Making it to Market

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Making it to Market Developing the market for
contemporary fine craft
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Objectives of the study To examine the sector of
contemporary fine craft
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• Objectives
• To provide recommendations on how
• The work of the Crafts Council might be
  complemented to continue to build the
  entrepreneurial skills of designer-makers
• The sales of craft can be increased
• The market for craft can be developed

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• Focus was to be placed on domestic sales in the
  UK
• Deliberately did not look at corporate sector or
  industry

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Taste Buds The foundation
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Taste Buds methodology Findings based on
responses of over 6,700 individuals
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• Quantitative
• Telephone interviews with 6,141 people
• 1,537 in London, 4,604 in the regions
• Depth telephone interviews with 1,759 people
• 402 in London, 1,357 in the regions
• Postal / email survey with 316 artists

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• Qualitative
• Depth interviews
• 60 with artists
• 80 with suppliers
• 30 with buyers of contemporary visual art

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• Qualitative
• Focus groups
• 4 with artists
• 1 mini focus group with established artists
• 4 with buyers of contemporary visual art
• 4 with potential buyers

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• Crafts methodology
• Scoping study
• Socio-economic study
• Primary research
• Findings based on responses of over 2,200
  individuals

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• Quantitative
• Taste Buds telephone interviews with 7,241 people
• supplemented with craft only buyers
• Depth telephone interviews with 2,088 people
• 573 in London, 1,551 in the regions

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Qualitative Depth interviews ? 20 with
suppliers ? 20 with designer makers ? 10 with
buyers or collectors of contemporary craft
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Qualitative Focus groups ? 3 with
designer-makers ? 2 with buyers or collectors of
contemporary craft ? 2 with potential buyers or
collectors
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Taste Buds How to cultivate the art market
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• Objectives of the study
• Explore
• the extent to which people in England buy or
  want to buy contemporary art
• how to increase sales of contemporary art
• how to help artists become more entrepreneurial
• how to expand the audience for contemporary art

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Contemporary art marketplace model
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Art ecosystem model
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• Taste Buds key findings
• 4.9 million people have bought original art
• 5.9 million people aspire to buy original art
• The market for buying original visual art is
  10.8 million (27 of the population in England)
• 10.2 million (26) would buy original work by a
  living artist

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• 7.5 million (19 of the population of England)
  would buy contemporary art
• 2.9 million of these have already bought art by
  a living artist and would buy cutting edge
  work
• 6.1 million potential buyers of work by a living
  artist
• Sales of art through commercial galleries and
  open studios are worth an estimated 354.5
  million

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• Taste Buds key issues
• The market for contemporary art in England has
  the potential to grow, both in and outside
  London
• There is little infrastructure for selling
  innovative contemporary art outside London

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• The way contemporary art is sold deters the
  potential market
• The process of legitimisation is reliant on
  rarity
• The subscription system is incompatible with
  market development

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• Dealers regard artists who sell their own work
  as undermining the system
• Some dealers resist selling to new buyers

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• Collectors are a vital to the art ecosystem
• More people would like to collect on a serious
  level
• Collectors of innovative contemporary art evolve
  gradually
• Access to knowledge is restricted
• The sector itself is limiting the size of the
  serious collector base

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• 5 broad strategic objectives
• To help more artists to sell more work
• To help more people buy contemporary art
• To develop the supply side
• To build the collector base
• To attract more cash into the sector

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Developing the market for contemporary fine craft
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• Contemporary fine craft
• South West Arts definition
• Contemporary craftwork that is cutting edge
• Ensures the highest standard of workmanship
• Does not seek to reproduce or restore
• Innovative in use of materials and aesthetic
  vision
• Reflects the signature of the individual maker
• Demonstrates investigation of processes and
  critical enquiry

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Craft marketplace model
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Designer-maker 1. Recognised Craft
designer-makers Established, have work in
significant public and private collections
-7.3 2. Progressive Craft designer-makers
Mid-career, innovative approach, engaged in
current critical debate - 3.1
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3. Emerging Craft designer-makers New entrants,
seek recognition for progressive work, want to
join current critical debate- 4.9 4. Most Craft
designer-makers Non-critically engaged work,
primarily concerned with production and selling
- 84.7 Contemporary fine craft falls mostly in
2 and 3, with some overlap into 1 and 4.
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• Crafts key findings
• 7 million people have bought original craft
• 4.4 million people aspire to buy original craft
• Total market for original craft is 11.3 million
  people (29 of the population of England)
• 10 of the potential market would never buy
  work by a living designer-maker

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• Existing market for original craft is larger
  than existing market for original visual art by
  2.1 million
• Potential market for original craft is larger
  than potential market for original visual art by
  500,000
• Market for innovative or cutting edge craft is
  larger than the market for innovative or cutting
  edge art by 77,000

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• The size of the market for craft in general
  could be increased by 63
• Enormous potential to increase the market for
  innovative or cutting edge craft
• This could be achieved by developing serious
  collectors and encouraging new buyers

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• Size of market for sales is 5.6 million pieces of
  craft in a given year
• 1.2 million pieces bought in London
• 4.4 million pieces bought in the regions
• Total value of market for sales is 883 million
• Socio-economic survey revealed a diverse sector
  with 32,000 professional designer-makers

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• Why do people make craft?
• Mainly driven by the need to create
• Self sufficient, alternative lifestyle
• Often supported by other wage earner
• Little prospect of financial reward
• Little to aspire to

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Why do people buy craft?
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Aesthetic attraction I just like beautiful
looking things. There are certain things that I
am always drawn to like a magpie and jewellery is
one of them, and lamps are another, and soft
furnishings Buyer
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Intellectual appreciation I think that it
appeals to my mind actually. They look light and
fresh and clean, and it just appeals to my
mind Buyer
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Support innovation For me, I think we ought to
support today, not necessarily yesterday. I have
got antiques in the house, but if we dont move
on and dont appreciate what is created today,
then the world is going to stand still, isnt it?
Buyer
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Support living artists It all comes down to
wanting to support people and a sense of wanting
to support crafts people. Buyer
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Preference for particular objects I collect
jewellery and baskets and wooden boxes. I would
like to collect more ceramics and glass but cant
display it in my house space and display are
constrained by cats and children. Collector
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Prompts for purchase I have to have some kind of
status talking to artists, it is just that is
what makes me want to buy something. It is about
that connection, or knowing what they are trying
to do. Buyer
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Investment as a consideration Investment
doesnt play a part in my purchases. I would
welcome a secondary market but never have a
feeling I could sell anything Collector
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Barriers to buying for the potential market
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• Not enough space
• Impractical - doesnt fit with lifestyle
• Already have too much stuff
• Requires overall aesthetic approach
• Unaffordable luxury
• Can live without it

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• Difficult to judge value
• Fear that tastes may change
• Too many cheaper substitutes
• Lack of awareness of outlets
• Lack of information
• Confusing and negative image of craft

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Compared with visual art

• Craft suffers from
• Lack of subscription
• Lack of critical rigour
• Poverty of aspiration

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Craft suffers from

• Lack of quality supply outlets
• Dominance of wholesale activity
• Dominance of amateur makers
• Unregulated supply
• Over supply

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Craft suffers from

• Confused image - divergent, no middle ground
• Few strong brands
• Brand confusion

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Crafts sector suffers from

• Antagonism between funded and commercial sectors

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• Crafts sector suffers from
• Lack of belief in a market
• Confusion around values and pricing
• Lack of imperative to buy

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• Crafts sector suffers from
• Over supply
• Lack of rarity
• Flat sector

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• Crafts sector suffers from
• Little to drive collecting
• Little to drive desirability
• Little to drive connoisseurship

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Art ecosystem model
Ecosystem again
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Art market regulation model

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Art market regulation model Control of supply

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Art market regulation model Control of demand

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Art market regulation model Subscription

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Art market regulation model

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Craft market Supply and demand

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Craft market Commercial sector

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Craft market Subscription

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Craft market

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• In summary
• Existence of subscription constrains art sales
  at low levels
• Absence of subscription constrains craft sales
  at high levels

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But is the fine art model the right aspiration?
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The visual arts model Pros higher prices,
better outlets, more makers elevated to star
status Cons fewer people live by their work,
fewer people can afford work Problems for craft
price resistance amongst collectors
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• The antiques model
• Similar democratic access
• Antiques of the future
• Price reflects rarity

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• Build distribution model
• Identify galleries investment and development
• Marketing campaigns
• Contemporary fine craft trade shows

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• Make the most of what exists
• Strengthen role of galleries
• Support gallery development CPD, studio visits
• Marketing campaign be original, buy original
• Advocate retail
• Financial support for catalogues and critical
  events

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Other recommendations
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• Subscription development
• Funding for public collections and exhibitions
• Training for curators
• Funding for publications
• Links between private collectors and public
  collections
• Conferences and seminars
• Improve training for designer-makers

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• Supplier development
• Risk funding for commercial galleries
• Support for solo shows and critical publications
• Training and finance for CPD
• Support for art dealers stocking craft
• Encourage more craft at art fairs

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• Supplier development
• COLLECT
• Partnerships between commercial and public
  galleries
• Trade shows for Contemporary Fine Craft
• Own Art expansion and promotion

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• Supplier development
• Develop Open Studio success into permanent
  outlets
• Development of high quality selling events in
  regions
• Highly publicised guides on where to buy craft

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• Supporting excellence
• Support for membership organisations
• Prizes and rewards for excellence and
  innovation
• Networking and training for designer-makers

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• Awareness raising and advocacy
• Public relations post
• Generic marketing campaign Be original, Buy
  original
• More research
• Wider Government Dept support

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