Crafting Professionals: craft higher education & sustainable business development

Abstract

This report summarises and critically reflects on findings from a PhD at King' College London in partnership with Crafts Council UK entitled "Crafting professionals in UK higher education: Craft work logics and skills for professional practice".The main aim of this research was to improve our understanding of the everyday management of professional craft practice and how to support craft makers through training in higher education (HE) and graduate support.The report summarises approaches to professional practice in craft HE, including the student experience, and reflects on the early career experience and the skills and resources needed for professional practice.

Designing Sustainable Craft Curricula: Balancing Academic and Practical Training

“…With regard to students' motivation to study crafts in HE, the variables are similar to international cases (e.g. England 2020), but Korean students prioritise the university's ranking over other factors. Since studying visual arts in HE has become the norm and many established artists and craftspeople have degrees, the public and crafts students have come to recognise university degrees as a professional credential.…”

“…Because some intend to run a business and others will work as independent practitioners aiming to show their one‐off work through gallery exhibitions, how to prepare a portfolio, communicate with galleries, price and promote works, and manage financial issues will also be necessary. Students who have already received entrepreneurship education mentioned that there is a lack of connection between studio‐based and entrepreneurship classes, an issue that was also addressed in the UK case (England 2020). These kinds of training to develop professional skills and an entrepreneurial mindset should be integrated into studio courses instead of furnishing them as an independent subject (Hong et al.…”