Isabel Keim
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The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Career Catalyst Grants empower jewellers and silversmiths to fund ambitious projects

Jewellers, silversmiths and those working in the wider precious metal industry in the UK are now invited to apply for this year’s Goldsmiths’ Centre Career Catalyst Grants 2022, supported by the Radcliffe Trust. For the third year, grants of up to £5,000 (including VAT) will fund ambitious projects that create the support framework and space for mid-career craftspeople to develop and share new skills, work and ideas.

Jewellers and silversmiths Flora Bhattachary, Maya Selway, Rachael Colley and Sarah Wilson were awarded Career Catalyst Grants in 2021 and the funding has since helped them to make a meaningful difference to their work. They have taken out time from their daily routine to carry out research, receive skills mentoring from UK and international craftspeople and develop new and exciting work.

Maya Selway received the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Career Catalyst Grant in 2021 and explains how it is supporting her ambitions:

“Applying for the Career Catalyst Grant was for a number of reasons, but I felt like I’d got to the point where setters were telling me the things that I wanted to do weren’t doable. I was starting to feel like I needed to know more of the technical setting skills myself, so that I could maybe find a new way of getting closer to what I want.”

The grants are designed to encourage craftspeople (with 5 plus years’ experience) to immerse themselves in an unfamiliar environment or practice, which sees them develop new work and share their knowledge with the other craftspeople and the wider creative community. This could be through international travel, skills training, material innovation or experimenting with collaborators, helping them to create work and enrich the goldsmithing industry as a whole with their knowledge.

Julia Skilton, Education and Partnerships Officer for the Goldsmiths’ Centre explains:

“Now in its third year, the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Career Catalyst Grants have seen a number of makers make a meaningful contribution to their work, and the industry more broadly. Designed to be flexible and tailored to each makers’ development needs, our judges are excited to see applications from promising makers who are looking to make a step up in their careers, enrich their knowledge and that of others.”

A prestigious judging panel, consisting of Goldsmiths’ Centre Trustees and industry experts, will review all applications, which must be submitted by Monday 4 July 2022.

Find out more about the grants or register for a free Career Catalyst Grants Q&A session below:

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