Making moves Exhibition is on tour 2012-13:
Moor St Station, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 7UL, 3 December 2012 - 3 January 2013
Centre for the Aston Family, 359-361 Witton Road, Birmingham, B6 6NS, 7 -31 January 2013
School of Jewellery, 82-86 Vittoria Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B1 3PA, 4-28 February 2013

A community project and exhibition.

Making Moves, Creating Futures for Craft

Making Moves is a West Midlands craft development initiative involving four regional partnerships, led by Staffordshire County Council and Craftspace, a Birmingham based craft development organisation. The project consisted of nine craft residencies which took place in community settings between September 2011 and July 2012, culminating in a touring exhibition.

The nine makers were challenged by residencies in unusual workspaces - including a hospital, a pub and a park visitor centre - which acted as sources of inspiration to develop ideas for new work. They worked with local communities, offering making workshops that were high quality, inspirational and in some cases, life-changing. The exhibition showcases new work by the makers in response to their residency setting, as well examples of tools, materials and work created in the community sessions.

The project also provided opportunities for nine crafts graduates who supported the community making sessions as well as receiving mentoring from the resident maker. They were given a small bursary towards the development of their practice and have also created new work for the exhibition. Making Moves aimed to provide valuable opportunities for learning. Makers gave masterclasses and lectures to Higher and Further education institutions as well as talks to the wider community. They wrote about the residency experiences on a project blog, as well as coming together for regular networking sessions

To find out more about the project visit www.makingmoves.org and the Makers’ Residency Blog www.makingmoves.posterous.com

Flickr photostream here