Research library

A decade of craft analysis

Materials Library

Making meaning through craft (2023)

In collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University (London), Crafts Council produced a series of ‘Living Labs’ as a means to explore what craft means to minoritised communities in the UK. Working with two groups, the project sought to challenge and upend the current craft landscape in which racism is a barrier to access.

The research methods reveal what craft and making means to everyday people, how they feel about the world of craft and how they might navigate it. This research informs a broader enquiry into craft's value on an individual and societal scale, and how this value can alter the craft space.

'Wow I did this!' Making Meaning Through Craft
Executive Summary Audio

The green maker initiative book (2023)

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 power of experiences (2021)

We’ve commissioned a series of resources that highlight the benefits of bringing craft experiences to your business. The resources are intended to:

inspire makers who are thinking about starting on this journey
and to highlight the benefits for brands of animating spaces through craft.

In a series of video case studies, we highlight the journeys of Abdollah Nafisi, Brookfield Properties, Deborette Clarke, Karen Thompson, Turning Earth and Yodomo.

Read more and watch our video on the Craft Experiences page here: Building craft experiences

Check out our resources on Craft Experiences below:
The Power of Experiences guidebook
The Power of Experiences case studies
The Power of Experiences checklist

Craft expertise (2021)

The Craft Expertise project was a four-year UKRI/RCUK Innovation Fellowship led by Dr Karen Patel of Birmingham City University. The project ran between 2019-2020, and explored the experiences of women of colour in the contemporary craft sector, revealing the prevalence of racism and microaggressions across all areas of craft, from higher education, to studio spaces and fairs, to dealing with suppliers. The findings from the first phase of the project are published in the Making Changes in Craft Report.

The second phase of the Craft Expertise project focused on socially engaged craft organisations, which tend to work with people or groups which are underrepresented in contemporary craft, and people who aren’t necessarily pursuing craft as a career, but engage with it for creative, health or social reasons. The interviews with people who run these organisations took place during 2021 and 2022, involving visits to Edinburgh, London, Adelaide and Melbourne. The podcast series Craft Expertise: The View From Australia, featuring interviews with the Australian craft social enterprises is available on the Craft Expertise website. The research also produced the Toolkit for Inclusive Practice in Craft Organisations, which includes case studies of five craft social enterprises in the UK and Australia, and includes some recommendations for craft organisations to work towards creating safe and inclusive spaces for all.

Find out more on the Craft Expertise Website here: Craft Expertise Website

Read the Making Changes in Craft report here: Making Changes in Craft - Craft Expertise Phase One Report 2021.

Read the Toolkit for Inclusive Practice here: Toolkit for Inclusive Practice in Craft Organisations

Read more on the blog here: Craft Expertise blog

Please find all previous reports and working papers below:

Making Changes in Craft Summary

Supporting Diversity and Expertise Development in Contemporary Craft Economy (Working paper 2021)

Supporting Diversity and Expertise Development in Contemporary Craft Economy (Working paper 2020)

Supporting Diversity in Craft Practice Report (2019)

Market for Craft (2020)

A rich analysis of who is buying craft, why and where. Using survey findings from consumers in the UK and two US cities, as well as makers and intermediaries supporting craft businesses, the report shows how craft sales are worth £3bn to the UK economy and that there is a growing new generation of younger craft consumers. The report will help makers to develop their businesses, understanding in much greater depth who their consumers are and what drives their appreciation of craft.

Find out more information on our Market for Craft page here: Market for craft

Read our Executive summary for the Market for Craft report here: Market for craft executive summary

Read our full Market for Craft Report here: Market for craft full report

Use our Market for Craft Data Tool here: Market for Craft Data Tool

Covid 19 - How to address the impact on craft businesses (2020)

This paper summarises early feedback from craft business about the immediate and anticipated impacts of Covid 19 and proposes measures to address these.

Read the COVID19 impact on craft business paper here:COVID19 impact on craft business.pdf

Read for information for craft business here:Information for craft business during COVID- 19 pandemic

From visibility to mattering (2020)

Nicola Dillon, is Phd candidate with Kingston School of Art and the Crafts Council, funded by the London Doctoral Design Centre and Arts Humanities Research Council. Dillon is exploring the relationships between the in/visible, visual/material and race/matter, thinking about diversity and how materials and making can provide a means to question, navigate, resist, and disrupt the way we engage with difference.

Read Nicola Dillion's Blog here:From visibility to mattering blog

Craft and social enterprise (2019)

Craft and social enterprise illustrates how social enterprises are supporting individuals, communities and consumers to enjoy - and often profit from - the benefits of making. This report demonstrates the potential power of craft social enterprises to transform communities, putting social justice and purpose at the hear of what they do.

Read the Craft and social enterprise research report here:Craft and social enterprise research

Who makes? (2018)

Who makes looks at people working in craft occupations, not only in craft businesses, but also in creative businesses and in the wider creative economy. This is a broader definition than we used in our 2012 report, Craft in an age of change, but it also continues to reflect the importance of particular self-employment and part-time employment patterns of the women makers visible in our 2012 findings.

Read the Who Makes research report here: Who makes? research

Crafting professional practice through higher education (2018)

This collaborative research project between the Crafts Council and Kings College London aimed to assess the development of sustainable practice in the UK’s contemporary craft sector. One route to professional practice is through the development of new craft professionals in higher education. The project investigated how knowledge acquisition and the development of such practices take place, in order to make recommendations about how the sector could be more resilient for the benefit of makers and audiences.

Read our Crafting professional summary here: Research Summary

Read the Crafting Professionals report here: Crafting Professionals report by Dr Lauren England

Read a pipeline problem: exploring policy disconnect in craft higher education here: A pipeline Problem by Dr Lauren England

Creative clusters and the evolution of knowledge and skills (2018)

This paper explores the relationship between industrial and post-industrial knowledge, with a focus on glassmaking. The paper (drawing on research by Lauren England and Dr Roberta Comunian, King’s College London) calls for greater understanding of the resilience of these skills across the craft sector. Further investigation is needed to preserve and transfer knowledge in post-industrial clusters and support the sustainable development of new craft-based production in the creative economy.

Creative clusters and the evolution of knowledge and skills paper

Supporting makers to export (2017 -2019)

A national survey on how UK makers export internationally.

Supporting makers to export - 2017-2019 (2019)
Supporting makers to export - survey findings (2018)

Innovation through craft (2016)

Innovation through craft: opportunities for growth points to evidence that the UK is at risk of failing to take advantage of its expertise in craft. Innovation through Craft: Opportunities for growth, describes the way in which collaboration drives innovation and how we can make the most of its economic potential. Working with partners the Knowledge Transfer Network and the University of Brighton, the Crafts Council commissioned KPMG to investigate the processes and economic impact of innovation through craft.

Innovation through craft executive summary (2016)
Innovation through craft full report (2016)

Studying craft (2014 – 2016)

The Studying craft: trends in craft education and training series of reports is a comprehensive examination of contemporary craft education in England. The series examines all stages of formal education and training from Key Stage 4 to postgraduate study from 2007/08, looking at provision and participation in craft courses. Supported by full data workbooks that detail information by education stage, demographics and geography, the figures from the study show that craft education remains in crisis.

Studying Craft 3 full report (2016)
Studying Craft 3 data workbook (2016)
Studying Craft 2 full report (2014)
Studying Craft 2 data workbook (2014)
Studying Craft 1 executive summary (2014)
Studying Craft 1 full report (2014)
Studying Craft 1 data workbook (2014)

Bio salon paper (2015)

Bio Salon paper asks how the intersection of design and biological fabrication will open up to new ways of ‘making’ and ‘crafting’ in the future. This paper emerged from the Biosalon conversations - a joint initiative organised by the Crafts Council and the Design & Living Systems Lab at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.

Bio Salon paper

Researching craft - an analysis of research excellence framework (2015)

An analysis of Research Excellence Framework (REF) impact case studies relevant to craft

Measuring the craft economy (2014)

Measuring the Craft Economy gives the fullest picture to date of the value and scale of craft’s contribution to the UK economy. This report seeks to measure the full economic impact of craft within the UK by understanding its contributions to key economic measures: the number of businesses, number of employees, the total turnover, the total Gross Value Added (GVA), the average wage and the impact of micro-businesses.

Measuring the craft economy research

Making it local (2014)

This report helps to identify and define how the notion of ‘place’ is interpreted and expressed across the contemporary craft sector and in the role of making. It also explores how the changing concept of ‘local’ is impacting on the business models and practices of UK craft makers. The examples demonstrate that ‘place’ and the ‘local’ in contemporary craft-making are becoming ever more important.

Making it local research

Defining and measuring craft (2013)

This report considers the current position of craft in the proposed definition; explores where craft should be found in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system; and makes proposals to ensure craft is explicitly represented in DCMS' measurement of the creative industries.

Defining and measuring craft report one - definitions 1998 – 2012 (2013)
Defining and measuring craft report two - proposals for a way forward (2013)

How makers and craft organisations are using social media (2012)

In this report, we explore some of the key social media strategies and techniques being employed in the craft sector today. In particular, we look at how these strategies are helping to address challenges facing the sector: latent domestic and export market potential, the isolation faced by sole traders and an under-developed retail infrastructure amongst others.

How makers and craft organisations are using social media research

Craft and enterprise (2012)

Contemporary craft makers businesses are self-reliant and resilient, often producing work that enables growth in other sectors. In this briefing note we explore craft makers’ potential contribution to enterprise and entrepreneurial agendas and investigate how craft businesses could – with the right support and brokerage - help to make a success of new investment and education programmes.

Craft and enterprise research

From cell to system (2012)

Based on Crafting capital, From cell to system – making innovation work was used as a discussion paper at the Council for Higher Education and Learning conference in March 2012.

From cell to system paper

Craft in an age of change (2012)

Craft in an age of change is a major survey of contemporary craft. It examines the place of craft in the creative economy and the working patterns of makers and other craft professionals. It also looks at the value of craft skills and knowledge in an economy where skills are high on the agenda; the impact of digital technology; the increasing need for environmental sensitivity; and the revaluing of the different facets of professional lives as the sector moves towards portfolio careers.

Craft in an age of change research

Education literature review (2011)

This education literature review reports on the latest research into educational theories and methods specific to craft, reviews new research into the value of craft-based learning, with the aim of deepening the craft sector’s knowledge in this area and it looks at the latest research on the contribution made by craft in the school curriculum.

Education literature review

Craft and higher education (2011)

In this briefing we examine how policy and funding developments over the past two years have influenced and continue to reshape the Higher Education craft landscape. Higher Education plays a crucial role in the craft sector infrastructure, providing facilities and fostering critical discourse and opportunities for creative collaboration.

Craft and higher education paper

Crafting capital (2011)

Crafting capital: New technologies, new economies illustrates how collaboration accelerates innovation: by working together, people with different but complementary expertise can challenge conventional thinking and find unexpected new directions in their work. For scientists, engineers and technologists, collaboration with artists and other creative professionals brings particular benefits, capable of producing new scientific thinking.

Crafting capital research

Craft and rural development (2011)

Craft is said to be one of the key drivers of the future creative rural economy, key to the £500m contributed each year by creative professionals to the rural economy of England. In this briefing note, we explore this assertion in detail, investigating the economic contribution made by craft to a diverse and evolving rural England.

Craft and rural development research

Craft and the digital world (2011)

A passion for working with materials and processes is fundamental to craft. Makers – quick to explore, transform and create new materials and processes – are early adopters in the material world: studio glass furnaces, knitting machines, paper clay and the new sustainable composite materials profiled here, are all part of an ongoing tradition of maker-led innovation.

Craft and the digital world research

Craft and wellbeing (2011)

The UK government is looking to determine and measure the nation’s wellbeing as a basis for future policy making. Both ethical and practical considerations around this politicization of happiness continue to be debated, but in the meantime new ways of thinking about and measuring well-being have been in development by academics and independent foundations and think tanks, as well as through the Office of National Statistics itself.

Craft and wellbeing research

Craft and environmental sustainability (2010)

Craft has an essential role to play in building a more sustainable future, and in this briefing note we explore how makers are trailblazing the use of recycled and sustainably sourced materials and pioneering new, low-impact alternatives.

Craft and environmental sustainability research

Consuming craft (2010)

Consuming Craft looks at the current size, value and characteristics of the contemporary craft market in England. It provides evidence of the craft sector’s economic impact from a market perspective, and supports craft retailers, galleries and makers in assessing the complex and evolving markets within which they work. The research has also produced a new and replicable methodology, by which key market value statistics can be effectively updated in future.

Consuming craft research

Making value (2010)

Making Value explores the contribution of makers within industry, education and community settings. It positions craft squarely within the creative knowledge economy and provides fresh, vibrant evidence of the entrepreneurship, energy and integrity that makers bring to their work. It shows us the challenges makers face in making the most of the new opportunities they are opening up across the creative spectrum.

Making value research

Crafting futures (2010)

Crafting Futures explores the early careers of more than 600 graduates in crafts subjects some six years on from graduation. This major study draws on the large body of data from Creative Graduates Creative Futures (CGCF), a longitudinal study of the career patterns of more than 3,500 graduates from UK first degrees in art, design, crafts and media subjects undertaken between 2008 and 2010.

Crafting futures research