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Crafts CouncilStories

14 craft exhibitions to see in the UK this September


ByCrafts magazine

2 September 2020

Featuring dazzling jewellery, sculptures made from hair and more


Crafts magazine

2 September 2020

  • Exhibitions

To help you plan your cultural calendar, here’s Crafts magazine’s edit of the best craft shows happening this month.


Helix earrings & Bangle, Lynne MacLachlan, 3D-printed nylon. Photo: Susan Castillo

Dazzle@Dovecot

The jewellery fair is back at Dovecot Studio in Edinburgh, showcasing handmade pieces by makers ranging from recent graduates through to internationally-renowned designers. To ensure entry, make sure to book yourself a timeslot. Can’t make the fair itself? Have a browse of their curated shop Lovedazzle online.

Until 12 September at Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh

Connected

As many of us adjust to working from home, London’s Design Museum has tasked nine designers with imagining their ideal WFH set-up as part of London Design Festival. Each was paired with a furnituremaker to create their dream live/work sets from hard wood.

10–24 September at the Design Museum, London

Jacqueline Poncelet: Then and Now

This survey exhibition at the New Art Centre in Wiltshire spans 35 years of the sculptor’s making. Featuring ceramics, weaving, wood, bronze – and even hair – there’s a particular focus on her composite sculptures from the mid-1980s. And while you’re there, be sure to see Edmund de Waal: Tacet, an exhibition of the artist’s new works in stone and alabaster.

19 September – 10 January 2021 at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire


Non-existent-existence, Jinya Zhao, glass, 2019. Photo courtesy of London Glassblowing

Young Masters : The Future Is In Their Hands

This celebratory exhibition at London Glassblowing puts work by rising stars of glass in the spotlight. Work featured ranges from stone-like sculptures in chipped hot glass by James Devereaux, to candy-hued kiln-formed pieces by Joshua Kerley (who you may remember from Crafts magazine’s Talent Spot feature).

10 September–3 October at London Glassblowing

William and Evelyn De Morgan

The De Morgans were an extraordinary Victorian couple: Evelyn painted in a Pre-Raphaelite style, while William created Arts & Crafts tiles and decorative ceramics, intricately painted with lustrous designs. Now this joint show at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle is putting this perfect pairing together once more.

Until 26 September at Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle


Valkyrie, Joana-Vasconcelos, 2014. Photo: © Jonty Wilde. Courtesy the artist and YSP

Joana Vasconcelos: Beyond

Another exhibition reopening after a long closure is Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos’ solo show Beyond, set amid the rolling landscape of Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield. Expect vibrant, monumental sculptures made using fabric, needlework and crochet as well as everyday items such as saucepans and cutlery.

Until 3 January 2021 at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield

Caroline Broadhead: One Thing and Another

Gallery S O’s solo show by multidisciplinary artist Caroline Broadhead – who has worked across jewellery, furniture and clothing – features a recent series of ‘nets’: glass beaded objects designed to be worn as a decorative scarf. It also spotlights an installation of chairs and stools made from vintage materials.

4 September – 25 October at Gallery S O, London


Discover more autumn exhibitions

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Elements: earth fire

This group show at Gallery 57 in Arundel in West Sussex offers crafted objects in a variety of mediums, united by a certain geological flavour – from Jane Perryman’s smoke-fired ceramics, to Susan Mannion’s enamelled copper vessels.

Until 3 October at Gallery 57, Arundel


  • Kimono ensemble, HIROCOLEDGE by Hiroko Takahashi, 2009. Photo courtesy the V&A, London

Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk

This show at London’s V&A has recently reopened to great demand (hardly surprising, given that its first run was cut very short indeed). Now’s your chance to discover the iconic Japanese garment, as this exhibition explores its story from the 1660s through to contemporary couture.

Until 25 October at the V&A, London

Matthew Chambers: Sculptural Ceramics

This solo show at the New Craftsman Gallery in St Ives puts Matthew Chambers’ eye-popping pottery pieces in the spotlight. Each is thrown on the wheel in sections then assembled in layers to create his hypnotic forms.

12 September – 17 October at the New Craftsman Gallery, St Ives


A selection of new ceramic sculptures by Richard Slee, 2020. Photo: courtesy Bolton Museum

Richard Slee: Mantelpiece Observations

For this show at Bolton Museum, the ceramicist Richard Slee explored the Mass Observation Mantelpiece Reports of 1937, which detailed British taste at the time. In response, he has created surreal sculptures inspired by Toby jugs, carriage clocks, candlesticks and more.

12 September – 3 January 2021 at Bolton Museum

Shine 2020

The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s yearly showcase of new jewellery and silversmithing talent is back – but this time it’s digital-only. Shine 2020 is celebrating up-and-coming British makers, offering the opportunity to browse and buy their work or ‘meet’ the makers through online events. If you’re keen for more, check out the Goldsmiths’ Fair – another digital offering – from 24 September to 6 October.

18 September – 22 December, online only


The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, Grayson Perry, cast iron, oil paint, glass, rope, wood, flint hand axe, 2011. Photo © Grayson Perry. Courtesy Victoria Miro

Grayson Perry: Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman

As the British Museum reopens following lockdown, Perry’s monumental sculpture Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman is now on display, exploring the universal human themes of death and mourning. Keen for more? Head over to Victoria Miro Gallery, where Grayson Perry: The MOST Specialest Relationship is on show from 15 September to 31 October.

Ongoing at the British Museum, London

Colour in Architecture: Glass by Kate Maestri

For years, architectural glass artist Kate Maestri has focused on ambitious site-specific commissions in intense hues. For this solo show at Contemporary Applied Arts, Maestri is going from large to little, showcasing her increasing interest in smaller works made for the home.

11-19 September at CAA, London


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