Pioneers' work is celebrated
The National Centre for Craft and Design (NCCD), in Sleaford, is set to stage an exhibiton which recognises the 100th anniversary of some women in winning the right to vote
Women’s Work: Pioneering Contemporary Craft will run from July 7 to September 2, examining the work, impact and struggle of some innovative female makers forging careers in traditionally male dominated crafts.
Women’s Work features work by six female artists and makers working in fields as diverse as blacksmithing, woodworking, leather working, stone cutting and technology.
While some of the of the artists place a heavy emphasis on working with traditional methods and tools, others are innovating using new tools, techniques and technologies.
While much of the work in the exhibition focuses on the skill and the value of the craft itself, one of the artists, blacksmith Agnes Jones, has chosen to create metal portraits of suffragettes and other influential female figures that have blazed a trail in various male dominated industries.
Alongside each work, the exhibition includes text from each of the artists about their thoughts of the disparity of women in certain creative fields and theirs specifically, as well as their perspective of how gender is represented in the arts and design industry generally.