The Sylva Foundation Woodworking and Gender Project recently hosted Skilled. Seen., a public exhibition celebrating the talent of women, trans, and non binary woodworkers from across the UK.
Held at Fusion Arts in Oxford, the exhibition brought together 59 makers and welcomed over 400 visitors. The show was designed as a welcoming space where everyone could share their work, build connections, and highlight the many different routes people take into woodcraft.
Exhibition Highlights
- 59 Participating Makers: The show brought together 54 women and 5 non binary makers at all stages of their careers. Exhibitors included apprentices, recent graduates, full time professionals with decades of experience, teachers, designers, and artists.
- Diverse Displays: Visitors explored an array of traditional and contemporary work, including 15 hand-crafted chairs, 11 cabinets, 19 tables and stools, timber light installations, hand drawings, miniature carvings, and experimental art installations.
- Sustainable Timber Focus: A significant portion of the pieces highlighted the use of home-grown and Grown in Britain certified timbers, as well as hyper-local, storm-felled species and reclaimed materials.
- Live Demonstrations: In addition to the gallery display, the event hosted a Makers Meet gathering and live public woodworking demonstrations featuring techniques such as hand-cut dovetails, traditional Japanese kanna planes, Windsor chair assembly, and spoon carving.
An Alternative Approach to Exhibiting Craft
Unlike traditional competitive or heavily gated design exhibitions, Skilled. Seen. deliberately adopted an open, community-led format. By stepping away from top-down curation and rigid judging criteria, the project aimed to dismantle existing industry barriers, encourage employer support for staff development, and foster lasting professional connections among makers.
“We wanted to create an honest, accessible exhibition, a space for anyone who wanted their work and labour of love to be seen and celebrated.”
Cat Poppensieker, Woodworking and Gender Project Lead
Read the Full Reflection
To read the story behind the exhibition, discover how the show came together, and read personal insights from the event, read Cat Poppensieker’s full reflection blog post on the Woodworking and Gender website.
You can also view the full collection of makers and their work in the Skilled. Seen. Online Catalogue.
