Craft for the People
A three-year project to increase the accessibility of the national collection for contemporary craft
Craft for the People is a three-year project to make Crafts Council Collection more accessible for the public, as well as creating valuable opportunities for young craft professionals to develop their experience of working with collections through a series of paid placements.
A nationwide public consultation to inform the project will bring Crafts Council’s Young Craft Citizens programme and its Craft UK network together with Blackburn-based National Festival of Making. Find out more about these organisations below.
By 2026, through partnering with these key organisations, Crafts Council will be informed by a new interpretation of the Collection that is relevant and truly representative of the wider public. Through engaging with UK-wide audiences, there will also be an emphasis on regularly loaning pieces from the Collection to other organisations across the country. Finally, the Collections Store will also be readily available for people to visit and will facilitate hands on experiences with the national collection for craft.
The project is generously supported with an award of £235,466 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), as part of its Dynamic Collections initiative.
Unboxing the Collection
We’re inviting the public to get to know the national collection for craft as we rediscover it ourselves, through our three-year collections audit as part of Craft for the People. As our audit kicked off - and inspired by the trend for ‘unboxing’ videos - we asked you to vote for your favourite of ten objects in the collection. In October 2024 we launched our Unboxing the Collection programme and proudly opened our transformed Collections Store to public encounters with craft - all free. And there's more to come.
A member of Young Craft Citizens views objects in the Crafts Council Collection. Photo: Jazz Willet.
Young Craft Citizens
Young Craft Citizens is a collective of 16-30 year olds interested in shaping the future of craft, design and making in the UK. The collective builds young people’s creative, professional and leadership skills, particularly investing in those impacted by racism, classism, ableism and the intersection of these forms of discrimination. Read about the Young Craft Citizens placement programme, bringing YCCs into the heart of Craft for the People.
Craft UK
Craft UK is a network for organisations from across the craft sector. Facilitated by the Crafts Council, it is free to join and comprises some of the leading organisations from across the sector.
National Festival of Making
The National Festival of Making takes place each year in over 22 locations within the city of Blackburn. Featuring over 50 exhibitions, performances, workshops, talks and markets, National Festival of Making is a celebration of craft and industry that honours Blackburn’s manufacturing heritage.
Alongside its festival weekend, National Festival of Making also runs a year-round programme, which includes a selection of free and low-cost workshops, encourage everyone to get making.
