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Arts University Plymouth celebrates craft and community at Craft Festival 2025
Wednesday, 4 June, 2025 — Arts University Plymouth showcases student, staff and alumni makers at Craft Festival 2025 in Bovey Tracey, celebrating sustainable design, heritage craft and creative innovation in the South West.
<p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth will feature a multidisciplinary group of makers from its vibrant community of students, staff and graduates at Craft Festival 2025 in Bovey Tracey, one of the UK’s most prestigious and best-loved craft events. The festival takes place from <strong>6 to 8 June 2025</strong> at Mill Marsh Park, with Arts University Plymouth located at <strong>Stand MM12</strong>.<br /></p>
Jewellery by Donna Burns
<p dir="ltr">Highlighting sustainable making, heritage craft and contemporary design, the university’s stand will spotlight exceptional work from across its creative ecosystem. Exhibitors include:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://corrinneeiraevans.com/"><strong>Corrinne Eira Evans</strong></a> – alumni jeweller known for hand-woven chainmail jewellery inspired by Dartmoor, crafted from recycled precious metals. Named one of British Vogue's best new jewellers at Goldsmiths' Fair.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.donnaburns.co.uk/"><strong>Donna Burns</strong></a> – BA (Hons) Jewellery graduate whose Fragment and Droplet collections in sterling silver draw on Cornish architecture and natural forms.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.evecopper.co.uk/"><strong>Eve Jones (Eve Copper)</strong></a> – sustainable fashion designer creating ethical, low-impact, multiway garments from eco-conscious materials.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/studio_tregoniggie/"><strong>Ashley Rudolph</strong></a> – current MA Craft student and woodturner whose practice explores form and material, rooted in family and intergenerational creativity.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/colin-wilkes"><strong>Colin Wilkes</strong></a> – BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices graduate and Glass Technical Demonstrator using recycled glass, timber and concrete to create evolving hybrid sculptures.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/jason-marks"><strong>Jason Marks</strong></a> – Lecturer and MA Subject Tutor exploring the intersection of ceramics and digital technology to craft future-facing ceramic forms.</p></li></ul>
Work by Ashley Rudolph
<p dir="ltr">Craft Festival is an annual highlight for the UK’s craft sector, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Now celebrating its <strong>21st anniversary</strong>, it has grown into one of <strong>Europe’s most loved craft events</strong>, recognised with multiple regional awards including <strong>Festival of the Year</strong> at the South West Excellence Awards. Its community focus and commitment to sustainability and creativity closely mirror the values of Arts University Plymouth.</p>
<p>Arts University Plymouth’s presence underscores its commitment to high-quality craft education, award-winning facilities including <strong>Fab Lab South West</strong> and the university’s <strong>Materials Lab</strong>, and its mission to foster creative careers and sustainable innovation.</p>
Work by Eve Copper
<p>In May 2025, Arts University Plymouth was named <strong>University of the Year for South West England</strong> at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards, also winning for <strong>Facilities</strong>, <strong>Teaching Quality</strong> and <strong>Student Support</strong>. These honours, based entirely on student reviews, reinforce the university’s leadership in creative education and its commitment to nurturing talent across disciplines, including contemporary craft.</p>
Craft Festival 2025 offers a unique opportunity to witness how traditional techniques and future-facing material innovation coexist within contemporary making. Our exhibiting artists represent not only the incredible depth of talent within our community, but also the University’s role in shaping the next generation of makers and researchers. This is a celebration of material intelligence and cultural imagination, a testament to the role that hands-on practice continues to play in technological, ecological and social transformation.
Associate Professor Stephanie Owens, Dean of Arts, Design and Media at Arts University Plymouth
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Stand MM12</strong><br /><strong>6 to 8 June 2025</strong><br /><strong>Mill Marsh Park, Bovey Tracey</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Come along to meet Arts University Plymouth’s makers and discover how the leading arts university supports artists, designers and makers across the South West and beyond. On the stand, you can also chat to experts from Arts University Plymouth about the free creative workshops available at the university’s next Open Day.<br /></p>
Recycled silver titanium and 18ct yellow gold necklace made by Arts University Plymouth graduate Corrinne Eira Evans
<p dir="ltr">Free Creative Workshops in ceramics and glass will be offered at Arts University Plymouth’s Open Day on Saturday 21 June. The <strong>glass workshop</strong> introduces traditional and experimental techniques in sheet glass cutting, surface decoration and construction, and includes access to the arts university’s hot glass studio with live glassblowing demonstrations. The <strong>ceramics workshop</strong> explores handbuilding techniques in clay, suitable for beginners.</p>
<p>Both workshops are free and aimed at adults (18+) who are curious about making and interested in studying <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-craft-material-practices"><strong>BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices</strong></a>. Spaces are limited and must be booked in advance. <strong>Register for the Open Day on Saturday 21 June</strong> and select BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices to receive workshop details and sign up for a <strong>free</strong> <strong>glass</strong> or <strong>ceramics</strong> taster workshop. Led by expert staff in the award-winning Materials Lab, these workshops offer hands-on experience in traditional and experimental making techniques.</p>
Work by Colin Wilkes
<p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth offers pathways from undergraduate to postgraduate study in craft-related disciplines, equipping students with the skills and critical thinking to thrive in the evolving creative industries. Students benefit from access to specialist spaces including the <strong>Materials Lab</strong>, <strong>Fab Lab Plymouth</strong>, <strong>Fabric Studio</strong>, and <strong>Imprint Lab</strong>, working across glass, ceramics, wood, metal, textiles, and emerging sustainable materials.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Undergraduate opportunities include<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-craft-material-practices"> <strong>BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices</strong></a>, a course that bridges heritage craft with contemporary approaches to sustainable design, offering training in glassblowing, ceramics, metalwork, woodcraft, and digital fabrication.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Postgraduate options include<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-3d-design-crafts"> <strong>MA Craft & Material Practices</strong></a>,<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-glass"> <strong>MA Glass</strong></a>, and<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-design"> <strong>MA Design</strong></a>, inviting makers to expand their research and practice within a supportive, interdisciplinary environment driven by material innovation and ethical design.<br /></p>
