The Marsh Awards for Heritage Craft 2011

Deadline: 31 October 2011

The Heritage Crafts Association and the Marsh Christian Trust are delighted to offer two brand new awards for the heritage crafts sector. These awards will recognise and celebrate the exceptional individuals that contribute so much to our rich living heritage. The awards have been created to encourage the passing on of skills from one generation to another and to acknowledge the great work that volunteers do to raise the profile of heritage crafts across the UK.

This year, there are two awards and the winner of each award will receive £500. The deadline for both is 31 October 2011. The award winners will be publicly announced and presented with a cheque and certificate at the Heritage Crafts Association Spring Conference, March 2012.

I. Trainer - £500
One of the Heritage Crafts Association’s key aims is to ensure that heritage crafts skills of the highest standard are passed from one generation to the next. The enthusiasm, knowledge and experience of key individuals can really influence the number and quality of skilled craftsmen in the UK. Broadly classified as ‘trainer’, the award winner could be anything from a teacher, tutor, workshop leader, master or simply a craftsperson who offers one-to-one advice. The trainer might give anything from taster sessions for beginners to masterclasses for professionals. Trainers may nominate themselves, or be nominated by a trainee or a craft organisation.

II. Volunteer - £500
In heritage crafts, there are many people who do a tremendous amount on a voluntary basis. Whether independently, or as part of a craft organisation, these volunteers put in huge amounts of time and effort, sometimes over many years to make a real difference to their craft. Their role is often unsung. The award winner could have volunteered their time on anything from event organising to administration to running craft websites to initiating new projects in the heritage crafts sector. This award is a chance to recognise such unsung heroes. Nominations for the award can come from craft organisations, or individuals who have benefitted from the volunteer’s work.

For information on how to apply, visit www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/marshawards.html.

Royal support for crafts initiative

Craftspeople delighted by support from HRH the Prince of Wales

The Prince of Wales has always had wonderful respect for craftspeople working with tradition, and now he has taken on the presidency of a new organisation created by craftspeople themselves. The Heritage Crafts Association brings together all the crafts to celebrate and support the knowledge and techniques that have successfully been passed down through the generations and which now form an important part of the country’s cultural heritage.

From saddlers in Walsall and cutlers in Sheffield, to shoemakers in Northampton and basketmakers in Somerset, crafts have been an integral part of our towns and countryside. Our most common surname of Smith, and others like Thatcher, Potter, Turner or Cartwright, show that we are a nation of craftspeople. Some of these crafts are alive and well and others could see a resurgence given a little encouragement. Often a simple story in the press is all that is needed to turn a business round from struggling to thriving.

Traditional crafts have tended to receive little recognition or support, falling between the areas of heritage (buildings) and the arts (where only cutting edge innovative work is supported). Around the world, countries are beginning to recognise traditional craftsmanship as part of their living heritage.

Twenty years ago, locally sourced food, carefully produced by hand, was a quirky and alternative idea, yet it has seen a great resurgence. The Heritage Crafts Association believes that a similar resurgence of interest is underway in traditional crafts. People are looking for quality British-made products that last. Trevor Ablett, one of the last Sheffield pocket knife makers, has an order book full until Christmas. There are also people who would like to work in the crafts. After some press coverage last year, Alistair Simms, the country’s last master cooper, received 1,000 letters asking to be his apprentice. With a little support, the traditional crafts could see tremendous growth.

Robin Wood, Chair of the Heritage Crafts Association and a craftsman himself, said “We are absolutely delighted that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has become our President. There is strong interest in the crafts at the moment and tremendous scope for a resurgence. The traditional crafts have been rather overlooked, falling between arts and heritage organisations, and not within the remit of either. Particularly, the industrial crafts of our towns have been sadly neglected. We hope the presidency of His Royal Highness will bring more attention to this overlooked part of our national heritage.”

Whilst it may seem incongruous for a traditional craft organisation, the Heritage Crafts Association has grown rapidly through the use of social networking and the internet, proof perhaps that traditional crafts are not backward-looking but a part of a vibrant future.

Sign up for the HCA Skills Forum

Wednesday 11 May 2011, 1pm to 5pm
Chelsea College of Art and Design, 16 John Islip Street, London SW1P 4JU

Want to shape the future of traditional craft skills?

With generous support from The Balvenie, the Heritage Crafts Association has organised a Skills Forum on 11 May 2011 at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London. It is free to attend and the afternoon will include:

• Keynote speech by Jo Reilly, Heritage Lottery Fund
• Discussions facilitated by Hilary Jennings, Crafts Consultant
• Summary by Robin Wood, Chair, Heritage Crafts Association
• Networking with other industry professionals
• Whisky tasting following the Skills Forum, kindly arranged by The Balvenie, the most handcrafted Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Can you add knowledge and experience to the debate?

The HCA are looking for representatives from craft groups, guilds and membership organisations, livery companies, training providers, government bodies and support organisations to participate. We need you to debate, share training experience and set in progress a strategy for ensuring the continuance of traditional craft skills training in the UK.

Sign up to attend the Skills Forum

Places will be allocated to ensure a good cross section from the crafts sector. To apply, please contact us quoting 'Skills Forum'.

The Balvenie Masters of Craft Awards

The Balvenie has launched The Balvenie Masters of Craft awards, celebrating handcrafted goods from across the country.

The awards scheme aims to shine a light on the talent in the field of handcrafts - working with metal, leather, wood, stone, food and drink, glass and ceramics and textiles. It is not a history project - youthful exuberance is helping to drive these skills on and making them relevant in the 21st century and commercially viable.

Joining HCA Chair Robin Wood on the judging panel is Kevin McCloud, the presenter of Channel 4’s Grand Designs. Kevin has employed craftsmen in his design business, and witnessed their skill on the set of Grand Designs. It is, he says, “an enormous privilege” to watch a craftsman at work. But he is concerned for the future. “We have lost touch with the value of things,” he says. “We don’t understand the skills required to make things anymore.”

Kevin feels it is time to honour our craftsmen. “When we talk about value these days we talk about money don’t we? Rather than time and gifts, love and commitment. So I think the idea of being able to champion craftsmanship, to thank craftsmen, promote them, to show off whatever disciplines there are – leather, metal, wood – is hugely important.”

Read more

THE COMPETITION

Nominations
Nominations are sought for craftspeople who uphold elements of traditional artisanship and recognise the importance of working to innovate and develop sustainable markets for their products in today’s world.

Awards categories
Nine awards will be given in total. One for each of the seven craft categories (Stone, Wood, Metal, Glass and Ceramics, Textiles, Leather, Food and Drink), one for The Balvenie Young Master of Craft 2011 (those 30 years of age and under, who symbolise the successful passing on of skills to a new generation) and one for the overall Master of Craft 2011. Craftspeople can nominate themselves.
The judges
The distinguished judging panel includes television presenter Kevin McCloud, Robin Wood, chairman of the Heritage Crafts Association, Nick Hand, professional crafts photographer, and David Stewart, The Balvenie’s malt master.

Requirements
The judges require no more than 500 words about the individual craftsperson and their work, their vision and their business. Include a brief history of the business, how the individual trained in their specialist skills and developed their work and what they do. Where possible, give information of sales performance, markets and materials. Any customer or other testimonials would be helpful to any entry.

Up to 10 captioned photographs of their work will be accepted. Any other promotional materials such as fliers, brochures and advertising will be accepted as part of the entry, but craftwork itself will not be accepted. Personal information about the craftsperson’s beliefs and approach to their work and its development, survival and future would also be helpful.

Send nominations to...
Please submit any nomination via the application form available at www.thebalveniemastersofcraft.com. Entries can be sent by post to: The Balvenie Masters of Craft Awards, c/o Seventy Seven PR, 77 Kingsway, London WC2B 6SR. Electronic entries welcomed: email entries@thebalveniemastersofcraft.com.

Images sent do not have to be originals; scanned copies will be accepted. Photographs and any attachments should be in jpeg or PDF form. Electronic entries should not exceed 10MB. For further information, visit www.thebalveniemastersofcraft.com.

Closing date
The Balvenie Masters of Craft competition will be open from Sunday January 23. All entries must be in by Thursday April 21 2011.

Winners
Each winner will receive a specially handcrafted trophy and a bottle of The Balvenie single malt. Winners will be invited to attend an awards ceremony in London in May.

For full terms and conditions go to www.thebalveniemastersofcraft.com.