Support Us

A picture of an older black woman wearing a silver necklace and text that reads: ‘I wish I had been able to pursue my jewellery making career earlier in life; opportunities to try something without risk can make a big difference.’
The Big Give logo.

The Big Give: 19-26 March 2024

Donate between 19th to 26th March to double the difference and help us to raise 500 fivers!

Will you help us raise £2500, which will be matched by The Big Give Arts Impact Fund, giving us a potential £5000 to open pathways to creative careers for young people facing disadvantage? Donate on the Big Give website between 19-26 March to double the difference.

Be Curious with Us…

Craftspace is a charity and we rely on donations. All of the money we raise is used to deliver opportunities to see, make and learn about craft.

With your support we can continue to deliver extraordinary encounters with craft and invest in talented makers who reveal the breadth of possibilities for contemporary making.

Our projects deliver creative excellence, enjoyment, material knowledge, skills, pleasure and professional development . Your donation will help us to nurture more talent and reach more people.

8 ways you can support Craftspace today

Lots of tiny figures standing in rows made from nuts and seeds.

Join our new community of supporters and get priority access to events and activities which get behind the scenes.

An eccentric looking woman lies back on a bench covered with a blanket. She looks shocked.

A donation of £250-£1000 pays for artists’ time to take risks, experiment with different materials.

Between 19-26 March 2024 use the Big Give link above to double the difference.

A member of Shelanu helps a lady to make her brooch

A regular donation of £20 a month could make it possible for a woman to attend Shelanu by supporting their travel costs into Birmingham.

Shelanu supports migrant and refugee women to develop craft skills, enterprise and wellbeing through social enterprise.

The i pad case, wash bag and purse sit on a windowsill. They are simple in design with a black and white line drawing of the skyline and red trimmings.

Buy contemporary craft and exhibition catalogues.

Hands work together on a potters wheel.

A gift of £500 means that a professional artist can share their skills and enthusiasm for making at a series of workshops: encouraging confidence and inspiring future creative professionals.

Leaving a gift in your will is simple. Download our info sheet for ideas.

A older man teaches a child how to use a hammer and nail.

A fundraising activity raising £60 buys materials for local families to experience the joy of making at free community workshops that encourage creativity, communication and relaxation.

A group of small simple items made from a smooth, hard material. Cup-like forms with decoratoins like brushes and small knobs. Some are reminiscent of shaving brushes.

You can now support Craftspace while you shop at no cost to yourself – click the button to give using Easy Fundraising.

Hands use a piercing saw to cut metal.

Amazon donates 0.5% of the net purchase price to Craftspace if you support us using AmazonSmile. Everything else is the same as normal Amazon.

Why is craft important?

Craft generates £3.4billion pounds for the UK economy; its growth requires risk taking, education and experimentation. Growth of the creative industries is higher than any other industrial sector however young people will not benefit when fewer young people are choosing to study craft and design related subjects at GCSE. Our exhibition and learning programmes deliver opportunities to see craft as a route to enterprise and employment and supports makers to profile their work.

The experience of a child’s early years (0-5) will impact their social mobility; almost half of all children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not reach their expected level of development when they start school. Increasing numbers of children are entering school without the manual dexterity to hold a pencil. Our work with children and carers introduces open ended exploration of materials and tools to those at most disadvantage.

Whilst wellbeing continues to rise the inequalities of wellbeing appear to be widening. How connected we are to others, how able to contribute actively to our communities or how empowered we feel to bring about positive change all impact on our health and wellbeing.  The role of participatory opportunities around creative activities is shown to have positive impact on self-reported feeling of well-being. We see this in action through Shelanu Craft Collective and Women’s Maker Movement.

“Making makes me… happy fulfilled and relaxed”

“..it made me think that I could do anything…”

Investing in the arts

Public investment in the arts fell by just under 30% in the 5 years from 2013; this means fewer opportunities for makers to risk take, to deepen their knowledge of materials or apply them to new contexts.  It also means fewer opportunities for the people least able to access arts and culture to take part in high quality arts activity.

“Over the past 10 years our public funding has reduced. Only with your support can we continue to deliver extraordinary encounters with craft and invest in talented makers who reveal the breadth of possibilities for contemporary making.” Deirdre Figueiredo, Director, Craftspace

How are Craftspace funded?

Our income comes from grants we apply for including from the Arts Council of England and private Trusts & Foundations. We receive donations from individuals who want to see the impact of our work continue and we earn income from the knowledge and experience we have developed through consultancy work.



Where Next?

Shop

Buy catalogues and craft in our online shop.

Shelanu Interlocking Stories earrings in gold. Simple in design.

Archive

Check out our archive.

model sculpture of a digger made from reclaimed metal

Newsletter

Sign up to our occasional newsletters.

A metal brooch designed with motifs of barbed wire and a skull.

What’s On

Plan a visit to our next exhibition or event.

A group of 5 women sit around a table, concentrated. Some are embroidering baby muslins.

Craftspace+

Join us in making a positive difference.

Lots of tiny figures standing in rows made from nuts and seeds.


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