Maker Stories

Welcome to the Craft Expertise podcast channel, which includes two shows focusing on issues around inequalities and diversity in craft – Maker Stories, and Craft Expertise: The View From Australia. This podcast is hosted by Dr Karen Patel, a Research Fellow at Birmingham City University, as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded Craft Expertise project, which ran from 2019-2023. The project was in collaboration with Crafts Council, and focused on the lived experiences of makers from minoritised backgrounds in craft, and explored the practices of craft social enterprises in the UK and Australia. In Craft Expertise: The View From Australia, we interview academics, makers and people involved in craft social enterprises in Australia, exploring the specific context of Australian professional craft, as well as examples of inclusive practice from craft social enterprises. In the Maker Stories podcast we talk to inspirational crafts women from black and ethnic minority backgrounds who are based in the UK. For more information about the Craft Expertise project visit the website craftexpertise.com. You can also follow us on Instagram at craftexpertiseresearch.