Crossing Crafts

'Crossing Crafts' is a simple idea; to celebrate SDC and SCS members’ uniqueness and togetherness, both within and across the two societies. The project will facilitate makers to engage with another in a different discipline to learn from their approach and practice and be provoked and inspired in their own making.

How will it work?
Makers will be selected and placed together in pairs, each from a differing discipline. Each participant will select a distinct and established area of their own practice to share with their partner maker for both to gain an experience of a different material, a new process and exchange ideas. How they do this – whether digitally or in real life, will be up to the maker duos themselves. How frequently they choose to interact with each other will be entirely up to them - maybe only once or maybe often.

As stimulus to their conversation, the makers might also choose to discuss or be influenced by an object from the SDC’s rich history, selected from the V&A’s vast collection online or at the museum. Searches can be carried out online at www.vam.ac.uk/archives/unit/ARC219

This cross fertilisation may provoke experimentation and a temporary shift of direction or might give birth to new ideas and lead to a more permanent effect on individual practice. These effects may be quite evident or could be more subliminally imbued in an individual maker’s work. Or, should they choose, the pair might create a collaborative piece as the sole or as an additional project outcome.

Each pair will be asked to keep a log of their events, thoughts and any learnings and occasionally submit a brief progress update to the project team.

How will it end?
Hopefully any benefits the Crossing Crafts projects initiates will be long-lasting for the participants but our aim is also to feature the artwork outcomes along with the individual experiences and learnings at the SCS Summer Exhibition hosted by the National Trust on the Ickworth Estate in Aug/Sept 2026 and the SDC Annual Showcase exhibition in Oct/Nov 2026. In addition, the SDC Celebrates event in April 2026 in London will focus on collaboration. Alice Kettle will be a key speaker and project participants will be invited to be part of this to discuss their experiences and show works in progress.

How to apply
If you are a member of the SDC or SCS (or both) email your Expression of Intent before 1st January 2026 to:
admin@societyofdesignercraftsmen.org.uk or secretary@suffolkcraftsociety.org

Please include a brief paragraph (150 words max) explaining your interest and discipline and give links to your SDC or SCS Maker’s Page and your website or social media.

Timings
- Pairings announced: 1st February 2026
- SDC Celebrates Collaboration - Project work in progress: April 2026
- Exhibition of finished work: SCS Exhibition – Ickworth Estate: Aug/Sept 2026
- SDC Showcase Exhibition – venue tbc: Nov 2026