Heritage Crafts’ mission is to support and promote traditional craft as a fundamental part of our living heritage. This includes all of us; we all have a heritage. The value of our craft heritage comes from the diversity of skills and traditions across all our communities, wherever they originated and whenever they were brought here from elsewhere. Our remit as a UK charity sometimes puts too much emphasis on national borders, but we are well aware of the movement of people, materials and skills that make up our Red List of Endangered Crafts, and the power structures that have historically underpinned them.
As an NGO accredited by UNESCO, we believe in many of the principles that led to the creation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. These include that cultural practices should be held by the communities in which they are practised, regardless of state boundaries and in resistance to the tendency of governments to co-opt vernacular culture for nation-building or other ends.
Today, we no longer issue a call for all crafts to be preserved just as they are. Craft has always adapted to change: whether that be in technologies, markets or social attitudes. That evolution needs to continue if practices are to survive – some may die out along the way. Our job is to ensure that people are aware of these changes and can have a reasoned debate about what is nurtured or let go.