BCB is delighted to be supported by Goldsmiths’ Foundation. The Goldsmiths’ Foundation funds organisations and projects that focus on vocational skills and training, working at the intersection of creativity and social change, including an eight-month collaboration between Dame Zandra Rhodes and 20 young creatives from Stoke-on-Trent for the 2027 British Ceramics Biennial.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Michelle O’Brien, Director, Goldsmiths’ Foundation, said:
“As the use of artificial intelligence and automation begins to reshape the working world – particularly for those entering industries for the first time – the development and support for skills and crafts that cannot be replicated by machines but live in the hands remain critically important. The projects we have funded in this round span the length and breadth of the United Kingdom and will create real opportunities for people working in endangered crafts, and those who have special educational needs, are turning their lives around in the criminal justice system or are from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds. In every case, building or convening communities to share the very human experience of learning, working and growing together.”
Clare Wood, Artistic Director & Chief Executive, added:
“This grant lets us do something incredibly rare: put a group of young creatives from Stoke-on-Trent in a room with one of the most iconic figures in British design, and provide them with time, materials and mentoring to turn that experience into work of their own. Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramic heritage is world-renowned, but pathways into a creative career here aren’t always visible to young people. With funding from Goldsmiths’ Foundation, this collaboration changes that, giving this group a chance to develop their creative potential and make a collection with their name on it to be showcased at BCB 2027, our landmark 10th edition.”
Find out more about the recipient charities here
Find out about Goldsmiths Foundation here