Selection for 23/24

The next Graduate Studio Programme will run from October 2023 to Summer 2024 at Craft Central.

This year's graduates are Zoe Daley, Rowan Kelly, and Unique More. They will receive a shared studio space and access to the fabulous network of makers at Craft Central, as well as opportunities to get involved in our Community Engagement Programmes. During their year with us we will support them to achieve the goals they have for their creative businesses. Towards the end of the programme, they will create an exhibition in our gallery to showcase their work.

Not only will the selected graduates benefit from the use of a free, spacious studio for up to a year to develop their practice, but also gain from having one-to-one mentorship from a handpicked designer-maker with years of practical and business experience.

This is an opportunity to be part of a unique thriving creative community where they will benefit from peer support and skill exchange. At the end of the residency, they are invited to put on an exhibition in our impressive triple-height Exhibition Hall to showcase the work they have produced during their time at Craft Central. There are also opportunities to get involved in our engagement programmes ie Flax Exchange and Arts Awards projects whilst they are with us.

About the Graduates

Zoe Daley's practice revolves around constructed textiles, with a primary focus on knitting techniques. She studied at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, graduating from her MA in 2023

Rowan Kelly studied painting at the Royal Drawing School and knitting at Chelsea College of Art. They have made costumes at Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Ballet. Rowan is interested in garments that look to plants and creatures to prompt transgressive human experience and behaviours and is also interested also in production modes and knowledges that sit between and question fine art, fashion and costume knowledge.

Unique Moore is a Trinidadian designer who explores her Caribbean diasporabyh juxtaposing western sartorial dress aesthetic as an act of defiance to theWesternn world's standard of acceptable.

About Craft Central

Craft Central has supported craftsmanship and craftspeople for nearly 50 years. We have 65 studio spaces and an Exhibition Hall on the Isle of Dogs, East London. We have built a flourishing community of creative practices that often collaborate and embark on projects together. We offer craftspeople and creatives a stable, consistent environment in which to work, grow and exhibit.

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