Crafts Council Insight and advocacy Policy briefings

July 2023

We cover the launch of “Wow, I did this!” Making Meaning through Craft, our report on opening up how craft is valued, as well as –

New Crafts Council resources on understanding the craft economy and on exporting; a new book on the Green Maker Initiative (with a chapter from us) and new research on ambitions to grow the creative economy
Shaping the future of creative education.

Look out for our next briefing in the autumn!

“Wow, I did this!” Making Meaning through Craft.

We’re pleased to share with you our report “Wow, I did this!” Making Meaning through Craft.

This Crafts Council and Glasgow Caledonian University (London) study used ‘Living Labs’ as a way to explore what craft means to two groups of people in minoritised UK communities. Our ambition is to challenge and upend the current craft landscape in which racism is a barrier to access.

The research methods reveal what making and craft means to the people we worked with, how we/they feel about the space that is craft and how it’s navigated. The research is part of a journey to open up and explore how craft is valued and how this can alter the craft space.

New resources on the economy

Our latest Crafts Council briefing describes some of the ways we can measure the value of craft, for example: its value to the economy, the cultural value of craft, the value of craft participation for mental health and wellbeing. The briefing includes government and other approaches and signposts where to find out more.

We’ve designed a new Temporary Export Guide following the success of our International Toolkit. The Guide is a one-stop-shop of information for makers looking to sell and showcase overseas. It includes case studies from established makers exploring trade fairs and touring shows under a temporary licence.

Crafts Council has contributed a chapter to The Green Maker Initiative Book, edited by Emma Whittaker & Polly Macpherson. The book asks what role designers, makers and consumers can have in reducing the environmental impact of objects and in making a positive contribution to the world we live in. It presents practical strategies and approaches for designer makers to reduce the environmental impact of their craft.

The new Creative Industries Sector Vision sets out a shared ambition for the UK Government and industry to grow the Creative Industries by £50 billion and create 1 million extra jobs by 2030. It confirms the Government’s commitment to the Creative Industries as a high-growth priority sector.

Frontier Economics estimate for the Government that firms with greater connections to the creative industries are more likely to produce product innovations. The report suggests that innovation in the creative industries may be undervalued by creative firms themselves, strengthening arguments for government support for the sector, for example through innovation vouchers (such as Crafts Council promoted through our study Innovation through Craft: Opportunities for Growth).

Shaping the future of creative education

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Art, Craft and Design in Education (APPG) Art Now Inquiry Report draws on three years of evidence from teacher surveys about the increasing impact of education policies on the subject. The APPG calls on the Government to address the deficit in art and design primary initial teacher education and to invest in continuing professional development, addressing teacher recruitment, retention and representation in art and design.

Similar findings are also reflected in The State of Creativity which looks back at creative industry policy over the last ten years and asks where next for the creative sector. The Creative Policy and Evidence Centre warns in its report that creativity "seems to have been all but expunged from the school curriculum in England".

Heritage Crafts have added more skills to the ‘critically endangered’ category of the Red List of Endangered Crafts, including plume making, silk ribbon weaving and straw hat making. Factors such as the energy crisis, inflation, the pandemic and Brexit have all made matters worse for those working in traditional crafts.

Data from The Social Market Foundation confirms that children from the least deprived neighbourhoods have a significantly higher level of participation in cultural activities than those from the most deprived communities. It also shows that children from the poorest neighbourhoods are nearly twice as likely not to have visited a museum or library in the previous year than those from the least deprived neighbourhoods.

The Government has announced the terms of reference and members of the expert advisory panel who will help develop its cultural education plan.

Lastly

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP is now Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. The Gosport MP has always been a strong supporter of craft and spoke at the launch of our 2020 report, The Market for Craft.