The document outlines the work of an organization that commissions contemporary craft projects, connects artists to diverse communities, and highlights the social, cultural, and economic value of craft. It discusses outcomes for artists such as career development and new audiences, as well as outcomes for communities like creative learning, well-being, and social cohesion. Examples of projects are provided that engaged vulnerable youth, migrant women, older adults, and showcased self-taught artists through exhibitions and residencies in various community venues.

1. 2014-2016

2. Crafts development organisation & creative producer – 30 years
•Pioneering creative producer commissioning exceptional, world class contemporary craft
•Connecting creative practice with diverse communities
•Cultural, social, economic value of craft in society (contributing to social/human capital)
Outcomes:
For artists
Artistic and personal development, increased capacity to engage with audiences, increased
employment and profile, experimentation, stimulating innovation and sales of work.
For craft in venues and unconventional spaces
Increased market share and profile for craft, increased knowledge and awareness of what the artform
can offer, cross over audiences, new audiences, enhanced knowledge for existing audiences and
increased relevance of craft.
For audiences and participants:
Creative learning, transformation, well-being, skills development and social cohesion.
For Non-arts partnerships:
Building capacity in non-arts sector partners to engage with professional artists and use creativity to
achieve their objectives.

3. Evidence of Impact:
Feedback received from community venue partners for Making Moves (MM).
“The venue has benefitted hugely through the residency. It opened their eyes to their potential,
opened their mind to what they could do with their venue. They now have an artist in residence which
has united their customers. This has become a feature for the pub and given the pub a different
image, almost softening this edgy pub.”
“MM was successful in changing venue staff’s negative perceptions about having exhibitions in their
spaces, in addition to the possibilities of contemporary craft in engaging communities.” Christine
Maloney, Area Librarian South Leamington Spa Main Library
•We received positive feedback from individual visitors who do not usually engage with contemporary
crafts. Visitors were fascinated by the techniques, ideas, processes and diversity of the craft
exhibited.” Hereford
•“Exciting and strange use of materials - refreshing.” visitor
•“Really enjoyed seeing how crafters are developing their practice in modern and innovative ways.
Very inspirational!” visitor
•“Loved seeing craft techniques I’d never encountered before.” visitor
•“Delighted and thoughtful about what constitutes craft.” visitor
•“I enjoyed the balance of fine making skills and a clear intellectual position.” visitor
•“It made me feel inspired to make pieces like these or rather using the methods exemplified -
dialogue; collaboration and time.” visitor

4. Participants
•“It‘s made me so much more confident with art and I am so pleased with my piece. I just want to
come back and do something else. ..I now know you don’t have to be good at drawing to produce
something.” participant
•“Just wanted to drop you an email. It was about this time 4 years ago when I went to the Custard
Factory the day before my birthday to an event of Craftspace involving free jacket potatoes and xmas
stocking kit, sugar craft, speed pom pom making, badge making, string art and a computer game
involving an owl and an electric guitar! Anyway had an awesome day met an artist…(four years later).
Today I ran a speed pom pom making and weaving workshop at Friction Arts with 6 people.” Sara
Fowler, member of youth craft collective
•“It wasn’t overpowering by the people running it, you could just drop in and they would start you
going, get the first few weaves going and then you could sit and do it by yourself. You didn’t have
anyone watching over your shoulder, you could be independent and take it where you wanted.”
Craftspace youth craft collective
•“The whole experience, meeting all these new people, learning all these new skills. I especially like
the group of us now as everyone is from different backgrounds. I’ve been doing loads of wire work
that Roger started and I can’t stop doing it. Getting involved in it, it is so nice to see people who want
to have a go and then they start and they get really in to it.” Craftspace youth craft collective
•“I learnt I usually got a short attention span but I can engage and get proper into it, (I’ve gained)
knowledge to become independent when it comes to DIY. I’ve always relied on my dad.” Kelly Making
My Home project
•“I’ve been looking to go to college. I might do something in music or art. This course has made me
think about that.” Martin Making My Home project

5. Audience Development Goals:
Increase opportunities for audiences/people least engaged in arts and culture to encounter and
experience contemporary craft practice and process.
We will do this through:
Breadth of programming which includes commissioning work and activity in range of
unconventional, non-gallery, non-traditional places and spaces in the public realm.
Co-devised participatory and socially engaged artists’ residency based projects developed in
partnership with other organisations.
Provide further opportunities to enhance the depth and quality of people’s cultural experiences
We will do this through:
Co-devised participatory and socially engaged artists’ residency based projects developed in
partnership with other organisations.
Providing enriched content and a range of interpretation methods within touring exhibitions.
Increase and diversify the range of people experiencing or engaging in contemporary craft
We will do this through:
Commissioning interdisciplinary work which interacts craft with a range of other artforms
and media through a ‘craft in an expanded field’ strand.

6. Audience Development Goals:
Provide opportunities for a greater range and number of artists and participants to make and show
craft for public view
We will do this through:
Curating a touring exhibition of ‘Outsider Craft’
Continuing to develop Shelanu women’s craft collective and social enterprise as a model to
transition people from being beneficiaries of arts activity into creative producers.
Increase the number of people engaging with digital content
We will do this through:
Redesigning our website as a hub for all digital content
Investing in artistic digital commissions
Providing a range of enriched content linked to exhibitions and projects

7. Making My Home
Vulnerable young people 16+
Partners: St Basils (working with homeless people), 6/8 Kafe

8. In:Site Festival 2014
Site specific artwork made by new graduates in Cathedral Square
free to watch and take part
Partners: Colmore Business District, Birmingham Cathedral,
6/8 Kafe, A-N website. Supported by John Feeney Trust

9. Shelanu collective, migrant women’s craft social enterprise
Birmingham Souvenir Project

10. Co-creating Craft
AHRC funded action research project to test & develop a methodology for co-produced
community learning through creative practice, skill-sharing and storytelling
People aged 50+
Partners: Falmouth University, Bealtaine Festival Dublin, Office of Public Works Dublin, Soho House Museum,
Wesleyan Community Centre
Phase 2 bid: crafting around the stimulus of a heritage location, building on the nationwide networks of Fab
Labs and Scrap Stores to bring the means of production back to being a local community asset, and rooting
making within a community through a local economic model.

11. Making Moves II
Toured 7 community venues across the West Midlands including a hospital,
railway stations & a shopping centre
Partners: 4 regional HE colleges (BCU, Staffordshire, Coventry and Wolverhampton), 6 Local Authorities
(Birmingham City Council, Staffordshire County Council, Warwickshire County Council, Warwick District
Council, Dudley Metropolitan District Council and Wyre Forest District Council)

12. Making Moves III - 2015-16
Artists residencies hosted in community venues, graduate placements,
exhibition touring to community venues eg railway stations, hospitals, leisure centres.
East & West Midlands & piloted in Plymouth. Led by Craftspace & Staffs County Council
Arts Dev – 9/10 partnerships between HEI/FE + local authority.

13. Self taught artists “…extraordinary works created by people who are in some way on the margins
of society, and who, for whatever mixture of reasons, find themselves unable to fit into the
conventional requirements – social and psychological, as well as artistic – of the culture they
inhabit.”
Radical Craft – March 2016
touring exhibition 8 venues nationally
Partners: Outside In, Pallant House Gallery, Actionspace

14. 35 artists from the Midlands, selling exhibition, symposium
Made in the Middle – Dec 2016
Eight in the series: touring exhibition East & West Midlands
Partner: Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Coventry