Future Makers Awards and Grants for students and practitioners have a value of over €30,000 and encourage the development of the next generation of craft makers in Ireland by supporting craft students and recent graduates practicing craft. Through this series of awards and grants, the Crafts Council of Ireland recognises innovation and craftsmanship amongst talented young Irish makers and aims to promote working in craft as an exciting, sustainable and lucrative career choice. All applications were assessed by international judges Geoffrey Mann and Lesley Millar.

Future Makers Student Awards are assessed on the basis of creativity, innovation, skill and craftsmanship and are intended to reward and benchmark excellence. The Future Makers Student Award winners are John Lambe who studied furniture design and manufacture in GMIT Letterfrack and who is currently completing a BDes in Craft Design at NCAD and Niamh Mulligan who completed her Degree in Metal Design in 2008 and is currently continuing her studies at the Crafts Council of Ireland Jewellery and Goldsmithing Skills and Design Course in Kilkenny. Each received a student award of €2500.

Future Makers Student Grants provide support to students at different stages of their study in the form of funding to undertake research, residencies and training programmes or to purchase specific materials to create new pieces of work. Student grants were awarded to students from NCAD and Ulster University, and to Irish students studying abroad at Rochester IT, School for American Craft and the University of Washington.

Future Makers Practitioner Grants are designed to provide assistance to craftspeople who have graduated within the past 3 years or who have recently established a craft practice or enterprise. Successful applicants have received funding to showcase work at international fairs, to undertake specialised training and to purchase equipment to assist in the development of studio space.

The Irish Arts Review / Crafts Council of Ireland Emerging Maker Award which was established in 2008 is worth €5,000 and includes a feature of the winner in the Irish Arts Review. The award recognises and rewards excellence in emerging practitioners and promotes their work at a critical stage in their career. The winner of the Irish Arts Review / Crafts Council of Ireland Emerging Maker Award for 2010 is Úna Burke who has already attracted national and international acclaim for her signature leatherwork. A recent graduate of the London College of Fashion, Úna uses traditional leatherworking techniques to produce evocative, conceptual pieces which exemplify the highest standards of innovation and craftsmanship.

The House and Home/Crafts Council of Ireland Student Design Award was established by House and Home magazine in 2004 to promote commercial design as a viable career choice and best practice amongst young Irish designers. Design students were invited to design and produce an interiors-related product that is contemporary, innovative, functional, affordable, commercial and suitable for commercial production under this year’s theme of ‘Smart Sustainability’. The 2010 winner of House and Home/Crafts Council of Ireland Student Design Award is Noel Sweeney, a student of GMIT Letterfrack, who came up with an ingenious design for modular furniture. Inspired by childhood memories of Meccano, Noel’s furniture is made up of two component parts and can be assembled easily by children or adults without the need for tools. The versatile design concept allows for an array of chairs, tables and even bedframes to be constructed in a matter of minutes. Noel receives a cheque for €1,000, a trip to a design fair, mentoring and support and a glass trophy designed by Michelle O’Donnell of Glasshammer Designs.The adjudication panel included furniture designer Leo Scariff, Sunday Times columnist Dara O’Flynn, Fashion designer Joanne Hynes, Crafts Council of Ireland Education & Awareness Manager Louise Allen, and House and Home magazine publisher Karen Hesse. Panel members were extremely impressed by the simplicity of the design, the minimal waste in manufacture and packaging and the fun involved in constructing your own furniture for all the family.

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For reference: Susan Brindley Crafts Council of Ireland Tel: 056 7761804/ 7796131 Email:susan@ccoi.ie

About Future Makers
Future Makers was launched by the Crafts Council of Ireland in 2009 to support the development of the next generation of craft students and recent graduates. The awards and grants, which have a value of over €30,000 will support those currently studying or practicing craft and represent the Crafts Council of Ireland’s commitment to supporting those who wish to pursue craft as a career. In January 2010 a dedicated website www.futuremakers.ie

The site was launched to promote and provide easy access to information about the grants and awards as well as ongoing information about upcoming opportunities such as seminars, conferences, master-classes, residencies, other funding opportunities and exhibitions. The site is linked to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blip.tv, providing multiple platforms for the Crafts Council of Ireland to communicate with craftspeople nationally and internationally.

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