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Making it through COVID-19: the praxis of livelihood generation within craft communities of practice

Grant number: COV19\200891

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Key facts

  • Disease

    COVID-19

  • Known Financial Commitments (USD)

    $13,098.69

  • Funder

    British Academy

  • Principal Investigator

    Dr. Nicola  Thomas

  • Research Location

    United Kingdom

  • Lead Research Institution

    University of Exeter, Geography

  • Research Priority Alignment

    N/A

  • Research Category

    Secondary impacts of disease, response & control measures

  • Research Subcategory

    Economic impacts

  • Special Interest Tags

    N/A

  • Study Type

    Non-Clinical

  • Clinical Trial Details

    N/A

  • Broad Policy Alignment

    Pending

  • Age Group

    Unspecified

  • Vulnerable Population

    Unspecified

  • Occupations of Interest

    Other

Abstract

Responses to COVID-19 in the UK has seen teams of people sewing scrubs in their homes, maker-spaces fabricating 3D printed PPE masks, recreational craft providing a release from lockdown, and people enjoying the Sewing Bee on TV. Craft seems to have defined part of the pandemic experience. However, for professional makers and organisations who rely of making things for a living, COVID-19 has thrown livelihoods into disarray. Many practitioners and craft development organisations are only surviving as a result of Arts Council emergency funding or swift pivots to locate new audiences. This research dives into the professional craft community to understand the impact the disruption caused by COVID-19 has had on this industrial sector. Working with individual designer makers, long established maker collectives, high profile arts organisations and craft museums, the research will ask how (and if) the craft sector will survive in the long term.