Adjournment debate on the preservation of traditional crafts

Less than six months after the formation of the Heritage Crafts Association, the first debate on the state of traditional crafts has taken place in the House of Commons, with the Culture Minister answering questions put to her by High Peak MP Tom Levitt.

Speaking at the Adjournment Debate on traditional crafts on Thursday (25 June 2009), Barbara Follett said:

“We are keen that the rich intangible cultural heritage of the United Kingdom is properly valued and, when necessary, preserved…. Whether tangible or intangible, … our heritage is a marvellous asset that we want to protect and nurture.”

She then called on local and regional authorities to do their bit along with central Government and its agencies to support these vital heritage crafts:

“As a Regional Minister, I see a role for the regional development agencies and local authorities. They need to play their part, along with central Government and non-departmental bodies, in ensuring that our traditional skills are upheld and preserved.”

The full transcript of the 30 minute debate is available at the They Work for You website and on Hansard.

The Chair of the Heritage Crafts Association, Robin Wood, welcomed the Culture Minister’s comments:

“For people like Mike Turner, the last traditional sieve maker in this country, Barbara Follet’s comments represent a beacon of hope that when they retire, their skills gained from a lifetime of practicing traditional crafts may not fade away with them.

“However, we are concerned that the full picture of the value of the heritage crafts to the economy, and the scale of the loss that lack of action could produce – both the loss of cultural traditions stretching back in some cases thousands of years, and the loss of economic potential which this cottage industry presents – has not yet been fully appreciated by the Government.

“In light of the Minister's comments in support of traditional crafts, it seems fair to ask for some alternative plan to safeguard this vital part of our living heritage, and some money to do it with. We look forward to continuing to discuss these issues with the Minister and her department on an ongoing basis”

Adjournment debate this Thursday

On Thursday (25 June 2009) there will be an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on the preservation of traditional crafts. The debate will be raised by Tom Levitt, MP for High Peak some time before 6pm. You can watch it live on the Parliament Channel.

Tom has also written a short piece for the Epolitix web site, which will be published on Wednesday.

Launch of the Craft Blueprint

Creative and Cultural Skills (CCSkills), the sector skills council for the creative industries, in association with the Crafts Council, launched the Craft Blueprint at the House of Lords on Wednesday (10 June 2009). The aim of the document is to create a plan of action for developing the craft workforce across the UK.

CCSkills and the Crafts Council have heard from education providers, craft employers and those running courses about their provision and the changes that are impacting upon them, and have taken into account current policy developments, changes in technology, and, crucially, the effects of economic change. The resulting recommendations, including many from the Heritage Crafts Association, lie at the heart of the Blueprint.

The Heritage Crafts Association was represented by four committee members: Patricia Lovett, Robin Wood, Chris Rowley and Daniel Carpenter. Here is the video shown at the launch, featuring a good representation of traditional heritage crafts:



Copies of the blueprint are available to download for free.

Senior Tory Ken Clarke caught 'skiving' at Northampton shoe factory

From an article in the Northampton Chronicle and Echo in May:

Former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke took to a factory floor today to help make a pair of his favourite trademark brown shoes. The shadow business secretary got involved in 'skiving' - thinning the leather upper - of a Crockett and Jones shoe on a visit to the company's plant in Northampton.

The Tory 'big beast', who made a dramatic return to the political spotlight in January, was invited to the traditional home of British shoemaking by Michael Ellis, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Northampton North.

To read more, visit http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Senior-Tory-Ken-Clarke-caught.5228555.jp.

MP to take up case of disappearing sieve maker

High Peak MP Tom Levitt has pledged his support for a local craftsman to help prevent his skills being lost forever. Mike Turnock, from Whaley Bridge, is the last practising sieve maker in the country and fears that when he retires it’ll be the end of a centuries-old tradition of fashioning quality sieves from wood and wire.

Mr Levitt visited Mr Turnock in his workshop (last Thursday, 28 May) to see for himself how the skilled craftsman creates sieves and riddles for all sorts of purposes – from sifting flour for cooking to separating different sized grains of metals used in industry, or for sieving glazes used in the pottery trade. His customers include individual cooks and gardeners, as well as foundries and others he keeps supplied with regular bulk orders.

The MP has already raised the matter with the Culture Minister and is planning to apply for an Adjournment Debate before Parliament rises for the summer.

For more information, go to www.tomlevitt.org.uk/mp-to-take-up-case-of-disappearing-sieve-maker-30-may-2009.

Knitting up a storm at the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

In this article in The Times, Claire Cameron writes about Paul Dodwell, who will be bringing gansey jumpers to the celebration of traditional boatbuilding and crafts in Aberdeenshire:

It’s not often you come across a young man interested in knitting, never mind one so enthusiastic about the craft that he has rediscovered and revived a traditional form of it.

Paul Dodwell began knitting while studying at the University of St Andrews, and a local designer, Di Gilpin, introduced him to the gansey, which is a type of woollen sweater that has been worn in fishing communities along the exposed British coast for hundreds of years.

Apart from their obvious use as a warm and durable jumper, ganseys have a sad and compelling tale to tell. Woven into each garment are intricate details of herring bones, anchors, diamonds and ropes.

Each pattern corresponds to a different fishing community and can help to decipher where the sweater was made and the identity of the man wearing it. So in the event of a drowning, the deceased could be identified.

The histories behind each design fascinate 24-year-old Dodwell. He plans to demonstrate his skills at the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival this summer. The festival takes place in Portsoy, one of the oldest fishing villages on the Aberdeenshire coast. The stone harbour dates back to 1692 and the burgh traces its history to a charter from Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 16th century.

The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival takes place in Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, from 2 to 5 July 2009. For more information, go to www.stbf.bizland.com.

Article source: http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article6349436.ece

Forming Ideas – Cairo Symposium ‘Khamseen’

Wednesday 8 July 2009, 1pm to 3.30pm
Thursday 9 July 2009, 8.45am to 1.15pm
The Ismaili Centre, South Kensington, London SW7 2SL

Khamseen (‘sandstorm’ in Arabic) will explore how art and craft practice in Cairo is impacting on society through the work of contemporary practitioners and innovative art projects. It will ask how society can nurture traditional skills whilst remaining open to innovation? Why Cairo? Because in Cairo today we have a model where the recognition of the value of traditional skills is in resurgence and is playing a pivotal part in the regeneration of Cairo and artistic practice across the Middle East.

Khamseen will bring together leading artists and professionals to discuss the context for this change and how it might relate to contemporary practice here in the UK.

Tickets are available for purchase until 3 July 2009 from www.formingideas.co.uk/content/conferences-0.

Selling opportunity for craftspeople in Sheffield

Art in the Park will be making a den with schools and the public in the Winter Gardens in Sheffield throughout the last two weeks of June (open access session 12pm to 4pm on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June).

If you would be interested in having a stall demonstrating your craft and selling your wares, there is an opportunity to do so at the Dens Celebration Event at The Winter Gardens on Tuesday 30 June.

Craftspeople are needed approximately 3pm to 7pm. Although there is no payment available, any money made from sales of your crafts would be yours to keep. Plus, this should be a fun and high-profile event to be part of and a great way to get your name and skills known.

To apply, please email Cassie Kill at cassie@artinthepark.org.uk or phone her on 0114 268 6813 with details of your craft.