Unboxing the Collection: Exploring the Vessel
An exhibition bringing together works from Crafts Council's collection, showcasing an array of techniques, materials and influences used to create one of the oldest and most commonly crafted objects: the vessel
This exhibition, celebrating the interconnectedness of creativity, took place in October 2025 at Crafts Council Gallery in London. The exhibition explored the way that shared making techniques transcend geographical and temporal boundaries.
The exhibition shone a spotlight on Crafts Council's collection. Craft Council is committed to preserving and promoting craft as an evolving art form and Exploring the Vessel brought together both recently acquired works to sit alongside others that have remained unseen by the public for many years.
Banksia Vessel, Darren Appiagyei, 2021. © Darren Appiagyei. Crafts Council Collection: 2023. Photo: Jon Stokes. Asymmetrical Reduced Black Piece by Magdalene Odundo, 1992. Crafts Council Collection. Photo: Stokes Photo Ltd.
A selection of works from the Handling Collection were also on display, offering visitors the rare opportunity to physically interact with craft works. This tactile experience offered a unique perspective on materiality and technique, allowing for a deeper connection with the works.
This exhibition was part of Unboxing the Collection, an exhibition and events programming developed by guest curator Lewis Dalton Gilbert and Crafts Council.
Unboxing the Collection is supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation. The programme has evolved out of our work auditing Crafts Council Collection, which is part of our Craft for the People project, generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of its Dynamic Collections initiative.
