The Cad Factory

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The Cad Factory

The Cad Factory is re-imagining the world through contemporary art practices.

23/07/2026

What does it mean to experience the world through another being’s senses?

To conclude his Scene Shift Residency, Greg Pritchard invited participants to explore Umwelt – the idea that every organism experiences the world through its own unique sensory perspective. Through discussion, demonstrations and informal experimentation, participants considered how artistic practice can engage with multispecies worlds beyond human-centred perception.

The Scene Shift Residency is a collaboration between The Cad Factory and Brand X, supporting artistic exchange and learning across regional and metropolitan communities.

Next up, Sydney artist Ryley Gillan returns to The Cad Factory in October for the second and final stage of his residency, with a public program to be announced soon.

Brand X Create NSW Regional Arts Australia Regional Arts NSW

16/07/2026

Meet the 2026 Joyce Spencer Textile Award Recipients ⭐️

The Cad Factory, Western Riverina Arts and the Spencer Family are delighted to announce the 2026 recipients of the Joyce Spencer Textile Awards:

Janet Steele – Fellowship Recipient
Mary Coughlan – Highly Commended Award Recipient
Lorraine Tye – Joyce Spencer Prize Co-Recipient
Stephanie Smith and Anne De Nooijer – Joyce Spencer Prize Co-Recipients

Congratulations to all the selected artists! Stay tuned for our upcoming spotlights to learn more about each of them.

Image credits:
1. Janet Steele, Figtree Connections, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist. Headshot courtesy of Edward Cross.
2. Mary Coughlan, The Mysteries of Becoming Good Colonialists, 2025. Image and headshot courtesy of Juanita McLauchlan.
3. Lorraine Tye, Frog Story, 2025. Image and headshot courtesy of Linda Elliott
4. Stephanie Smith and Anne De Nooijer, Leaves & Vines, 2025. Image courtesy of Brad Collins. Headshot courtesy of the artists.

12/07/2026

Now accepting applications 📣 CASE Incubator National Residency Program.

Awarded to 8 mid-career, socially engaged artists, one from each state and territory in Australia, this program offers in-depth learning and mentorship from sector leaders, alongside peer-to-peer learning, network building and the support to deliver a small project or resource for the sector.

Applications close at midnight Friday 28 August 2026. Learn more and apply at the link below.

www.cadfactory.com.au/case-incubator-national-program

Designed and delivered by the Cad Factory. Supported by Creative Australia, Create NSW and Minderoo Foundation.

09/07/2026

We’re excited to announce that Creative Australia has invested in the next chapter of the CASE (Contemporary Art Socially Engaged) Incubator Studio – a National Residency Program to support eight mid-career socially engaged artists, one from each state and territory across Australia!

This paid, 12-month residency and professional development program will support artists to strengthen their practice, build meaningful connections, and contribute to a more sustainable and ethically grounded socially engaged arts sector.

This investment marks an exciting milestone, transforming the CASE Incubator from a successful state-based initiative into a national program.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of the CASE journey so far. Here's to the next chapter. Expressions of Interest open next week 👀 keep your eyes peeled!

CASE Incubator is also supported by Create NSW and Minderoo Foundation.

02/07/2026

Last week the Cad team gathered on Wiradjuri Country in Narrandera. It was a wonderful chance to connect with each other, the land and local community. This week we’re reflecting on

💭 Waking up to an expansive, peaceful landscape

⭕️ Meeting Neville and the Clontarf Academy boys and seeing the beautiful Yarning Circle they’ve been creating at Koori’s Beach

🔥 Having a mid-winter bonfire and meeting neighbours, artists, farmers and colleagues (and witnessing everyone working together to rescue an echidna that burrowed itself into the burn pile!)

👀 Spotting a koala high up in the gum trees near the Marrambidya Bila/Murrumbidgee River

❤️ Sharing meals and conversation face-to-face, as our whole team doesn’t often have the opportunity to do so

18/06/2026

Last call for regional NSW textile artists to submit their EOIs for the Joyce Spencer Textile Awards 📣

Round 6 applications will close midnight tomorrow, Friday 19 June 2026.

www.cadfactory.com.au/joyce-spencer-awards

Supported by the Spencer family and Western Riverina Arts, in partnership with the Cad Factory.

Western Riverina Arts

Credits: Charlotte Haywood - Round 4 Fellowship Recipient, Same time/Same place (COEXISTENCE); a MULTISPECIES (KARAOKE) OPERA?, 2025, Broken Hill City Art Gallery. Photo courtesy of the artist and Broken Hill City Art Gallery.

05/06/2026

We are remembering the life of Aunty Cheryl Blore, a Barkindji Elder, artist, river activist, and someone we loved dearly.

We’ve worked with Aunty Cheryl on eight projects since 2020 where she has shared her cultural leadership, wisdom, care, generosity, calmness and hilarious cheekiness! Cheryl always made projects fun and meaningful.

Most recently in January this year, we travelled with Aunty Cheryl to England and Scotland to look at Barkindji objects held in collections in Cambridge and Edinburgh, film a documentary about this experience, and present the More Than a Fish Kill documentary created following the 2019 and 2023 fish kill events in Menindee.

Aunty Cheryl’s impact on the Cad Factory, and in her wider community, has been immense and we still can’t quite comprehend what it means to move ahead without her. She was a real inspiration and we will deeply miss her, while also holding onto the fact we got to spend time and build amazing artworks and advocacy with someone so remarkable.

21/05/2026

We recently caught up with Lindee, artist and co-recipient of the 2025 Joyce Spencer Textile Fellowship. We chatted about her practice and collaborative project ‘Threaded Selves’, which is proudly supported by the Joyce Spencer Textile Awards.

The full interview will be shared in our upcoming email newsletter, so make sure you’re subscribed so you can read!

https://mailchi.mp/7d8a7e822d8c/cad-factory-mailing-list

Submissions to the Awards are now open, with over $6000 in prizes on offer. Learn more and apply on our website.

Images courtesy of the artist.

26/04/2026

In partnership with the Spencer Family and Western Riverina Arts, we’re proud to announce that the 2026 Joyce Spencer Textile Awards are now open!

Now in its sixth year, the awards are named in honour of textile artist Joyce Spencer (1928–2019). They are awarded annually to support regional NSW textile artists or collectives to deliver new artworks or exhibitions.

Applications will close on Friday 19 June 2026 at midnight.

Learn more and apply here:
www.cadfactory.com.au/joyce-spencer-awards

Photo courtesy of James T Farley

16/04/2026

River reflections 🌀 for over a decade, waterways have shaped our work – not just as landscapes, but as living sites of collaboration, cultural significance, and environmental concern, held as a relation rather than a resource.

Across 12 major Cad Factory projects, we have brought people together with rivers, including First Nations custodians, artists, communities, scientists, and researchers, each engaging with the stories, challenges, and possibilities held within these waters.

As we reflect on past projects, we also look ahead to our next major work, River Stories. This is our most ambitious project yet, spanning three states and unfolding across multiple Murray–Darling locations. We’re currently in the early stages and look forward to sharing more as the project takes shape.

Images:
1. ‘On Common Ground’ (2015). Photo courtesy of James T Farley
2. ‘Wirramarri: Long Way from Home’ (2021). Photo courtesy of Jackie Cooper
3. ‘Buckingbong to Birrego: A Walk of Healing and Hope’ (2013). Photo courtesy of Jacob Raupach
4. ‘Pangala: Returning Home’ (2023). Photo courtesy of Jackie Cooper
5. ‘River Country’ (2024). Photo courtesy of Vic McEwan
6. ‘Shadow Places’ (2017). Photo courtesy of Jackie Cooper

Address

Narrandera, NSW
2700

Website

http://www.cadfactory.com.au/

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