Lifting the lid on Crafts Council’s Handling Collection

Behind every shiny, seemingly perfect object in art or craft is a tumultuous making journey: from false starts, experiments that went wrong, ideas that went off the boil and things that went in the bin. We rarely get to see the blood, sweat and tears involved in turning a thought into a real thing. So it is fortunate that when Crafts Council Collection was established over fifty years ago, it was deemed important to also acquire the trappings of the making journeys behind the objects. Our Handling Collection is the place any member of the public, maker, collector or researcher can come to explore maker’s notebooks, raw materials, test pieces, samples and failed experiments, intentionally acquired for celebration and sharing alongside finished pieces from a range of makers. As part of our Craft for the People project, we’re working to make this fascinating trove accessible to all, kicked off by Sophie Seeyave, a Young Craft Citizens placement holder within our Collections team.

But first, who are Young Craft Citizens and what is Craft for the People?

Young Craft Citizens (YCC) is Crafts Council’s collective of young people between 16-30, often from backgrounds that have been under-represented in the arts, who are interested in shaping the future of craft, design and making in the UK.

Craft for the People is Crafts Council’s three-year programme to transform its collections store into a space for public access and learning, generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As part of that programme, six YCC placements, each six months long, have been embedded in Crafts Council’s collections team to deliver this transformation. The people coming into these roles from YCC membership bring valuable perspectives to the programme, as early-career arts and culture professionals from a wide range of backgrounds – specifically, often backgrounds that are under-represented in the arts - helping to shape how the project is conceptualised and delivered. In turn, they make use of a unique opportunity to work within a national collection, closely supported by Deborah Ridley, Crafts Council’s Senior Programme and Collections Manager, to build their skills and career networks.

Sophie is Crafts Council’s fourth YCCs placement holder, and the roles have proven transformational to Crafts Council. Sophie follows Merle Nunneley, who came to the programme from an architecture background, Sabrina Chu, who worked in Taiwan’s cultural and music communities and Dafydd Powell Halls, who came from early experience working with smaller collections. Sabrina went on to take up a permanent role as Collections Co-ordinator within the Collections team, developing the first-ever public tour of the Handling collection, delivering this alongside Merle within the Collections Store they also helped design and deliver.

What attracted you to apply for a YCC placement role and to work within the Craft for the People project? 

Sophie: I've always been interested in craft and studied for a History of Design MA. I feel that craft can have powerful agencies in our world. It’s amazing to me how it can be a tangible expression of so many things in this world, like people's stories, thoughts, emotions, hands and bodies, cultures and histories. So, I wanted to work with craft collections as the next step.

Before this placement, I worked at a community oral history archive. I discovered that I really enjoy working hands-on with collections and wanted to do more. The YCC placement was an exciting opportunity to work closely with a craft collection and develop my collections-related skills.

Tell us about the area of focus you're working on.

Sophie: Most of my work is with the Handling Collection. It's been a very exciting and varied placement, with the main focus being the implementation of an object grading system and workflow to make the collection more available to the public. My first step was to come up with a risk assessment for the handling and movement of the objects in the collection, followed by condition checking objects and creating a new scope for the grading system. The project is now at the stage of updating the database and writing everything down into workflows so we can produce a collection handbook and user guide. The breadth of the placement's scope has allowed me to get involved with so many aspects of the collection - working with the collections management system, consulting with Crafts Council staff, helping with object handling sessions, creating object handling guidelines and more.

Was a collection focused on craft of particular interest to you, or is this your first foray into craft? 

Sophie: Most of my prior craft understanding was about older, historical forms of craft, so this particular focus on contemporary craft was new for me. So far, I've been struck by the amount of momentum and energy that contemporary craft can bring, with its ability to respond to the past, present and future from our current vantage point of today. The Handling Collection can be quite experimental, capturing many moments in recent craft history but also, capturing the making process – as we have samples of raw materials and test pieces as well as finished works. I've absolutely loved learning about so many makers, materials, techniques and processes, and being able to witness these moments for myself.

What is a stand-out object, story or experience you’ve come across in the work so far?

Sophie: Howard Raybould's group of pieces in the Handling Collection is really cool. It has wood blocks and samples, carving, painting and gilding technique samples, as well as lots of fascinating joinery examples. They are really eye-opening on their own; then, when seen alongside his works in the Primary Collection, you get a sense of the making process that went on behind his work.

In terms of experiences, my most memorable ones have to do with the sense of touch - the feeling of surprise and delight when I encounter a pleasant sensation while checking objects. Some textiles are just so unexpectedly soft and fun! My favourites are the Mercerised Cotton Bag by Annette Burrows and the Unspun cotton roving woven sample made by Elizabeth Minor in Ann Sutton's workshop.

What has been a highlight of your time as a YCC placement holder so far?

Sophie: Being able to spend time with and get to know objects in the Handling Collection has been so rewarding and inspiring. I never get tired of being in the collections store. It has been such an invaluable experience to learn from the public programmes team and everyone else at the Crafts Council too.

I've also really loved helping out at object handling sessions we’ve run, as that tactile and close-up experience is what the Handling Collection is all about. It's been great to see the objects in people's hands, and to learn from the visitors themselves - who always have amazing insights to share.

To apply for a YCC placement, you must be a member of YCCs. It’s free to join – find out more. Book a free spot on our next collections store experience.