Useful/Beautiful marks 25 years of contemporary craft at Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house, celebrating the makers, ideas and objects that have shaped our collection since opening our doors to the public in 2001.

Set throughout the house, the exhibition brings together much-loved works from our nationally significant collection, alongside more recent additions. Visitors can rediscover standout pieces by artists including Magdalene Odundo, Kate Malone, Edmund de Waal and Philip Eglin, and explore how craft can tell stories about materials, making and everyday life.

A dedicated exhibition space highlights our most recent acquisitions, supported by the Art Fund’s Sir Nicholas Goodison Award, and invites you to explore conversations around the future of collecting: What should we collect and why? What is the future of craft? And in the spirit of the Arts & Crafts Movement, should objects we acquire be useful as well as beautiful?

Whether you’re a longtime lover of craft or completely new to it, Useful/Beautiful offers a chance to slow down, look closely and appreciate the skill, ideas, and principles behind contemporary making.

Exhibition included with house admission.