Meet the Young Craft Citizens attending Collect 2024

Young makers who know about Collect covet the idea of exhibiting at the fair in a far-off future, where they’ve secured gallery representation and created a sustainable practice. An early step in the journey is the chance to visit the fair and take in the sheer breadth of work on show.

That’s why Crafts Council’s Young Craft Citizens (YCC) programme has this year supported a group of YCC members to attend Collect - the 20th edition of the annual gathering at Somerset House, a very special moment of celebration for all involved. Some young people have opted to attend as volunteers at the fair, others are attending as guests of different Crafts Council projects they are involved in through their YCC membership. The goals is to remove barriers that may stand between young people and their access to a key moment in the craft community calendar.

Who are Young Craft Citizens?

Young Craft Citizens (YCC) is a community created by Crafts Council’s Learning and Participation team. Led by Participation Manager Jazz Willett, the YCC programme brings together young people aged 16-30 who are interested in shaping the future of craft, design and making in the UK. Working across co-curated events and workshops held at Crafts Council Gallery, as well as paid placements and other opportunities, the programme connects its members with the craft sector – investing, in particular, those from marginalised groups.

Textiles artist Maariyah Patel and abstract artist Sana Maulvi are among the young makers the YCC programme is hosting at Collect 2024. Crafts Council spoke with Jazz, Maariyah and Sana about the YCC programme and the visit to the fair.

What excites you most about being able to attend Collect 2024?

Maariyah: This will be the second time I’m visiting Collect and I’m very excited. Last year, I left feeling awe-inspired by the creativity of others, which inspired me to experiment with my own art. Without that experience, I wouldn’t have been exposed to such a breadth of techniques and talent, all under one roof. I’m very much looking forward to seeing all the amazing work this time - to see how far a crafting artist’s creativity can extend.

Sana: What excites me most about attending Collect for the first time is the idea of multiple artists and their works being present on one platform. I’m excited to be able to network with different creatives and get to know more about their works, as well as learning how they got to this point in their artistic careers - where I aspire to be, at some point.

Which makers, works or galleries are you most looking forward to encountering at Collect?

Maariyah: I’m very much looking forward to seeing the rooms for Bullseye Projects and Design-Nation, showcasing artists who work with glass. This is a medium about which I have limited knowledge; I can’t fathom the artistry that goes into making the individual pieces.

Sana: I'm particularly looking forward to immersing myself in Libby Heaney’s Heartbreak and Magic installation. I really enjoy immersive experiences as a gallery goer.

Tell us a bit about your own creative practice and aspirations for it, as a member of Young Craft Citizens?

Maariyah: I describe my design practise as quite tactile and playful. I enjoy working with textiles and sculpture to create work that helps to create a meditative relief. I’ve recently started to use machine sewing and fabrics to provide a quick way to translate my ideas into reality. As I continue to explore my creative practice, I am looking forward to experimenting with 3D printing as a sculptural medium and how I can join this together with textiles to create a fluid harmony.

Sana: I aspire to explore and orchestrate the use of different mediums in my own practice that allow for a more immersive experience, whether that be through technology, projections, or installations made of found or natural objects. I aspire to create works based around diversity, equality, culture and heritage, coming from my YCC membership and as a result of research, experience and networking with a different demographic.

Jazz, tell us about Young Craft Citizens and your work running the programme?

Jazz: Young Craft Citizens is Crafts Council’s community of young creatives aged 16 - 30, discovering diverse ways of making and embarking on powerful craft journeys. The programme offers creative opportunities, placements, events and talks. Our goal is to open up the craft sector for young people, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds.

My work involves pulling everything together, from programming to partnerships, building skills and opportunities. It’s about developing young voices and careers for the next generation of craft makers, facilitators, researchers and curators.

Why is attending Collect an important opportunity for YCC members?

Jazz: Collect is a huge deal for everyone at Crafts Council and for many of those in the global craft community, as much as it is for those starting out in craft and design – and the fair has been part of Crafts Council’s offer to the sector for 20 years in 2024. We thought that supporting a group of YCCs to attend would present them with an amazing opportunity, as a group of young people emerging into the craft sector, to really understand the scale of the fair and the breadth of the international craft community. We have a range of different young people we’re taking along this year from across the country. The YCCs attending Collect get to experience such a wide range of craft disciplines, practitioners and organisations all in one place.

There is a group of YCC members working as volunteers at the fair, getting stuck in behind the scenes. It’s an amazing experience to volunteer on and we’ve seen how it benefits those who do it, building their work experience, boosting their CVs and helping them move into future roles within the craft and heritage sector. Whether coming to Collect directly through YCC, other Crafts Council projects and committees YCCs are involved in, or volunteering, this is an opportunity to contextualise the work they do with us in those different ways. Members tell us what an amazing experience it is to see some of the work we’ve talked and read about, as well as to just soak up the incredible vibe at one the craft community’s most important moments of the year.

Head to the Collect fair pages to learn about the artists and galleries mentioned in this article.

If you are aged 16-30 years and passionate about craft or design, you can join Crafts Council’s Young Craft Citizens programme. Sign up here: Young Crafts Citizens sign up form
Follow us on Instagram at @Young.Craft.Citizens