I am delighted to have been awarded membership to Make Southwest (formerly the Devon Guild of Craftsmen). Make Southwest have a wonderful contemporary craft shop and gallery at Riverside Mill in Bovey Tracey, in my home county of Devon.
MAKE Southwest are also a leading charity for craft education and I am really looking forward to the opportunity of teaching in local schools with a particular focus on woodcraft and wellbeing.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team at MAKE Southwest, it is an honour to be counted amongst the 250 makers from the Southwest of England.
Here is a bit more about the organisation, from an excerpt from crafts.org.uk
MAKE Southwest was founded as Devon Guild of Craftsmen in 1955 by a small group of makers, led by Edward Baly, who were enthusiastic about the idea of promoting the best in regional craftwork. From 1956, and for the next 30 years, annual exhibitions at venues throughout South Devon were well received.
In 1986 the organisation took the massive step of purchasing Riverside Mill. The building now houses a shop and 3 exhibition galleries, which stage over 20 exhibitions throughout the year!
In November 2021 the organisation changed its name to MAKE Southwest to more accurately represent their offering.
MAKE Southwest is a registered charity with educational aims, and profits from its trading ventures help to subsidise this work, which includes the exhibition programme, projects in schools and community groups, lectures and training.
Apart from a handful of items, the MAKE Southwest shop sells only the work of its Members, while the exhibitions aim to show a broad range of the best craft from around the country.