Craft NI – Craft & Design Mentorship Programme – closing 22 July

Background

The craft sector in Belfast is a thriving part of the cultural offering in the city. Belfast is fortunate to have makers who are selling, showing and teaching in the city for the benefit of our communities, as well as internationally, raising profile outside NI.  As Belfast’s Craft & Design reputation continues to grow, there is a distinct need to provide a skills development opportunity via a Craft & Design Mentorship programme.

We are grateful that Belfast City Council has engaged Craft NI to manage and deliver a meaningful developmental opportunity to selected established craft & design makers in the city. The aim of this project is to allow for mentorship and skills development in the field of Craft & Design. The development of these skills can extend the commercial and artistic opportunities for practitioners, in turn enhancing the wider sector, further contributing to the cultural development and animation of the city. This project has been co-designed with Belfast City Council Officers from the Culture Development Team, who will work with us on the decision-making process.

Mentoring Awards Available

Thanks to this investment from Belfast City Council, we are able to offer six bursaries of £2,000 to Belfast Craft & Design Makers with a closing date for submissions at 12 noon on Tuesday 22^nd of July 2025.

What is mentorship?

The nature of this award is to enable Craft & Design practitioners to learn new skills or techniques in relation to their practice, from a Mentor of their selection, in a one-to-one capacity.

Contributions towards Craft & Design Courses may be considered though the primary focus of this award is concentrated one to one mentorship.

A minimum of 50% of the £2000 award must go towards mentoring costs. Additional costs can include travel, accommodation, time, subsistence and materials.

Who is this Opportunity for?

In order to be eligible for this award you must meet the following criteria – please describe how you meet these on the application form.

• You must be a professional craft & design practitioner, practicing for at least three years
• You must be resident in or have a studio in Belfast and/or be able to demonstrate a tangible contribution to the Belfast Craft and/or Art scene.
• You should be working in one of the craft disciplines including, but not limited to: ceramics, textiles, wood, glass, metals (incl jewellery). Contact mcdonald@craftni.org if you have any queries.
• Have an established practice and a strong body of work,
• You wish to develop your creative direction or explore new approaches and can describe how you think your practice could benefit from this
• Only one mentorship per artist

To apply

For more details on the Mentorship Programme, and to apply, got to the Craft NI website linked below.

Craft & Design Mentorship Programme