Photos by Electric Egg* and Claire Righini-Brand, courtesy Laura Mabbutt.
This exhibition was on show in the main gallery of The National Centre for Craftt &Design at Sleaford from 20 July – 29 September 2013, to mark NCCD’s 10th anniversary. Co-curated by my colleague Laura Mabbutt, then NCCD’s exhibitions manager, and me, and showing work by over 35 artists and designers nominated as future stars, hot property, and great innovators.
We showed jewellery, textiles, furniture, ceramics, glass, performance craft, new materials, tableware, garments, objets d’art and structures; with our exhibiting artists inspired by and working with dancing, the sea, history, heritage craft, 3D printing, self-image, relationships, buildings, imagination, the natural world, food, play and fashion.
Laura wrote:
We invited leading figures in the sphere of contemporary craft and design, artists, curators, writers and influencers, to nominate work by emerging and established artists who will be the innovators of the future. 39 artists were proposed by our nominators to creating an exhibition demonstrating a wide range of craft and design media and forms.
Our own NCCD nomination was Paulo Goldstein, a previous exhibitor in our emerging talent showcase “Class of 2012” and a Project Space artist at Collect 2013, the Crafts Council’s prestigious craft fair. We commissioned Paulo to create new work as part of his ‘Repair is Beautiful’ collection, to commemorate the 10th anniversary.
Our second commission was a mini -residency throughout the opening weekend of the exhibition by performance craft artist Alec Stevens, who made new work in response to visitor input.
A body of ceramic work was also on show by Joseph Hartley, New Designers 2013 ‘Designer of the Year’ whose work impressed no less than five of our nominators.
Complementing the exhibition was the NCCD’s first online gallery of all nominated artists’ work, expanding on the physical show. WE declared “The artworks displayed in ‘Growing’ are destined to become the icons of the future.”
The front section of the Main Gallery included data, catalogues and posters from our previous exhibitions as well as a projected image archive from each and every exhibition held at the NCCD since it opened. The main part of the show was all about the nominated artists, stepping from our past into our future.”
Exhibitors were:
Aimee Betts (ceramics) – nominated by Anne-Marie Franey and Angela Mann
Alineh Azadeh (installation and performance, UK/Iran) – nominated by Janis Jefferies
Alec Stevens (performance and wood carving) – nominated by Lizzie Thomas
Amy Cooper (ceramics and lighting) – nominated by Pete Moss
Anna Barlow (ceramics) – nominated by Kate Malone
Anna Glasbrook (3D and architectural intervention)– nominated by Rosy Greenlees
Anna Collette Hunt (ceramic installation) – nominated by Rosy Greenlees
Designgoat (furniture, Ireland) – nominated by Ann Mulrooney
Dominic Williams (furniture) – nominated by David Gates
Emma Yeo (millinery) – nominated by Rosy Greenlees
Eva Malschaert (product design, Netherlands) – nominated by Freddie Robins
Gaea Todd (glass) – nominated by Glenn Adamson
Giedre Vadeike (jewellery, UK/Lithuania) – nominated by Linda Theophilus
Helen Snell (paper, print design) – nominated by Erica Steer
Hitomi Hisono (ceramics, UK/Japan) – nominated by Bonnie Kemske
Jane Dzisiewski (jewellery) – nominated by Anne-Marie Franey and Angela Mann
Jin Eui Kim (ceramics, UK/South Korea) – nominated by Sarah James
Joseph Hartley (ceramics, performance) – nominated by Laura Ellen Bacon, Deirdre Figueiredo, Michael Eden and Stephen Dixon
Lisa Juen (jewellery, Netherlands) – nominated by Norman Cherry
Louise Anderson (textiles, UK/New Zealand) – nominated by Lesley Millar
Mai Tabakian (textiles, France) – nominated by Gabriel Dawe
Masahashi Tsukada (textiles, Japan) – nominated by Reiko Sudo
Michael Eden (ceramics and 3D print) – nominated by Adrian Sassoon
Misun Won (jewellery, UK/South Korea) – nominated by Lizzie Farey
Mister Finch (textiles) – nominated by Polly Leonard
Nao Fukumoto (textiles, UK/Japan) – nominated by Simon Olding
Naseem Darbey (textiles) – nominated by Mary Schoeser
Paulo Goldstein (repair and performance, UK/Brazil/Italy) – nominated by The National Centre for Craft & Design
Samantha Donaldson (glass) – nominated by Hayley Banks
Sarah Warsop (jewellery) – nominated by Rosy Greenlees
Sebastian Cox (furniture & lighting) – nominated by Toby Winteringham
Study O Portable (socially engaged product design, UK/Netherlands/Japan) – nominated by Marloes ten Bhomer
Stella Harding (basketry) – nominated by Rosy Greenlees
Studio Formafantasma (materials led product deign, Netherlands/Italy) – nominated by Alice Rawsthorn
Zoe Lloyd (ceramics) – nominated by Anne-Marie Franey and Angela Mann
Liz Cooper 