Post Assemble
The Crafts Council's inaugural Assemble 2010 brought together numerous influential thinkers from across the creative industries to look at the economic, innovative and social value of craft in a changing economy on 22 June at LSO St Luke’s in London.
Over 200 makers, representatives of crafts and arts organisations, galleries, Higher Education Institutes, creative education agencies, funders and retailers, attended and listened to a series of talks, panel discussions and participated in workshops.
Professor Mike Press, Duncan of Jordanstone College, chaired the day’s events that included presentations from motorbike mechanic and philosopher Matthew B. Crawford, future trends analyst Martin Raymond, artist Tom Gallant and makers including Dr Jane Harris, Michael Eden, Lynne Murray and Cj O’Neill.
Professor Mike Press started the rallying cry with;
“We find ourselves living in new times, interesting times: post-recession, post New Labour – an economic crisis and a new government. And our choice is a simple one – we can either pursue craft as part of an oppositional alternative economy and culture – or we can connect with those challenges and those opportunities. I do not believe that we have had such a clear cut opportunity for us to advance the case for craft for over a generation. We either seize this moment – or we squander it. Your choice.”
Martin Raymond gave an electrifying account of what the future could look like for makers in a consumer environment where global luxury brands like Louis Vuitton are now employing crafts makers in their stores in order to be associated with a certain level of quality. Michael Eden talked about his pots constructed using HTML code patterns that can be scanned by the viewer in order to download information on the pot and its history and Lynne Murray presented her new work with Holition where augmented reality technology is already being used in the sales of high-end jewellery and accessories.
Other presentations and panel discussions considered the complexities of sustainability, the future of craft considering new technology in materials and our emotional attachments to ‘stuff’. And three of the most extensive pieces of research on craft in a decade were launched;
• Making Value: craft & the economic and social contribution of makers: a qualitative study detailing the extent of the contribution of entrepreneurial craft makers to industry, education and the community through its focus on portfolio careers, showing makers contributing – and flourishing – in creative sectors from architecture to fashion to healthcare to manufacturing.
• Crafting Futures: a study of the early careers of crafts graduates from UK higher education institution: is a quantitative and qualitative study exploring the careers of more than 600 graduates in craft subjects in the four to six years after graduation, and their perceptions of the craft higher education experience.
• Consuming Craft: the contemporary craft market in a changing economy: quantifying the current and potential market for contemporary craft and looking at consumer attitudes in a changing economic environment.
“Assemble provided a platform for an exciting range of speakers to discuss the complex face of craft and reflect on important new research about how we move forward as an industry in this new age of austerity. Assemble was the start of many interesting conversations that we hope will continue to grow and connect what can be a fragmented sector in to a plan of action to ensure we remain relevant in this new century”
Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director, Crafts Council
Podcasts of the speeches and panel discussions plus images from the day will shortly be available online at www.assemble.org.uk and the three reports are available on the Research and Information section of the Crafts Council website www.craftscouncil.org.uk
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For more information please contact Jill Read, Press Officer, Crafts Council on T: 020 7806 2549 or email media@craftscouncil.org.uk
Notes to Editors
• The Crafts Council’s goal is to make the UK the best place to make, see, collect and learn about contemporary craft.
o We believe that craft plays a dynamic and vigorous role in the UK’s social, economic and cultural life.
o We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to make, see, collect and learn about craft.
o We believe that the strength of craft lies in its use of traditional and contemporary techniques, ideas and materials to make extraordinary new work.
o We believe that the future of craft lies in nurturing talent; children and young people must be able to learn about craft at school and have access to excellent teaching throughout their education.
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• 11% of the UK population visited a craft exhibition in 2008/09, and 17% participated in craft activity in the same year (DCMS/ACE Taking Part data update August 2009). (Taking Part is an ongoing survey being carried out by Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England (ACE)
• More than 2.8 million visits were made to the Crafts Council website in 2009. To find out everything you need to know about where to make, see, collect and learn about contemporary craft visit www.craftscouncil.org.uk
• The Crafts Council is supported by Arts Council England. Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives. As the national development agency for the arts, it supports a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts. Between 2008 and 2011, Arts Council England will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.
