Craft Magazine

Craft Magazine Craft Magazine is a periodical devoted to contemporary handicraft and artisan practices, visual culture, and material studies, bridging discussions between makers, curators, and academics. It surveys developments across textiles, ceramics, metalwork, woodworking, and digital fabrication while engaging with exhibitions, biennales, and institutional collections. The magazine has intersected with major institutions and events including Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, Salone del Mobile, and the Venice Biennale.

History

Founded in the early 21st century, the magazine emerged alongside exhibitions at Victoria and Albert Museum and programming at the British Council that foregrounded craft revival. Early editorial projects referenced curators from the Cooper Hewitt and collaborators from the Craft Council and Design Museum. The title published features connected to retrospectives at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and policy discussions involving the Smithsonian Institution and funding bodies such as the Arts Council England. Across the 2000s it documented practitioner networks tied to residencies at Rijksmuseum, collaborations with Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and scholarship influenced by writers affiliated with Goldsmiths, University of London and Royal College of Art.

Editorial Focus and Content

The magazine blends critical essays, technical workshops, studio profiles, and exhibition reviews, often contextualizing makers alongside landmark shows at Tate Britain, Centre Pompidou, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Regular columns examine techniques associated with studios at Glasgow School of Art, materials research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and sustainability projects linked to Ellen MacArthur Foundation initiatives. Features have explored historical makers in relation to collections at Victoria and Albert Museum, contemporary designers represented by MoMA PS1, and interdisciplinary practices showcased at the Serpentine Galleries and Barbican Centre.

Contributors and Notable Issues

Contributors have included historians and critics affiliated with Courtauld Institute of Art, curators from Whitney Museum of American Art, and practitioners who have exhibited at the Walker Art Center and Hammer Museum. Notable themed issues addressed topics coinciding with events like the London Design Festival and the Milan Triennale, and commissioned essays by writers associated with Apollo (magazine), Frieze (magazine), and Artforum. Special issues featured collaborations with studios represented in collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, profiles of makers who participated in the Jerwood Makers Open, and project reports tied to the RIBA and the Royal Society of Arts.

Distribution and Circulation

Distributed in print and digital formats, the magazine reached readers through museum shops at Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museum, subscription services used by libraries at British Library and Library of Congress, and retail partners linked to WHSmith and international distributors servicing fairs like Frieze Art Fair. Circulation milestones coincided with partnerships with academic programs at Royal College of Art and exhibition catalogues from Design Museum, and its digital platform indexed commentary relevant to archives at the National Art Library.

Reception and Influence

The publication garnered attention from editors and critics connected to The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Telegraph, and influenced curatorial practice at institutions such as Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museum. Its essays have been cited in course syllabi at Goldsmiths, University of London and used as reference material by researchers at MIT and the Courtauld Institute of Art. The magazine’s role in framing debates about craft placed it in conversation with festivals and award programs including the Turner Prize, the Jerwood Prize, and the Compasso d'Oro.

Category:Arts magazines Category:British magazines Category:Quarterly magazines