Young Advisory Panel

Craft Council's Young Advisory Panel is a group of six Young Craft Citizens who are interested in craft, design and making and who want to develop and grow their leadership and communication skills.

Working with the Crafts Council team since 2023, panel members advise and participate in various projects and initiatives. They have been involved in shaping our programmes, online and print content and organisational practices.

Meet the Members

Maariyah Patel

Maariyah, based in Worcester, is a textile artist passionate about crafting and experimenting with new techniques. She is currently exploring 3D modelling and printing to expand her creative skills. As a member of the Craft Council’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee, Maariyah is excited to contribute to meaningful change in the crafting community, by bringing in her perspective as an Asian woman who has Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

Melody Ramsay

Melody is London-based and has been part of YCC since 2018/2019. As a Project Manager at Burberry, she oversees creative digital projects, specialising in creative tech and marketing.

You can see more from Melody here: @melody_uyanga

Emma Colbert

Emma Colbert-Mooring (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in the North West. Her studio practice, known as 'You Good Studio', focuses on exploring the use of colour and composition to create vibrant abstract work primarily through printmaking, illustration and mural design. Emma's work is centred around creating a playful dialogue between form, colour, and space to produce energetic and bold designs that are present throughout her practice.

Alongside her creative practice, Emma works for the National Festival of Making in marketing and education and is the Programme Manager and Lead Curator at Prism Contemporary Gallery.

Sana Maulvi

Sana Maulvi is an Asian Muslim multidisciplinary artist based in the north west. Her studio practice focuses on the use of textures and colours to create mixed media compositions using abstracted forms and Persian inspired patterns. 

Sana's work blends ancient techniques with contemporary perspectives to breath new life in to the rich symbolisms within these patterns inspired by her rich culture and heritage. 

She also combines her art practice with her passion for teaching by hosting workshops for the public as well as online recordings to share and appreciate this art form.

You can see Sana's work here: @sanamaulviart

Kavya Sharma

Kavya is an interdisciplinary designer who brings together skills from textiles and sustainable design to find new ways of making art a tool for change. With a unique focus on social and environmental issues, her work reflects a commitment to tackling various issues through innovative participatory practices. She has spent time working with traditional artisans in rural and tribal regions of India, blending contemporary methods with age-old crafts.

In recent projects, Kavya has drawn inspiration from the Craftivism Movement, seeing creative expression as a means of building connections and amplifying voices. Her approach centers on community engagement, and she often leads interactive workshops that foster storytelling and hands-on collaboration. Kavya also works with individuals with dementia and learning disabilities, creating inclusive spaces for them to explore art, music, crafts, and play in meaningful ways.

You can see more from Kavya here:

@covenxcommunity

Food of us Project

Kanthas of Friendship project

Jordan Minga

Jordan B. Minga (He/him)(b.2001) is a Black British Poet, visual artist, and Community arts practitioner. He is born and raised in South London, with heritage reigning from Uganda and Congo. His practice explores self and identity politics, spirituality, and navigating intergenerational discourse. As a whole Jordan aims to be a socially engaged artist.