Craft status

At our recent Heritage Crafts Awards Winners’ Reception at @wentworth_woodhouse, bursary recipient @kerriehanna gave this wonderful speech about the difference her bursary had made.

“It’s a real honour to receive this Heritage Crafts bursary, and I want to extend my sincere thanks to Heritage Crafts and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

“Growing up, I was always captivated by stained glass – one panel in particular which stands out in my mind is the ‘Patience’ window in St Anne’s Cathedral by Ann Smyth. Within the window, a woman was shown holding a spherical portal to another realm, and the way light shifted through it in the changing Irish weather, felt like a threshold into a parallel world. This image left a great impression on me.

“I never imagined I’d have the chance to study glass, with no dedicated courses in Ulster. I got in touch with several organisations, and just by chance Glassmarque Design replied. They needed help for a few weeks to finish a project as the main artist had been unwell so time was against them. Those few weeks turned into four years of assisting with new commissions and restoration work.

“In 2023, I took the leap and set up my own studio. Since then, I’ve been delighted to work on commissions for organisations including the National Gallery of Ireland, Belfast City Council and the National Trust.

“The image of that window from my childhood makes its way back to me now. The woman in the glass holding a portal to another realm; today, this bursary pushes me forward to pass through a new threshold, leading me to pathways of knowledge, new skills and possibilities.

“Not only will I deepen my technical skills, but I will be lucky to build creative community as part of the craft lineage in this historic medium. It is an honour to be welcomed into the Heritage Craft fellowship with everyone in this room and wider networks beyond.”

Over 36 posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.

Ian Horne @boobrie_creations, from Glasgow, served for eight years in the RAF, including tours in Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan. His background in plumbing and welding led to an interest in metallurgy and subsequently to coppersmithing. His bursary will fund intensive training with contemporary coppersmith and fellow veteran @royevansmetalikart.

Ian’s bursary is funded by the Royal British Legion.

Ian said: “Securing this heritage craft funding in coppersmithing is deeply meaningful to me as a sculptor and emerging creator. It not only provides the resources to develop my skills in a traditional craft, but also gives me the opportunity to carry forward a practice rooted in history while bringing my own contemporary voice to it. This support affirms my place in the industry and fuels my commitment to preserving and reimagining coppersmithing for future generations.”

This week’s #craftfocus is stone carving.

Stone carving is an ancient practice involving the carving of figures, patterns, ornaments, lettering and more into stone.

First, a suitable stone is selected (such as marble, limestone or granite) and it is gradually shaped, beginning with knocking off large, unwanted sections (known as ‘roughing out’). Next, finer detailing, smoothing and polishing is carried out.

Tools used include mallets and hammers, a variety of chisels (point, claw and flat) for cutting and shaping the stone, and files and abrasives for finishing.

Stone carving is classified as viable on our Craft Inventory, however, threats to its viability include a lack of training options. While there are numerous qualifications in stonemasonry, there are few qualifications specifically for stone carving.

Demand is often reliant on heritage projects and large-scale public or private conservation work; when this is lacking, the market for stone carvers significantly reduces. Competition from modern technology can also limit work.

Images: Lily Marsh @lilymarshsculptor & Rob Lenihan @roblenihan.art

#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #stonecarving

Over 36 posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.

Zakara Akhonzada modamender, from London, has made clothes for friends and family for many years and is striving to become a skilled tailor in a number of styles including traditional Afghan attire. Her bursary will fund her place on the pattern cutting, waistcoat making and tailoring courses at @fashionenterltd.

Zakara’s bursary is supported by the Capri Holdings Foundation.

Zakara said: “I am truly grateful for this funding. It gives me the chance to create beautiful designs and become the professional, high-quality fashion designer I’ve always dreamed of being.”

At our recent Heritage Crafts Awards Winners’ Reception at @wentworth_woodhouse, bursary recipient Aminat Seriki @s.i.l.e.nt.t gave this wonderful speech about the difference her bursary had made.

“Whilst at university, I realised that I wanted to be a craftsperson through the emphasis I placed on textile materiality and craftsmanship in my design projects. Although my passion for machine knitting wasn’t directly connected to my Fashion Design with Marketing degree at Central Saint Martins, I discovered that I enjoyed the endless possibilities knitwear offered and the technical problem solving involved. I found real satisfaction in working from scratch with yarn rather than starting with woven fabric.

“One of my biggest obstacles was the financial barrier as the cost of specialist training and equipment made it difficult to progress. I had reached the limits of what I could achieve through self-directed learning from online forums and YouTube. I was no longer progressing due to gaps in my technical knowledge and lack of confidence to develop my ideas into fully realised garments.

“Receiving the bursary has truly changed the course of my knitwear journey. It has provided me with the one-on-one guidance I have long needed. It gave me time to immerse myself fully in experimentation and to learn from my mistakes. It opened doors to new training such as knitwear programming that I wouldn’t have had access to and introduced me to a community of machine knitters who have supported my development. More than anything, it showed me that others believe in my craft and my potential, and that has meant more than I can say.”

Aminat’s bursary was funded by the Capri Holdings Foundation for the Advancement of Diversity in Fashion.

This week’s #mondaymaker is Kate Doig @firewolfglass, a stained glass artist.

Kate creates painted glass art pieces as well as taking occasional commissions. She also repairs and restores old leaded panels, and offers a full re-leading service from her studio in Somerset. Kate began studying the basics of leaded stained glass alongside metal work and forging in 2000. She refined her glass studies at the Bristol School of Art in 2004, learning the art of glass fusing, silk screening, acid etching, sandblasting and various techniques using glass paints and stains.

Kate now enjoys teaching the craft and has been running regular workshops from her studio in Somerset, as well as occasionally teaching in external venues, for the last fifteen years.

View Kate’s full profile on our maker’s directory: https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/maker/katedoig/

#heritagecrafts #mondaymaker #stainedglass