Arts University Plymouth

Master of Arts in Craft and Material Practices

The Master of Arts in Craft and Material Practices program encourages the development of the individual designer-maker, with an emphasis on material knowledge and design innovation.

The programme offers a cross-disciplinary approach to exploring the value of material knowledge within a design process. The programme explores design thinking and material processes which challenge design thinking and concepts, and is uniquely placed to offer a rich cross-disciplinary practice; you will have access to our spacious and well-equipped metal and jewelry studios, as well as ceramics, glass, and resistant materials workshops, and our superbly equipped Fab Lab.

You will have the opportunity to critically engage with current debates within the subject area, and be encouraged to consider what it means to be a craftsperson in the 21st century. Key issues include sustainability, material life cycles, added value and approaches to the creative industries, museum and gallery interpretation, and curation.

The program addresses histories, technologies, contexts, material qualities, and conceptual and narrative developments. Current issues around craft are explored such as the rise of digital tools and technologies, hybrid practices, sustainability, and globalization. You are encouraged to consider these issues through testing, making, re-making, evaluating, and positioning your critically engaged practice.

This program encourages entrepreneurial creativity through self-initiated and independent approaches to make, whilst considering the subject at its extreme edges in relation to process, technique, application, potential customer use, and audience.