Two Mid North Coast artists, Anne De Nooijer and Stephanie Smith, have been named joint recipients of the 2026 Joyce Spencer Textile Art Prize, a major win for the region's thriving fibre arts community.
The Cad Factory, Western Riverina Arts and the Spencer family announced the pair, based in Mortons Creek and Wauchope, as one of two award recipients this year. The prize supports regional NSW textile artists and collectives to create new artworks or exhibitions, and is named in honour of textile artist Joyce Spencer (1928–2019). It is made possible through funding from the Spencer family and Western Riverina Arts, in partnership with the Cad Factory.
Steph and Anne have been working together for three years, and the award will fund their most ambitious collaboration yet: an exhibition called Textile Magic, the Steph & Anne Show.
"Steph and I will work on an exhibition called 'Textile Magic, the Steph & Anne show'," Anne said. "The show will feature individual and collaborative works that blend Steph's french-knitted yarns with my sewn compositions, creating a visual feast of colour, texture, and storytelling."
Stephanie Smith is a multidisciplinary artist living on Birpai Country, whose work centres on french knitting woven into tapestries and soft sculptures. Her guiding philosophy, "I was born to create art," runs through everything she makes. Anne De Nooijer, also working on Birpai Country, is a contemporary fibre artist known for her meticulous hand-dyed, sewn and woven compositions exploring self-mythology, social issues and pop culture.
For the pair, applying for the prize was as much about partnership as it was about funding.
"Steph and I have been working together for three years now and we love creating together. We are very much looking forward to creating a whole show together and working towards a specific goal," Anne said.
"Without the award we would not be able to fund this exhibition, therefore we are very grateful to the family and everyone involved in the Joyce Spencer Textile award."
The exhibition will also include an inclusive community workshop to ensure creativity is accessible and shared with anyone. The two artists will teach their signature techniques, french knitting and sewn composition, to local participants.
"I think our project/exhibition will be an inspiring visual feast for the eyes".
The Joyce Spencer Textile Art Prize continues to champion regional NSW textile practice, and this year's recipients reflect the strength of collaboration and community connection at the heart of the award.
To find out more about the awards and this year's recipients, visit cadfactory.com.au/joyce-spencer-awards.
Photo credit: Brad Collins