Firing up craft capital: the renaissance of craft and craft policy in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Crafts have recently been experiencing a renaissance. This revitalization sees craft increasingly recognised as a growing industrial sector with benefits linked to educational, cultural and economic development policy agendas. This paper engages with policy debates around the place of craft in the United Kingdom from 2010. Drawing on craft sector perspectives and UK government policy initiatives it situates the disciplines and practices of craft within their institutional support networks, organizational contexts and draws attention to the role of individuals in driving agendas. The paper focuses on the national facing crafts development organizations, the UK Crafts Council and the UK Heritage Crafts Association, alongside recent policy discussion emerging from the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Recognizing that the legacies of past practice often inform contemporary agendas, the paper explores how the advocacy of craft in the recent past has shaped the place and positioning of craft in contemporary UK politics.

Craft, textiles, and cultural assets in the Northern Isles: innovation from tradition in the Shetland Islands

“…Craft has recently been enjoying a resurgence (Jakob & Thomas, 2015;Luckman, 2015Luckman, , 2013Luckman, , 2012. Frayling (2017) notes this is linked to the current economic climate and new modes of craft as production and the significance of craft as meaningful work (Crawford, 2009).…”

“…Adamson (2013, p. 172) positions craft as a mode of working whereby the knowledge exists in the practice through which tacit and practical knowledge are transformed into material form and are a "living part of a larger mechanical system." This re-emergence of craft into public debate sees craft increasingly recognized as a growing industrial sector with benefits linked to educational, cultural and economic policy agendas (Jakob & Thomas, 2015). There is growing interest from policy makers who view craft as a stimulus to develop local and regional economies, skills and materials in relation to wider networks (Luckman, 2015(Luckman, , 2013Marksuen, 2007;Nesta, 2007;Yair, 2011).…”

“…There is growing interest from policy makers who view craft as a stimulus to develop local and regional economies, skills and materials in relation to wider networks (Luckman, 2015(Luckman, , 2013Marksuen, 2007;Nesta, 2007;Yair, 2011). Craft in this way is positioned as a conduit to the revitalization of local economies and as training mechanisms that support the creative economy: networking, apprenticeships, skills, training, mentoring, supporting micro-businesses, promoting new markets and fostering innovation (Jakob & Thomas, 2015). A recent report (KPMG, 2016) commissioned by the Crafts Council asserts that craft skills and knowledge have a further potential of driving growth and innovation in other parts of the economy.…”

Improving sustainability and encouraging innovation in traditional craft sectors: the case of the Sri Lankan handloom industry

“…Handcrafted products have an important role in creative cultural industries (Bhatt, 2007;(Bhatt, 2007;Van, 2007;Jakob, 2012;Luckman, 2015;Jakob and Thomas, 2017). Craft is the application of traditional skills and knowledge, evolved over time, into relatively smallscale production.…”

Spaces of vernacular creativity reconsidered

“…For instance, away from the contexts of urban industry, in exploring the reconfiguration of rural creativity, David Bell (2015) discusses how cultural intermediaries express aesthetic judgements that strongly prioritise the innovative and cutting edge over 'traditional' and customary craft items. Moreover, the primary utility of the crafts as economic resource rather as valuable in achieving broader social goals has been integral to recent neo-liberal British governmental agendas (Jakob and Thomas, 2017).…”