Society announces new Honorary Fellowship

The Society of Designer Craftsmen are delighted to announce Kate Mason as one of their newest Honorary Fellows.

Kate served as Chair, Trustee and Council member of the Society for nearly four years, standing down in 2024. During this time, she worked to build resilience in the Council and brought in staff to support the running of the organisation, in turn allowing the SDC to build its profile and be more outward facing.

Having worked consistently over the last 30 years in a variety of roles across the arts, heritage, craft, community, cultural and creative industry sectors, Kate will be a fantastic advocate for the Society in the coming years.

A strategist, persuader, and broker, she is an enthusiastic advocate for the value of the arts, crafts and design and their role in supporting a thriving pipeline of creative talent. Kate kick-started her career with an MA in Heritage Studies with a focus on Museums and Galleries interpretation. Her thesis explored the Arts & Crafts Movement and the role and influence of William Morris and John Ruskin across arts, crafts & design. These interests continue to be reflected in her ongoing work and commitments.

She is a Companion of The Guild of St George, an educational charity devoted to the arts, crafts and the rural economy which was founded in 1871 by John Ruskin. She is a regular Judge at national Awards and Prizes.

More recent previous roles include CEO at The Big Draw, Director of Marketing at ACID, and Trustee at House of Imagination.

Kate currently works for Creative Newham and the Newham Place Partnership programme which is managed by University of East London.