Museums and Galleries
Here at Craft Club we are now looking to form partnerships across the UK with galleries, museums, arts centres or other cultural or creative organisations with a view to developing links with local communities.
We are asking cultural venues to work in partnership with the Crafts Council's Craft Club programme to engage local communities in creative activity by hosting family drop-in sessions and/or permanent Craft Clubs.
The Crafts Council can supply initial training events for local Craft Club volunteers (who will be recruited through our website, the NFWI, and local networks) who will subsequently set up and run sessions for schools and community groups. In the long term the venue could act as a hub for the local Craft Clubs possibly hosting informal volunteer meetings or advertising the activity as part of your outreach programme. The clubs themselves are self-sufficient and volunteer run.
The past 6 months has seen a great number of partnerships with cultural institutions, with training events being hosted in partnership with those institutions across the UK, including the Turner Contemporary in Margate, The Millenium Gallery in Sheffield, and the National Museum Wales, situated in Cardiff. We have also had successful drop-in days at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Whitechapel Art Gallery, both in London. To view details of current Craft Clubs set up at major institutions, and to get an idea of how these are run please follow the links below.
- Craft Club at the Millenium Gallery Sheffield
- Craft Club at the Turner Contemporary, Margate
- Craft Club at the Salisbury Arts Centre
- Craft Club at the Lakeside Arts Centre
- Craft Club at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
Other Instituations who we have partnered with are as follows:
V&A Museum of Childhood, V&A Museum, The Whitechapel Gallery, Carnegie Library, Croydon Library, Sutton Central Library, British Museum, Museum of Rural Life - Reading, Whitehall Historic House - Surrey, Zinc National Centre for Arts Access and Inclusion - Essex, Firstsite - Colchester, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art - Norwich, Gresham Farm and Workhouse -Norfolk, Ancient House - Thetford, Metal - Southend-on-Sea, The Exchange/ Newlyn Art Gallery - Penzance, Primary Mental Health Care project - Sheffield, The Quilters Guilds - York, University of Manchester, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, New Art Gallery Walsall, Lakeside Arts Centre - Nottingham, Broadway Cinema - Nottingham, Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum, The Customs House - South Shields, Gateshead Library, Tyneside Cinema, Shipley Art Gallery, Jarrow Library, The Rheged Centre - Cumbria, and Manchester Art Gallery,
If your organisation is interested in this partnership please return your expression of interest to the Craft Club Team at knit1@craftclub.org.uk There is no deadline; applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Libraries
A new initiative of Craft Club is to build on the community nature of libraries in setting up new Craft Clubs. Libraries are a perfect space for craft sessions and provide a unique opportunity for learning with the wealth of relevant resources in house and a strong community appeal. We are currently seeking those involved with libraries to help set up Craft Clubs, which we will facilitate with additional help and resources. If you are involved with a library or are interested in setting up a club in your local library, then please do not hesitate to contact us here at knit1@craftclub.org.uk.
Print these steps by clicking here.
So, you’ve decided your school/gallery/museum/library can benefit from Craft Club. Firstly - good choice, your learners will have a great time!
Now, let’s get down to how the scheme works:
Step 1: Sign up – simply register online now.
Step 2: Find other Craft events and volunteer groups in your area. Add your club or school to the Craft Map. (Tip: Don't forget to log in first! ) We will direct volunteers to the map to find a venue to set up a club, so it's important that you add your school/venue.
Step 3: Go to the Community area of the website. You will find the file transfer tab for all downloads, such as knitting patterns, step by step checklists, volunteer documents, and much more.
Step 4: Recruit a group of volunteers by reaching out through your networks. You might wish to contact parent groups, local craft venues, your local WI federation, or any other local craft networks. You can look on the Craft Map for ideas. You can also download a volunteer recruitment poster from the Community area of the website here, which you can use on your websites, newsletters, e-bulletins, and also post inside your school/venue.
Step 5: When you have a team of volunteers, refer to your own procedures regarding CRB checks. Please ensure your volunteers have signed the Craft Club Safeguarding Agreement which will also cover them under our public liability insurance. You can download these forms A and B from the website here. Do remember, a member of staff should be present/available during sessions.
Step 6: Liaise with your volunteers about dates, times of clubs, materials budget, promotion etc.
Step 7: Support your volunteers to plan a 6 week (half term) project. Download the Craft Club participant poster and put it in a prominent place in your venue. Start collecting materials for your project from your networks which may include parents, charity shops, or your own stash.
Step 9: Launch your first Craft Club! Reflect and make note of your club's progress; keep in close contact with your volunteers. Complete evaluation forms for all involved. You can download them here.
Step 10: Don't forget that Craft Club is a national campaign, so get involved on the website to connect to other craft club members! You can download and share resources, engage in craft discussions, enter the Craft Club Competition by uploading photos in the gallery, and practice in your spare time with the help of the how-to videos.
Your volunteer crafters will enhance your pupils’ after-school experience by offering them:
- Some great new crafting skills
- An informal, fun learning experience
- A new adult role model from their local community.
