Updates from Rosy Greenlees
For the May/June edition Rosy includes news about events and upcoming initiatives
So, we now know the outcome of the election – but we are certainly far from knowing what this will mean for the cultural sector and the creative industries in general and the craft sector in particular. With the election just days old, it’s too early to be opening a new dialogue about the economic, social and cultural value of contemporary craft. But rest assured that we will be engaging in this conversation at the appropriate time and will be continuing to work hard to ensure that this government understands the sector – the many benefits that it brings and the few needs that it has.
We know we have a strong story: The last 15 years have been incredibly productive for the UK’s creativity and innovation, and craft has been a part of that success. The craft sector now makes a £3bn contribution to the UK economy, and represents 13% of those employed in the UK’s creative industries. The total market buying original craft is 11.3 million people, far bigger than that for fine art, and the value of sales of original craft doubled between 1994 and 2004. And however the world has changed, we believe that craft has a substantial part to play in the future. We want to contribute – culturally, socially, and economically. And we know, and we will help others to see, that the great contribution of makers is that they … make. Craft is not about scale – it’s not the nature of the beast – but it is about creativity, innovation, resilience and a certain feistiness that enables it to perform out of all proportion to investment. It is a part of the solution, not the problem
We know that the sector is, in any case, relatively self-sufficient: there are far more craft businesses operating without government support than funded organisations receiving it, but to thrive, they need access to development funding and business advice. Much participation is funded by individuals choosing to attend classes, but they need classes to attend. We are regarded as world leaders in innovative craft, but that can only continue if academic research opportunities and support systems are preserved.
The public interest in craft increases. Sales of craft continue to hold up in the recession – at least, so far. Mastercrafts was a terrific hit for the BBC and we were delighted to be able to provide some advice on the first series. We very much hope there will be a second.
The Guardian published a fascinating snapshot of the take-up of participation (hobbies) drawn from the DCMS Taking Part data – with craft in first place at 16.9% or approximately 1 in 6 of the adult population, significantly higher than the next most popular activities, playing a musical instrument (10.9%) and participation in the visual arts i.e. drawing and painting at 10.8%. Who knew? Well, we did. And we will keep making sure that everyone else does too.
In June, we will be publishing three new pieces of research, due to be launched at Assemble 2010: the Crafts Council Conference which will provide fresh, vibrant evidence for the economic and social value of craft; the experiences of recent craft graduates and the perceptions of craft in a post-recession culture.
Policy update
The all-encompassing focus on the election and the purdah period on new government announcements mean that there is no policy briefing with this e-bulletin. Normal service for subscribers to our policy list returns next month.
Sign up for our monthly policy e-bulletin here. We hope you found our weekly pre-election updates helpful. In the meantime, read a summary of our response to Arts Council England’s consultation paper on its new 10-year plan “Achieving great art for everyone” here
Now for some good news (1)
Firing Up
It is our underlying belief that craft – like most things – can only thrive if children are introduced to it when they are young. Craft is good for young people – and young people are good for craft.
For students, an education in craft skills opens up the possibility of an entrepreneurial and fulfilling career and provides skills that stay with them for life, whatever they choose to do. Research has shown that “…craft education appears to impart new styles of thinking, acting and problem solving to its students, which may be more appropriate than traditional learning systems, in our changing culture”. This ‘intelligent making,’ can encapsulate the multi-faceted, joined-up learning processes relevant to the digital age.
For craft, opening up the experience to young people choosing a career is the best way to promote a vigorous, lively diverse sector and ensure that we continue to be relevant and resilient.
The disappearance of craft from the curriculum in recent years has been a great wrong for both the sector and young people. Now, we have the opportunity to start to put it back. Thanks to generous funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, we are able to initiate Firing Up, a national, three-year programme for secondary schools to raise awareness of the importance of clay in our everyday lives, support schools to use clay creatively and confidently, and encourage children to view ceramics as a viable career option.
More details can be found here
Craft Club
Following a very successful trial at Lindens Primary in Sutton Coldfield, where it was cited as a contributor to the school’s “Outstanding” Ofsted inspection report, we are launching the first phase of Craft Club with the UK Handknitting Association. Craft Club is a national campaign to revive craft learning for the young generation, reinforcing the value of craft in formal and informal education, not just as a vocational subject, but as beneficial in its own right.
Thanks to UKHKA, we have funds to run this first round of Craft Club at a level that can demonstrate its potential. We will seek further funding to enable it to become a truly national route for young people to engage with craft through their schools’ extended hours provision. And with the National Federation of Women’s Institutes on board, there should be no stopping us…
More information about Craft Club can be found here
Good news (2)
COLLECT 2010
Also imminent, is the return of COLLECT, the Crafts Council’s international art fair for contemporary objects at the Saatchi Gallery, featuring 36 galleries from 14 countries, representing around 400 artists, and supported by a wide-ranging programme of talks and events. Having recently visited SOFA in New York to jointly host a reception with UK Trade & Investment promoting the six British galleries showing at SOFA this year (and, yes, I did have an extended stay owing to the “volcano-effect”), it was incredibly heartening to hear again the esteem in which both COLLECT itself and British contemporary craft is held.
And, of course, we are delighted that The Art Fund is again partnering us on Art Fund Collect. This third year of support will mean that The Art Fund has invested a total of £200,000 to date to enable public collections to acquire contemporary craft. And thanks to the acquisitions made on the day through Art Fund Collect as well as those that evolve from general participation in the scheme and attendance at the fair, the Art Fund’s support for contemporary craft has increased by 70% since 2008.
The short-list this year is
1. Aberdeen Art Gallery (glass and ceramics)
2. Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter (ceramics)
3. The Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead (glass and ceramics)
4. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (glass and ceramics)
5. Manchester Art Gallery (furniture and wood)
6. Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester (textiles)
7. mima, Middlesbrough (jewellery and ceramics)
8. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (silver)
9. Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery (glass)
10. Harris Museum, Preston (textiles)
11. York Art Gallery (ceramics)
Good luck to you all.
Craft Cubes in Berlin
I’m delighted that the prestigious DMY International Design Festival in Berlin will preent three CraftCubes during its 2010 edition in June. CraftCubes offer
A new way to see and learn about contemporary craft by offering visitors a virtual experience of makers’ studios by moving away from the traditional format to offer a walk-in, immersive experience. Large-scale audiovisuals feature panning shots of the maker’s studio and of the techniques involved in making the objects on display bringing the whole making process to life for visitors.
See more
CraftNet/Crafts Council regional events
I am very pleased that we have now co-hosted two regional networking events, the first of a series organised by CraftNet, a new informal network in which meetings, events, and exchange can take place, to look at and share ways of developing and promoting craft across the sector. The events are delivered in partnership with the Crafts Council.
The first event, co-hosted with Devon Guild of Craftsmen in March, included a panel discussion on how contemporary craft is engaging with digital technology, through makers’ and curators’ practice and through marketing, alongside the pros and cons of perceptions of craft’s place in an increasingly digital world. There was also a workshop enabling participants to learn more about, and contribute to, our current Making Value research and an opportunity to see the Tall Stories exhibition at Devon Guild of Craftsmen. Our thanks to Dr Katie Bunnell of the Autonomatic Research Cluster at University College Falmouth and Helen Carnac, curator of Craftspace’s Taking Time exhibition who joined Erica Steer, Director of Devon Guild of Craftsmen and me on the panel.
The second, in April, gave participants from the East and West Midlands a welcome opportunity to visit the newly-reopened mac (Midlands Arts Centre) in its first week and included a panel discussion on different programming models with Rachael Matthews from Prick Your Finger (which is also the current recipient of a Crafts Council Spark Plug award), Craig Ashley, Producer, Visual Arts of mac and Deirdre Figueiredo, Director of co-host Craftspace with co-host Kate Stoddart in the chair.
More events will follow in the autumn. If you would like news of future CraftNet events please email comms@craftscouncil.org.uk with ‘CraftNet’ in the subject line.
Out and About
Crafts Council Collective Rally
It was a pleasure to attend the first Craft Rally on 25 March at Chelsea College of Art and Design in partnership with Artquest and Yorkshire Artspace, fully-booked, buzzy, and an auspicious start to our new all-embracing Collective programme of continuous professional development for makers.
It was also very valuable to attend the Council for Higher Education in Art and Design (CHEAD) conference in Liverpool, where I gave a presentation to some fifty Deans and Heads of Art and Design Departments about the great importance of Higher Education to the craft sector and the vital need for craft practice and making to continue to be provided within a university context. While in the north-west, I took the opportunity to catch up with colleagues in Liverpool and Manchester, at the Bluecoat Display Centre, the Bluecoat, Cornerhouse, Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Craft and Design Centre.
I have also recently been to Sheffield as a panel member for the Museums Sheffield Metalwork Design Award 2010. Following the shortlisting, finalists for the Award will be invited to create their work in advance of an exhibition and awards ceremony at Museums Sheffield: Millennium Gallery in December, with the winning entries becoming part of Museums Sheffield‘s designated metalwork collection.
Nearer home, I attended the launch of the Heritage Crafts Association at the V&A, and the announcement of the Cultural Leadership Programme’s first Women to Watch List – congratulations to both organisations on these very different, and very welcome, initiatives. Colleagues and I were also at a reception for this year’s ReachOut Revival project with the Royal College of Art – the third year that the RCA and the Crafts Council have collaborated on this initiative matching graduates with Academies in London and using the Crafts Council Collection in this context.
Congratulations to…
• Previous Crafts Council Development Award (CCDA) recipient Julie Cook (2005) who has been awarded the Arts Foundation Award for Textiles 2010
• Recent CCDA recipient Andrew Lamb (2007) who has been awarded the Arts Foundation Award for Jewellery 2010
• Previous CCDA recipient Margo Selby who featured on ‘Mastercrafts’
… and to Zandra Rhodes on becoming Chancellor of the University of Creative Arts, home of the Crafts Study Centre
Read our recent press releases here
Read our 08/09 annual report here
And last, but not least, now you can follow us on Twitter – news, events and signposting to stories from the craft sector. Follow us @CraftsCouncilUK here
