The National Centre for Craft & Design is 10 years old – what an amazing decade it’s been! We’ve attracted 758,645 visitors, presented 160 world-class exhibitions, launched 8 touring exhibitions reaching audiences of more than 117,000 across 30 venues, and welcomed over 19,000 people to our learning programmes.
We’d like to thank all our visitors and supporters – and encourage new ones – by inviting everyone to join us for a birthday celebration. We’re holding a free afternoon of fun and creativity for all ages at our iconic building on Navigation Wharf, Sleaford, and we’ll also be unveiling our latest exhibition, ‘Growing: Celebrating our Past, Exploring our Future’.
Activities will take place inside and outside. There will be live music, dancing, ‘Make & Take’ workshops, demonstrations, craft drop-in sessions for all ages, yarn-bombing, badge-making, storytelling, ice cream, delicious food to enjoy in our riverside café, beautiful objects to buy in our fantastic shop, and three more exhibitions to see, plus ‘Growing’. Booking is not required as activities are on a first come basis
For our exhibition ‘Growing’, we invited some of the UK’s leading figures in the sphere of contemporary craft and design – artists, curators, writers and influencers – to nominate work by emerging and established artists who they believe will be the innovators of the future. Over 30 artists have been proposed by our nominators to create an exhibition demonstrating a wide range of craft media and forms: textiles, ceramics, glass, jewellery, basketry, furniture and millinery. There will be an online gallery to complement the physical exhibition, showing work by all the nominated artists.
ENDS - Editor’s notes below
EDITOR’S NOTES
The National Centre for Craft and Design sits at the heart of the market town of Sleaford, Lincolnshire in the riverside setting of Navigation Wharf. It is a unique and ambitious gallery that exhibits the most innovative, challenging and accomplished artists practicing within the craft and design arena today. The centre has four exhibition spaces including the largest gallery space in England dedicated to craft and design, a roof top gallery and a vibrant window space.
Our public programme is built around the themes of each exhibition and offers a lively and stimulating series of learning and participatory events including talks, workshops, conferences, clubs, groups, activities, lectures, seminars, screenings, short courses, and demonstration days. Our shop provides a visually stunning and inspirational area for demonstrating and promoting creative talent and our licensed café is a popular destination for local families and business people seeking a creative respite, or just a cup of coffee!
Open from 10am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
For up to date details and listings about The National Centre for Craft & Design, please visit www.nationalcraftanddesign.org.uk or call 01529 308710.
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10th Birthday celebration workshops on 20 July include:
• Anna Collette Hunt offers a glimpse into her world of ceramic bugs
• Jeweller Aimee Betts demonstrates cording, braiding, knotting and linking techniques to create rope-work jewellery
• Helen Snell demonstrates paper sculpture techniques. Visitors can create a paper boat sculpture inspired by her ‘Flotilla’ artwork in the gallery.
• Textile artist Naseem Darbey offers a chance to explore her techniques.
‘Growing: Celebrating our Past, Exploring our Future’ runs from 20 July to 29 September. It takes its lead from the very first exhibition held at The National Centre for Craft & Design, in 2003 called ‘What is Craft?, an exhibition of some of Britain’s most celebrated and best recognised makers. The 10th anniversary of The NCCD comes at an exciting time for contemporary craft. Technical and conceptual innovations have taken craft forward in exciting and unexpected ways, whilst the economic downturn has led to a re-evaluation of traditional techniques and re-use of materials. This exhibition will provoke new ideas and stimulate new ways of thinking about craft as a whole. The artworks displayed in ‘Growing’ are destined to become the icons of the future
Our own NCCD nomination is Paulo Goldstein, a Project Space artist at Collect 2013, the Crafts Council’s prestigious craft fair. We are commissioning Paulo to create new work as part of his ‘Repair is Beautiful’ collection. Our second commission will be a mini -residency throughout the opening weekend of the exhibition by performance craft artist Alec Stevens, who will be making new work in response to visitor input.
Crafts Council Director Rosy Greenlees nominated basketry artist Stella Harding for her innovative use of material and techniques and ambitious approach to scale and Sarah Warsop, “for her movement inspired jewellery which draws directly on her experience as a dancer and choreographer”. Journalist and former director of the Design Museum Alice Rawsthorn proposed Dutch based Italian designers Formafantasma, whose work comments on nostalgia and tradition. Japanese-born Hitomi Hosono, winner of the prestigious Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon Prize 2013, impressed Bonnie Kemske, Editor of Ceramic Review, who nominated her exquisitely delicate and detailed porcelain sculptures adorned with intricate patterns influenced by traditional British ceramic techniques.
A body of ceramic work will also be on show by Joseph Hartley, New Designers 2013 ‘Designer of the Year’ whose work impressed no less than five of our nominators. There will be textiles by Mister Finch and Mai Tabakian, the latter selected by artist Gabriel Dawe. We are also showing glass from Samantha Donaldson (nominated by our sister organisation Design Factory), jewellery by Lisa Juen and furniture from designer Sebastian Cox.
Complementing the exhibition will be an online gallery of all nominated artists’ work expanding on the physical show. This online gallery will offer an opportunity for comment and debate on the subject of the future of craft and design as well as an opportunity to view the exhibited artworks from afar.
In her essay for ‘What is Craft?’, Louise Taylor (then director of the Crafts Council) said: “Craft retains its traditional core but many innovators are challenging boundaries and using the language of ‘craftsmanship’ in new ways”. These words still pertain today, especially the extraordinary 3D printed work created by Michael Eden, nominated by leading ceramics specialist Adrian Sassoon, whose work uses new technologies to explore and alter traditional and iconic English designs.