Supporting the Craft Council's 'Let's Craft' Appeal

Students from Bygrove School with Let's Craft pack. Photo Kingsley Koranteng

 

The North West Craft Network delighted to support the Crafts Council’s Let's Craft appeal.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant hundreds of thousands of children stuck
at home do not have access to basic art materials. Pencils and paper are
luxuries for families that are financially stretched to the limit.

Let’s Craft packs contain pens, pencils, brushes, paints, a canvas, a
scrapbook and activity resource, meaning children can be creative throughout
the summer. The packs are distributed to families in the most need of support
through a network of community hubs and food banks across England.

Thousands of children have received packs already, but Crafts Council wants to raise
£100,000 this summer to distribute 10,000 packs.

Buy a £10 Let's Craft pack today to support the wellbeing and development of
a child in need of support.

Text CRAFT to 70085 to donate £10 or online at www.bit.ly/LetsCraft

Covid-19 Craft Sector Support and Information

Many organisations, nationally and locally, are doing what they can to support makers. Here are a few and we'll update this as more information comes through. [Updated August 12 2020]

Crafts Council In order to support our craft community at this time Crafts Council have created a page on the website with the most useful advice and resources as well as regular updates as and when they happen https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/stories/information-craft-businesses-during-covid-19-pandemic
 
Creative Lancashire Information and links to support the creative sector

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) have temporarily made all of their member-only resources free to everyone -  information covers topics ranging from governance to safeguarding, funding to campaigns.
https://knowhow.ncvo.org.uk/site-homepage#

Arts Council England have resumed their Project Grants and because of the circumstances during this period, are particularly keen to support:

• applications from individual creative practitioners (including time to think and plan)

• research and development activity

• organisational development activity

• live activity that can be safely delivered within this period (rather than activity with a start date far in the future)

• activity that closely aligns with ACE Equality Objectives

A new Economic Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is about to launch (End of August) to Support SME restart and recovery. Delivered via local Growth Hubs https://www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts/

What we're working on in 2020

Intelligence exchange

• There has been a lively exchange of research, inspiration and information. Exhibition invitations have been shared to attend various events including (by no means exhaustive) various exhibitions and events for The British Textile Biennial, The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, The Bluecoat Display Centre JÖL Exhibition, Gordon Baldwin and Matthew Harris exhib, Marketplace Studio events, Great Northern Graduates at Manchester Craft and Design Centre, Halima Cassell at Manchester Art Gallery. Plus invitations to the Textile and Place Conference 2020 hosted by Manchester School of Art  

Sharing members’ expertise and good practice

• Three specialists in Craft and Wellbeing shared skills and information at September meeting, following on from last year’s successful input on Audience Development. We will be planning future inputs at our next meeting in March 2020. 
• Jacqui Wood of ARC (Arts in the Community, Stockport) and Donna Claypool of University of Bolton plan to meet about the possibility of ARC doing a presentation or even developing a mini-module on socially engaged art. 
• Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair is working with Manchester Craft and Design Centre to present makers from the Great Northern Graduates section of the Fair. They are looking into whether this could be a longer term arrangement. 
• Alice Kettle of MMU is aiming to connect us with PhD research around leadership in the craft sector ARC moved to the Hatworks in December and has invited NWCN members to a special opening and consultation to take place in March  

Building the case for the value of craft

• We continue to work on out collective letter to educational policy makers from leaders in the NW Craft sector outlining the essential part that craft education plays in sustaining the Creative Industries and our social and cultural capital both in the short and long term. Following feedback from various people aiming to influence Educational Policy makers, we have decided on a change of tack and will be gathering the material into a succinct form and to link with the Craft’s Council’s Make Your Future campaign – to encourage grassroots change affecting the region. The team will meet to discuss this in early 2020  

Building infrastructure for collaborative work and resource sharing (joint projects and exhibitions)

• Rebecca Hill of Gallery Oldham has gathered a working group NW touring craft showcase and collections visits are planned in 2020 
• Several members are looking to create events that can be part of the Craft’s Council Year of Craft 2021, and we will explore possibilities for shared promotion. E.g. The University of Bolton is looking into running a symposium along the lines of the NWCN’s successful ‘Shaping the Future’ event held in 2016. This will be on the agenda of the March meeting
• Sam Rhodes at The Bluecoat Display Centre, Nicola Scott of Liverpool Museums and Colin Simpson of Wirral Museums Service have worked together to successfully apply to the Art Fund for a grant to fund a project looking at reanimating craft within the collections, culminating in an exhibition in 2021 and an element of curatorial development which will allow sharing of information and outcomes with the wider Network. 
• The Jerwood Makers Open will come to Manchester City Gallery in early 2020 and we are exploring the possibility of contributing to a curatorial development event to coincide with the event, in partnership with other organisations.  

Supporting a healthy craft ecology

• The NWCN is vigorously participating in the Craft UK forum to increase connectivity and the flow of information between crafts organisations widely across the UK. We will be seeking to join a wider national group in the Craft UK Form that w ill take place as part of Collect in 2020