Collaborate project spotlight
Find out more about the partnership between the Crafts Council and Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, Glasgow Caledonian University London
The cultural value of craft
Research partnership:
Crafts Council with Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, Professor of Marketing and Sustainable Business, Glasgow Caledonian University London (GCU London)
Research focus:
Disrupting the craft canon – exploring the cultural value of craft in the context of race and racism in the UK
This partnership was awarded a research grant in June 2022 as part of the first round of the Centre for Cultural Value’s Collaborate programme.
The fund supported innovative new partnerships between cultural sector practitioners and academics to explore under-explored questions around cultural value.
What did the project explore?
This interdisciplinary partnership brought together academics from GCU London, led by Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, with experienced research and participation practitioners from Crafts Council, the UK’s national charity for craft.
The team explored, developed and tested measures of the cultural value attached to craft by racially minoritised communities who are excluded from the cultural space of craft.
The research used a novel methodology called Living Labs, which brought together academics, cultural partners, and communities in this cross-cultural, cross-generational research. An equity steering group was set up to act as a critical friend to the collaboration.
Two place-based craft-making events took place to help identify and recognise the value of the knowledge, experience and cultural heritage of makers of colour in professional, community or other crafts spaces. The project investigated the impacts of race, racism, immigration and migration on cultural production, making and value.
Project learning and findings
In Arts Professional: What is an equity steering group?
