Craft expertise
Exploring and addressing inequalities in UK craft
About the project
The Craft Expertise project was a four-year UKRI/RCUK Innovation Fellowship led by Dr Karen Patel of Birmingham City University. The project ran between 2019-2020, and explored the experiences of women of colour in the contemporary craft sector, revealing the prevalence of racism and microaggressions across all areas of craft, from higher education, to studio spaces and fairs, to dealing with suppliers. The findings from the first phase of the project are published in the Making Changes in Craft Report.
The second phase of the Craft Expertise project focused on socially engaged craft organisations, which tend to work with people or groups which are underrepresented in contemporary craft, and people who aren’t necessarily pursuing craft as a career, but engage with it for creative, health or social reasons. The interviews with people who run these organisations took place during 2021 and 2022, involving visits to Edinburgh, London, Adelaide and Melbourne. The podcast series Craft Expertise: The View From Australia, featuring interviews with the Australian craft social enterprises is available on the Craft Expertise website. The research also produced the Toolkit for Inclusive Practice in Craft Organisations, which includes case studies of five craft social enterprises in the UK and Australia, and includes some recommendations for craft organisations to work towards creating safe and inclusive spaces for all.
Toolkit for Inclusive Practice Dr Karen Patel
Dr Patel’s phase one report Making Changes in Craft - Craft Expertise Phase One draws together findings, highlighting how ‘Histories and stories about craft are dominated by a Eurocentric perspective. More needs to be done to give space to makers from a wider variety of traditions to tell their story. More needs to be done to increase the representation of makers from all backgrounds. currently underrepresented in the publicly-funded UK craft sector.’ The recommendations include actions for craft and creative organisations, local and national government and the creative education sector to make UK professional craft more welcoming and more inclusive for all..
Making Changes in Craft - Craft Expertise Phase One report. Dr Karen Patel
Making Changes in Craft - Phase One Report Launch
29 June 2021 - 14:00-15:30
Dr Patel’s earlier reports, Supporting Diversity in Craft Practice (2019), and her previous working paper, Supporting Diversity and Expertise Development in the Contemporary Craft Economy (2020).
Dr Patel’s Maker Stories podcasts in which she interviews inspirational crafts women from black and minority ethnic backgrounds are here in our Learning and Talent Development resources section. Dr Patel’s latest blog is below and her previous blog is here.
Previous Blog Posts
Craft Expertise update October 2021: Phase two begins
Craft Expertise - Project Update and Working Paper - February 2021
Craft Expertise - Project Update and Working Paper - February 2020
Craft Expertise - Blog Post - March 2019
Craft Expertise - Blog Post - November 2018
Craft Expertise - Blog Post - July 2018
