LORE.