Contemporary Craft
Featuring contemporary makers from around the world, our Craft galleries showcase dazzling work that ranges from traditional tapestry to paper sculpture.
Hove Museum is renowned for its craft collection, which features the work of nationally and internationally important makers working in an incredible range of media. Displayed in two dedicated galleries, it includes ceramics by Kate Malone and Richard Slee, jewellery by Stephen Bottomley and Cynthia Cousins, and textiles by Alice Kettle.
The collection also features work by pioneers of British craft, such as studio potter Bernard Leach, woodcarver David Pye and textile printers Barron and Larcher.
The pieces on show are loosely grouped under the headings Inspiration, which focuses on starting points and creative ideas, Making, with an emphasis on materials and techniques, and Alchemy, highlighting the nature of transformation. Films screened in the galleries mean visitors can explore the creative processes as well as the finished objects. Some of these combine form with function – there are some unique and unusual vases and bowls, for example – while others are purely decorative or experimental.
The redevelopment of the building in 2003 incorporated the work of local artists and craftspeople in a unique and original way. The forged-steel decorative railings on the upper floor, for example, are the result of a creative collaboration between a Brighton-based artist and the pupils of a local primary school.