Keynote at Norwegian Crafts Conference

November 8th 2023, National Museum of Oslo

On 8th November 2023 I was a keynote speaker at the Norwegian Crafts conference in Oslo. The conference theme was ‘craft as a meeting place’ and I presented about my research on socially engaged craft in the UK and Australia. More information about the conference on the Norwegian Crafts website.

Craft Expertise project conclusion

In 2023 the Craft Expertise project came to an end with a flurry of final outputs:

• The final project event which took place in March 2023, featuring contributions from the Crafts Council, Deirdre Figueiredo and Roxanne Simone, and the launch of the special issue ‘Craft Economies and Inequalities’ published in the European Journal of Cultural Studies. More information about the final event is on the Craft Expertise website. 
• Another podcast series was produced featuring interviews from my research in Australia. Craft Expertise: The View from Australia was produced with award winning producer Muna Ahmed. Listen to the series on the Maker Stories Podcast site.
• Finally I produced a toolkit for the Crafts Council which featured case studies of socially engaged craft organisations, and their practices to foster inclusion for makers and participants. The toolkit is available on the Crafts Council website.

We Gather Exhibition

November 2021-March 2022, Crafts Council Gallery

As part of the Craft Expertise project I commissioned work by five amazing craft artists to produce pieces of work for exhibition at Crafts Council Gallery. The resulting We Gather Exhibition, curated by Rosie Ross and Griffi, was a celebration of this work and the work of influential women makers from around the world, and an acknowledgment of the inequalities in craft and how far the sector still has to go. For more on the exhibition with some photos visit the Craft Expertise website.

Restart Project podcast

September 30, 2021

It was great to talk to the team at the Restart Project about my research on inequalities in craft. A big thanks to them for inviting me to speak on their podcast. You can listen to the episode and find out more about restart on their website here.

AHRC UKRI/RCUK Innovation Fellowship – successful Phase 2 funding

May 14, 2021

I’m very pleased to announce that I have successfully secured Phase 2 funding for my AHRC UKRI/RCUK Innovation Fellowship, Supporting Diversity and Expertise Development in the Contemporary Craft Economy (Craft Expertise) in collaboration with Crafts Council UK.

The second phase begins in July 2021 and will involve a greater focus on craft social enterprises and alternative pathways to craft enterprise. More details will follow in due course.

New Books Network

August 12, 2020

I was delighted to be interviewed for the New Books Network to talk about my book, The Politics of Expertise in Cultural Labour: Arts, Work, Inequalities. In the podcast I talk to Dave O’Brien about the book and its key arguments. You can listen to the full podcast here and I highly recommend subscribing and listening to the New Books Network podcast.

AHRC Leadership Fellows project – Craft Expertise

10th September 2019

The website is now live for my new project, ‘Supporting diversity and expertise development in the contemporary craft economy’ funded by the AHRC UKRI Innovation Fellowship scheme. The project, (short name – Craft Expertise) is running from March 2019 until February 2021, and continues the collaboration with Crafts Council UK to highlight the experiences of women makers of colour in the craft economy, through interviews, ethnography, podcasts and other activities. More information about the project on the Craft Expertise website.

Summary of Creative Economy Engagement Project

8th February 2019

A summary of my AHRC funded Creative Economy Engagement (CEEF) project in collaboration with Crafts Council UK is now available on the Birmingham City University website. More details about the AHRC Leadership Fellowship, which builds on this CEEF, will be posted here soon.