Primary Collection
The primary Collection was initiated in 1972 to document trends and innovation in the materials, processes, skills and technologies of contemporary craft and is now the UK’s foremost collection of contemporary craft. With over 1,600 objects, the primary Collection provides a distinctive, authoritative view of contemporary craft in its widest sense, from its interface with cutting-edge design to its crossover with visual art.
Objects in the collections date from 1972 to present day and cover all craft disciplines including: ceramics, glass, textiles, furniture, metalwork, jewellery, lettering and bookbinding.
Some of the first purchases for the collections in the early 1970s were from studio potters such as Bernard Leach, Hans Coper and Lucie Rie. As the Collection has evolved it has embraced new technologies and digital developments in making, seen in the work of Michael Eden, Drummond Masterton and Geoffrey Mann. It also includes conceptual craft such as works by Barnaby Barford, Naomi Filmer and Paul Scott. Recent acquisitions have included works by textile artist Esna Su, ceramic sculptor Lawson Oyekan and jewellery artist Lin Cheung.
Handling Collection
The handling Collection was started in 1979 to support the gallery education programme in place at the time. Many of the objects in this collection are accompanied by samples, sketches, books and background material.
The current collecting policy prioritises original work that embodies rich learning potential, especially in its physical and tactile qualities for handling, as well as makers’ conceptual or narrative approaches. There has always been an emphasis on acquiring works by makers who have been involved in key Crafts Council projects, programmes and specific exhibitions, and whose work is relevant to Crafts Council goals and research interests.
Recent acquisitions to the Handling Collection include works by textile artist Yemi Awosile and artist Jasleen Kaur.
Support our collections - become a Patron
Between 2024-26, we're transforming the way we care for the national collection for craft, how we think about acquiring outstanding works and how we ensure the collection is accessible for future generations of curious minds. It's an expensive business. The support of Crafts Council Patrons is vital to the success of this work.
It costs more than £40,000 every year to store the collection in a way that protects and preserves the objects, often made from living materials that experience natural wear as they age - such as clay, wood, stone, paper, metal and fragile fabrics. We store part of the collection in a specialist, managed archival facility, while our Handling Collection and a selection of the Primary Collection live in our Collections Store, adjoining Crafts Council Gallery in London. We work with specialist technicians to make sure our work is always best-in-class. Sending works out on loan is an important source of income for our charity, works need to be insured, expertly conserved and safely transported. We also use our collection work as an education opportunity, teaching Young Craft Citizens and volunteers how to work with an art collection, creating much-needed gateways into working in the heritage sector. Our work with the collection has seen annual costs rise significantly, and we don’t receive any regular funding for these costs.
Our vision for an open, diverse collection
In 2024, as part of our Craft for the People project, we completed an ambitious upgrade of our outdated store, transforming it into our new Collections Store. This dynamic space now stores the collection while also allowing us to display and share it with the public, for the first time in Crafts Council's history. We installed state-of-the-art storage cabinets that allow us to bring objects out of their boxes and onto display, accessible for handling sessions. As part of this work, we're conducting an audit of the collection, recovering the hidden stories and histories behind the works, their makers, their use of craft traditions, materials and processes.
With your help by 2026, we’ll have built a richer understanding of the collection, delivering regular encounters with objects and their stories for schools, researchers, makers, collectors and the public at large within the Collections Store. We're also conducting a radical community consultation to reshape collection access, ensuring the collection speaks powerfully about, and to, different interest groups.
Excited by what we're doing and think you can help? Join our Patrons scheme, supporting all Crafts Council's work with our collections vision at its heart.