Making Moves, Creating Futures for Craft - Regent SIlversmiths and Holte School, Birmingham

Residency:

 

Regent Silversmiths and

Holte School, Birmingham

 

Maker: Miranda Sharpe

Graduate Placement: Amy Logan

 

This residency took place in two locations; at industry

partner Regent Silversmiths, based in the Jewellery

Quarter and Holte School, Aston. Jeweller Miranda

Sharpe worked with Amy Logan to teach young people at

Holte School the basics of jewellery-making with metal

and textiles. Miranda received training in silversmithing at

Regents and her new work reflects her experiments and

development from jewellery into large scale work.

 

Making Moves, Creating Futures for Craft

 

Making Moves is a West Midlands craft development initiative

involving four regional partnerships, led by Staffordshire County

Council and Craftspace, a Birmingham based craft development

organisation. The project consisted of nine craft residencies

which took place in community settings between September

2011 and July 2012, culminating in a touring exhibition.

 

The nine makers were challenged by residencies in unusual

workspaces - including a hospital, a pub and a park visitor

centre - which acted as sources of inspiration to develop ideas

for new work. They worked with local communities, offering

making workshops that were high quality, inspirational and in

some cases, life-changing. The exhibition showcases new work

by the makers in response to their residency setting, as well

examples of tools, materials and work created in the community

sessions.

 

The project also provided opportunities for nine crafts graduates

who supported the community making sessions as well as

receiving mentoring from the resident maker. They were given a

small bursary towards the development of their practice and

have also created new work for the exhibition.

 

Making Moves aimed to provide valuable opportunities for

learning. Makers gave masterclasses and lectures to Higher

and Further education institutions as well as talks to the wider

community. They wrote about the residency experiences on a

project blog, as well as coming together for regular networking

sessions.

 

To find out more about the project visit www.makingmoves.org and the

Makers’ Residency Blog www.makingmoves.posterous.com

 

Photos by Becky Matthews

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