CRAFTS STUDY CENTRE TRUSTEES
Chair: Edward Wates
After completing an English degree at the University of York, Edward trained as a book designer at the London College of Printing, followed by 40 years in academic publishing. In parallel to his work in publishing, Edward trained in calligraphy with Ann Hechle and Sue Hufton as part of the Advanced Training Scheme, run by the Society of Scribes & Illuminators. In recent years, Edward’s work has taken the form of manuscript books, which have been widely exhibited as well as being held in the Crafts Study Centre collection.
Vice-Chair: Sarah Griffin
Sarah Griffin is an independent curator and writer specialising in craft, with a background in modern and contemporary art. Sarah curated exhibitions for the New Art Centre near Salisbury from 2010-2021. Past projects include Modern Makers, Chatsworth 2013, Jennifer Lee: the potter’s space, Kettle’s Yard 2019, Now and Then: Jacqui Poncelet, New Art Centre 2020, and Richard Batterham: Studio Potter, V&A Publishing, 2022.
Working with a portfolio of projects and advisory roles, Sarah has aimed to advance the presence of craft disciplines in the national creative arts discourse. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art.
Alison Britton, MBE
Alison Britton is an acclaimed potter, writer and commentator on modern and contemporary crafts. She studied at Leeds College of Art, the Central School of Art and Design and then at the Royal College of Art. She is one of the leading international exponents of contemporary ceramics, with work held in prestigious museum as well as private collections. Alison is currently a Senior Lecturer at the RCA, and was awarded the OBE in 1990. More recently, she was awarded an honorary degree by the UCA to acknowledge her key position and influence as a potter, writer and curator.
Photgraph: Acquismedia
Deirdre Figueiredo MBE
Deirdre Figueiredo is currently the Director of Craftspace, a crafts development organisation working to increase opportunities for makers, as well as access to and participation in contemporary crafts for all audiences. Deirdre has worked in the fields of Visual Arts, Cultural Diversity and Museums since 1988, initially at Cartwright Hall in Bradford and then Nottingham Castle Museum. She was Cultural Development Office for Leicestershire Museums Service curating the South Asian collections and developing innovative outreach programmes, community projects and exhibitions to promote diverse cultures. She was Co-founder and Secretariat of CraftNet, a national craft leadership network which ran for 10 years. She is currently a Trustee of the Crafts Study Centre, the British Ceramic Biennial and the Feeney Trust. Deirdre is an Honorary Fellow of Hereford College of Arts and received an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University in 2024. Deirdre gave the prestigious Royal College of Arts Peter Dormer lecture in 2021.
Dr. Paul Harper
Paul is a former lecturer of critical and contextual studies at Middlesex University, School of Art and Design, and London Metropolitan University, The Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design. His research interest is primarily concerned with the nature of craft practice. He combines his academic work with writing on art and craft. He originally trained and worked as a furniture maker, and has an abiding interest in making and makers, but has subsequently worked in a variety of roles in arts management. He was a founding director of Alias Arts CIC, which provided advice and support to artist-led organizations. He left this role in 2013 and continue to advise arts organisations as a freelance consultant. Paul is a member of CraftNet, an independent network that promotes leadership and strategic development for contemporary craft, and was a long-standing Trustee of the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail.
Dr Cherry Knott FSA
Cherry Ann Knott trained in architecture and in sociology (Bartlett, University College London and Edinburgh University), and later in architectural history as a doctoral research student at the Courtauld Institute. She was head of both the conservation section and also regional services at the Crafts Council for more than four years until 1979. As curator and property manager of Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire, and its Museum of Childhood she developed her interest in museums and the widening of their accessibility; in that capacity she was responsible for the research and co-ordination of display design throughout the setting up stages of the Museum in the Park in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Other free-lance roles have included being an inspector in further education and an Arts Council Lottery assessor. She became a member of the Crafts Study Centre's Acquisitions Committee in 1985 and a trustee in 1988, and so was fortunate to have known several of the founding trustees.
Professor Lesley Millar MBE
Lesley Millar is Professor Emerita of Textile Culture at the University for the Creative Arts, and Honorary Fellow of West Dean College of Arts, Crafts, Design and Conservation. She is an exhibition curator specialising in textiles including 11 major international touring exhibitions. She writes regularly about textile practice in Britain and Japan and has co-edited, with Alice Kettle, the books Erotic Cloth (2018) and Reading the Thread (2025) both for Bloomsbury Publishing. In 2008 she received the Japan Society Award for significant contribution to Anglo-Japanese relationships and in 2011 was appointed MBE for her contribution to Higher Education.
Andrew Renton
Andrew Renton joined the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff in July 1999, having previously worked at National Museums Liverpool as a curator of decorative art. His curatorial interests are wide-ranging, but since at Cardiff he has sought above all to develop the National Museum's potential in the field of 20th century and contemporary craft. As Head of Applied Art, Andrew is particularly enthusiastic about trying to create a craft collection of ambition and distinctive character; using contemporary work to enliven historic collections; and helping the Museum to engage as a dynamic member of the craft community within and beyond Wales
Professor Tim Parry Williams
Tim Parry-Williams is a woven textile artist, researcher and educator whose interdisciplinary practice spans making, writing, curation and consultancy. Trained in England and Japan, his work is grounded in a holistic, craft-based philosophy, focusing on materials, methods and the cultural contexts of making, informed by engagement with archives, material culture and historical research. He has exhibited and presented internationally through expositions, conferences and publications, and he is a recipient of numerous awards, including the John Ruskin Prize (2025). With extensive professional experience in Japan, including as an Associate Designer in the fashion textiles industry, he maintains strong links across craft, industry, museum and education sectors internationally. He has served on several international boards, including the European Textile Network, and as a juror for arts prizes. He is currently Professor of Art: Textiles at the University of Bergen, in Norway, where he now lives and works.
PHOtograph: Sem Svoni 2026
University Trustee: Professor Hedley Roberts
Hedley Roberts is new Director of the School of Fine Art, Crafts and Photography and the Director of the Doctoral College at UCA. He has a wealth of experience in management and leadership in Higher Education, having previously been the Head of Art & Design at the University of East London and the Head of School of Art & Design at Bedfordshire University. A highly successful artist, researcher and educational consultant, Hedley has a Doctorate in Fine Art from the University of East London. He has been a Royal College of Art Fine Art Fellow and a Stanley Picker Fellow at Kingston University. With over 25 years in Higher Education, he is passionate about supporting developing artists and runs a number of artists residency projects, including ‘Directional Forces’, which has taken place in the UK, Germany, Serbia, Greece and at the Venice Biennale Italy, with over 100 artists since 2011.
Secretary to Trustees: Dr Stephen Knott
