Five unmissable reasons for Crafts members to book their Collect 2025 tickets

From discovering the latest trends in contemporary craft to meeting your favourite makers and galleries, Collect Art Fair is the most important event in the year for any craft lover. The 21st edition opens this week (28 February – 2 March) at Somerset House in London and this will be my third time attending. It’s one of the true highlights of my year and I’m excited to see Crafts members using their two-for-one ticket offer to experience the fair with crafty friends or family.

As a young person building a career in culture, I love working with contemporary craft makers. I’ve been fortunate to work behind the scenes on presenting the fair in previous years. I also like to visit in my own time to soak up the buzzing atmosphere, encountering unique craft objects and amazing outfits worn by fair visitors.  So here are my five must-sees and must-dos for Crafts members to get deeply immersed in contemporary craft at the fair this year.

Perfect imperfections

One of my favourite artists at this year’s fair is Chris Day, not just because his work is visually arresting, but because of how he came into craft. Beginning his career as a plumber and heating engineer, Chris studied for a BA in Applied Glass and Ceramics at the University of Wolverhampton, shifting his practice towards making. He married his technical understanding of heating and electrical systems with his love for glass and clay to address deeply personal themes of race and identity. Day has been honoured as one of the shortlisted artists for the Brookfield Properties Craft Award 2025 for his works represented by Vessel Gallery at Collect. Be sure to look out for his signature motifs of bubbling glass, copper cages and unwieldy lines referenced in his pieces on show at this year’s fair.

See Chris’s work on view with Vessel Gallery, Booth E12. As part of your ticket, you can attend a free panel talk with Chris on Friday afternoon at the fair. Read more about Chris’s practice.

Otherworldly spikes

Two incredible, large-scale installations will be on display across the fair. At the entrance to the West Wing, the winner of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2024 Andrés Anza presents ‘I only know what I have seen’. The Mexican ceramicist sculpted this dynamic piece with refractory clay and covered the entire surface with miniature spikes. The Financial Times says the piece is “glowing, looming...could be a cactus or a sea creature from the deep.” Try walking around the entirety of the piece to take in how Anza intricately cultivated the textured surface.

A reason to take the stairs

Installed in the Nelson Stair at Somerset House is Isobel Napier’s ‘In the drift of paper’, presented at Collect by Flow Gallery. Initially appearing textile-like, be sure to get closer to inspect the detail of the piece which is in fact made from laser-cut paper. Napier uses digital processes to reimagine the language of textiles through paper. By meticulously cutting lines to mimic warp threads, she evokes the intricate patterns and textures of fabric, transforming solid materials into ephemeral creations. Napier has also been nominated for the 2025 Brookfield Properties Craft Award and her stunning installation makes it worth taking the stairs over the lift. Why not take a slow meander up the Nelson Stair and take in the mastery of this piece from 360 degrees.

Turning wood towards the light

Each year, Crafts Council presents Collect Open, a platform of ten artists who make pioneering works especially to exhibit at the fair and without gallery representation. My favourite maker from this year’s lineup is wood artist Darren Appiagyei and his collection, ‘What Grows in the Dark Comes to Light’, on view at Booth E13. These deeply personal vessels crafted by Appiagyei honour the passing of his late mother, who died from fibroids, non-cancerous growths that develop in the walls of the womb. Using a lathe, dremel and pyrography machine, Appiagyei hand-crafted each vessel to expose the unique textures present in every tree. His display at Collect 2025 is a sensory experience, intentionally inviting you to step into the darkness and see what comes to light. Take a moment out of the bustling fair to pause and reflect in this space. With this first venture in work processing his personal life, this artist’s name might be on the brink of joining the craft canon – he is already part of Crafts Council Collection.

Meet makers and gallerists

If you want to uncover more from the makers and gallerists taking part in Collect 2025 there is an incredible programme of specially curated panel discussions and shorter, more intimate talks within gallery booths – all included free with your ticket. Don’t miss Feedback Loops: How Makers Make Collections, and Collections Make Makers, on the Friday afternoon. Hosted by Crafts Council’s Senior Collections and Programmes Manager, Deborah Ridley, you’ll hear from artists with objects in Crafts Council Collection, such as Adi Toch (Galerie Marzee, Cavaliero Finn), Bruno Romanelli (Peter Layton London Glassblowing) and Matt Smith (Cynthia Corbett Gallery). One of the joys of being at the fair is that you can connect with the person behind the work in real life – a rare treat. The main talks programme will be held in the Talks Theatre on the lower ground floor – booth talks also run at regular intervals every day. Head to the Talks Programme web page to plan your day and make sure you don’t miss out.

Crafts Gold and Silver tier Members receive 2 for 1 tickets to Collect 2025. Redeem this exclusive offer

Charlotte Alderman is Crafts Council’s Programmes Co-ordinator