Crafts Council About Research and policy

Policy brief

November 2021

All the latest news and research from the craft sector

This month we’re sharing:

The Power of Experiences, our new resources to bringing craft experiences to businesses
Advice and support on exporting and touring
More insights into the impact of the pandemic on learning, businesses and workforce, including Amazon Handmade’s analysis of artisan businesses
Insights into climate action for makers and museums
Plans to drive creativity in Scotland and Wales
Government and local authority budget changes impacting on the arts
And, research findings on the power of creative networks.

Black Cubes, Jo Hannah, Photography Robyn Manning

Building craft experiences

We’re delighted to share with you our film, case studies and a guide to craft experiences - The Power of Experiences - Bringing Craft Experiences to your Business.

The resources are intended to inspire makers who’re thinking about starting on this journey and to highlight the benefits for brands of animating spaces through craft.

Help with exporting and international touring

The Department for International Trade has published a 12-point plan intended to help UK businesses double their exports.

A Policy & Evidence Centre (PEC) briefing explores some high-level opportunities for the creative industries in the UK Export Strategy. It shows how creative firms seem to be quite active in the international markets and keen to be even more active. Exporters tend to have innovated in the past in both products/services and organisation and are also more likely to plan product and process innovations than non-exporters. (This earlier paper explores 12 helpful facts about creative industries’ trade. )

The Government has updated its checklist for performing artists, creatives, management and production staff touring in an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.

More insights into the impact of the pandemic on businesses, workforce and school learning

A new report from Amazon Handmade Artisanal Businesses in Britain: An analysis of trends in the last 10 years contains some useful new data. (Author Fiona Tuck, who led Crafts Council’s Measuring the Craft Economy and Studying Craft series of reports, includes a broader definition of artisan than we have used for our data.)
Artisanal businesses contribute £4.8bn to the British economy. Great Britain saw the biggest increase of new handmade artisans in a decade last year over the course of the Covid 19 pandemic, with a 33% increase in self-employed crafters recorded between 2019 and 2020 alone. This growth contributed to an overall rise of 21% more makers setting up a handmade business over the last ten years. This suggests that during the pandemic a large number of people opted to become self-employed working with artisanal crafts, likely starting their own businesses. Despite London having the highest concentrations of activity, the growth stories are all outside of the capital.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) reports that sector GVA is estimated to have grown by 2.4% from Quarter 2 (April to June) to Quarter 3 (July to September) in real terms. By comparison, the whole UK economy grew by 1.3% from Quarter 2 to Quarter 3. However, the GVA of DCMS sectors in September 2021 remained 2.7% below February 2020 levels.
Northern Ireland’s arts workforce reduced by a quarter last year, according to Arts Council of Northern Ireland figures, as income levels and ticket sales fell. Small arts organisations were particularly hard hit, placing these groups under significant stress.
The pandemic has led to huge pressure on creative industry employees who have responsibility for social media as they managed an increase in digital output, according to PEC research.
And, the TES has looked at data from the Office for National Statistics that shows that arts subjects were disproportionally affected by the pandemic:
‘Between April 2020 and June 2021, an average of just 60 per cent of the learning material received by in-school students was successfully delivered to remote learners studying what the ONS classed as "arts including design and technology".’
The report also found that while the proportion of delivery of other subjects increased over the pandemic, arts subjects continued to be taught at lower levels.

Insights into climate action for makers and museums

Climate Change Action at Cockpit provides a snapshot of actions that makers are taking in response to the climate emergency. The report shows how makers are consciously and sustainably consuming materials and energy, as well as reducing waste and exploring new models of production. Others are using their practices to communicate issues and drive change.

Mobilising Museums for Climate Action is an open-access collection of tools, frameworks and concepts, together with essentials of climate action, to help empower museums, their partners and communities.

Plans to drive creativity in Scotland and Wales

Scotland’s Creative Learning Plan ensures that children’s mental health will be a “very high priority” under a new blueprint for cross-curriculum creativity.

The Arts Council of Wales has published a new toolkit which aims to help venues, artists and communities develop a deeper understanding of their locality and realise the potential of creativity in helping local communities to flourish.

Government and local authority budget changes impacting on the arts

The Chancellor’s autumn budget included:

A 2.9% uplift for the Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport
An extension and increase of Tax Relief on developing and delivering exhibitions and performances for museums, galleries, orchestras and theatres. However, the Creative Industries Federation has issued a statement expressing its disappointment in the limited expansion of tax reliefs for Research and Development.
£480 million in funding for a year of celebration across the UK in 2022, for the Commonwealth Games, Unboxed: Creativity in the UK and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

But the budget failed to deliver the Conservatives 2019 Manifesto promise for an Arts Premium for Secondary Schools, which is a great disappointment. See more on this and the budget from the Cultural Learning Alliance.

A new report from Museums Association shows how UK local authority spending on museums and galleries declined between 2009/10 and 2019/20 by 27% in real terms from £426m to £311m.

Research findings on the power of creative networks

Research from Cardiff University shows that creative networks operate as central nodes of the local creative ecosystem, functioning as a ‘glue’ inside the otherwise very broad creative industries. Creative networks can act as catalysts for sustainability but are often hampered by funding and a lack of understanding from policy makers or the public.

Meanwhile, Creative UK, a merger of the industry insights and advocacy work of Creative Industries Federation with the practical support and investment work of Creative England, has a new mission to connect and empower the creative sector.

Lastly…

The City of London’s Culture and Commerce Taskforce have freed up about 20,000 square feet of creative workspaces across London in the past year.

Policy brief

Building craft experiences

Help with exporting and international touring

More insights into the impact of the pandemic on businesses, workforce and school learning

Insights into climate action for makers and museums

Plans to drive creativity in Scotland and Wales

Government and local authority budget changes impacting on the arts

Research findings on the power of creative networks

Lastly…

Read more

October 2021

September 2021

Building craft experiences

Making Changes in Craft