Make First: A new vision for families in Crafts Council Gallery

‘This is about getting materials into hands, learning through play’ says Nick Kidd from Crafts Council Learning team.

‘Being a new gallery, what's great is we can trial and experiment to find what works. We’re starting with a Saturday Craft Club the first weekend of every month but long-term hope this becomes a fixture any day of the week. Families can grab the parts, set up a station and try something new.’

Following Crafts Council’s selection as the recipient of The Richard Seager Arts, Craft and Design Award, Nick enlisted Sam Brown - founder of Studio Nice One - to design and fabricate a learning station for families. Sam’s commitment to easy assembly and co-creation proved a great match for our ‘Make First’ ethos.

From sketching concepts to wheeling in the final furniture, we trace the journey of our affectionately named Craftmobile. As Sam puts it, ‘‘We’re moving beyond big plastic tubs in learning departments’.

When did this project begin?

Nick Kidd: In late 2020 we were picked as the Richard Seagar recipient, commemorating 50 years of supporting talent in the craft sector. We shared an open call around May 2021, open to makers within the first seven years of their practice. The brief asked designers to highlight the gallery as a family-friendly space and think about storage solutions for resources and handling objects. The final piece had to capture the imagination of visitors, young and old!

What appealed to you about the brief Sam?

Sam Brown: I’m really keen on working in educational contexts - I’ve been stuck on a computer for many years. This seemed like a good stepping stone towards more hands-on work. Just the nature of working on a piece of furniture - something small scale but something you can have a lot of fun with.

I also find this to be a really exciting audience as I like to add in some sort of participation or co-creation element, working with local families to ensure they have an input.

How did you become a 3D designer-maker?

SB: I left school and trained as a carpenter. I always wanted to build things and I liked design but didn’t think it was a world I could get into. I got quite overwhelmed - to put it politely - by life on building sites and soon switched to studying an art foundation.

Funnily enough, at university I started on a furniture course but it closed and they moved me on to an architecture degree in Lincoln. After that I ended up working for a practice in Amsterdam - it was very “pitchy”. The scale of each master plan just got bigger and bigger, and I thought to myself “I’m really losing my head in this, I much prefer making stuff”.

I was in danger of losing the hands-on making element of my practice.

I found a 3D designer job at the V&A Museum in London - working with contractors and rapidly producing is really fun! I’m still there full-time leading the 3D side of the studio, from small bits of furniture to permanent galleries and temporary exhibitions. Now my weekends and evenings are filled up with furniture making, which is where I hope to direct my studio.

How would you describe the Craftmobile?

SB: It’s modular in a sense but I see it as a bespoke flatpack solution. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of glueless and screwless furniture. I think that comes from moving house so many times in my life and needing to get things up and down the stairs! This system can be unpegged and reassembled anywhere, so I’m really excited to apply it to a unique space like the Crafts Council Gallery.

From design to delivery, can you describe the creative process?

SB: The Craftmobile actually started from a system I designed two years ago for a couple of cabinets. It’s a concept I’d never really pushed but a lot of people have pointed at the work in the past and said “Oh wow! That would be great in a school”.

I’m used to working with rigid architectural processes but this felt nice and open. Our initial document included zoomed-in shots of the system, colour studies and quick 3D rendered models to look more true to life. As we moved on the process got looser, more sketches, more line drawings, more co-creation.

Then the digital model gets CNC’d and the cut parts come to me quite rough. I’m rounding corners, oiling, assembling, and creating the pegs with a jig.

Tell us about the co-creation with young people…

NK: We’ve been working in partnership with Islington Council’s Homes and Communities team, and we invited local families to come into the gallery for a series of workshops. Families could experiment with symbols and colour schemes, help us choose a name and preview the set-up.

SB: Yeah, the symbols offer some wayfinding and keep things accessible. I love that moment when a child walks in and recognises their own drawing on the final piece. Like “wow look there’s the magnifying glass I drew last time I visited”. For young people to feel they have agency and that they can interact with a well-known institution, that’s a huge benefit.

NB: Yes, you stand outside and see our building’s big pillars, grand steps and gates…but now families can feel a sense of ownership. And for the kids to work with a professional designer - it makes for a more interesting design but they’ve also learnt about one more career path.

What inspired the material choices?

SB: Sustainability is always a big priority in my work so the main material is Valchromat. I’m looking at how I can phase out MDF altogether. The finishes are VOC free and environmentally friendly. It’s manufactured and naturally dyed in Portugal using wood pulp fibre. Super robust, hard-wearing and dense - great for a busy environment!

NK: The peg building brought an interactive touch and one idea I loved from the co-creation process was that each peg could be made in a unique material, becoming a sensory object not just functional.

Any other favourite features?

SB: I’m satisfied by nerdy things like how the doors work. Except for the casters, it’s completely free from mechanical fixtures. There are no metal hinges, just fittings in the top and bottom that swivel out. The peg system came from a lot of trial and error, getting that millimetre perfect on the sanding belt was a real challenge.

NK: Sam has made shelves for material storage and they’re based perfectly on A3 and A4 sizes which is very satisfying!

SB: Ha! Yeah and that breathtaking moment when you wheel it in and realise the scale is perfect.

How will the Craftmobile be used in the gallery?

SB: I see the ideal set-up as a mix of immediate activities on and around the Craftmobile and more filtering out around the gallery space. The design features trays that come off the top, so you can easily assemble a base and some stools, et voilà - another area for focussed play and study.

NK: This really shifts the tone and creates a warm welcome for families. You can dismantle the bits of furniture and take over the whole space. It’s really flexible and participatory.

We can’t wait to see it being used in the flesh at our first Saturday Craft Club in May.

Find out more

• View what's on at the gallery
• Book your place at an upcoming Saturday Craft Club
• If you’d like to deliver a family workshop, please email participation@craftscouncil.org.uk
• Check out Sam Brown's Directory profile.