March Makers’ Meet

Makers Meet: Skilled. Seen.

March 2026 online session summary

In July 2026, Sylva Foundation will host Skilled. Seen. a week-long, maker-centred exhibition of furniture and heritage woodwork in Oxford.

Ahead of the exhibition, we brought together a group of makers during an online Makers Meet to share the idea and gather early input. This session was an opportunity to test the concept, ask open questions, and begin shaping the exhibition together.

This short summary captures the key themes, reflections and ideas that emerged.

About the exhibition

Skilled. Seen. is a different kind of exhibition.

We don’t want to curate an exhibition about marginalised makers behind closed doors and then invite a handful of “important” people to come and look. We want to build an exhibition with marginalised gendered makers, for marginalised gendered makers.

The aim is to create something that is collective, responsive, and reflective of the community, rather than fixed or exclusive.

Alongside the exhibition, there will be a programme of talks, demonstrations, conversations and gatherings, building up to public launch events at the end of the week.

At the heart of Skilled. Seen. is a simple but important question: Who is, and has been, visible in woodworking and furniture making?

Women, trans and non-binary makers have always been part of this sector. They have worked in workshops, contributed to family businesses, and sustained craft practices, often without recognition. Their contributions have frequently been overlooked, erased, or credited to others.

This exhibition is about making that work visible.

Visible in terms of skill
Visible in terms of breadth
Visible in terms of professional identity

It is also about recognising the journeys behind the work: pathways into making that are often non-linear and shaped by barriers, including those connected to gender, race, class, and access to training and resources.

An open and inclusive approach

The exhibition will be free and open to all makers who are women, trans (including trans men), or non-binary and who work with wood.

We are not curating what people can bring, and we are not setting a fixed standard of “quality.” Access to tools, training, materials and mentorship is uneven, and ideas of quality are often shaped by systems that have historically excluded many makers.

Instead, we are creating a space where people can share work they feel proud of. Whatever their experience, background or approach. In a space where that work is recognised, valued and celebrated.

Stories at the centre

A key part of the project is our growing Story Collection.

We are inviting makers to share reflections on:

how they came to woodworking/ furniture making
why they love working with wood
what has shaped their practice
challenges they have faced
what keeps them making

These stories will sit alongside the work in the exhibition, helping to make visible the experiences behind the objects.

Summary of our conversation

1. Programme: balancing community and industry

There was strong support for a programme that balances community-building with industry engagement.

Participants emphasised:

the importance of connection, peer support and shared experience
the need to create pathways into education and employment
the value of bringing together makers, educators and industry in one space

A mixed approach was preferred, with a particular emphasis on community and connection during the week, alongside opportunities to engage with industry.

There was also a practical note:
The exhibition should not be open to the general public during drop-off hours, to ensure safety and ease for exhibitors.

2. Accessibility and inclusion

Accessibility was a key focus of the discussion, with many practical suggestions:

Allowing work to be posted, with clear systems for return
Limiting object size for postal submissions
Encouraging shared transport, car-pooling and local drop-off points
Making space for tactile engagement, with clear labels where touching is encouraged
Considering how visually impaired visitors might experience the exhibition
Ensuring wide, clear pathways for wheelchair users
Offering quieter or structured viewing times for neurodivergent visitors

These ideas will directly inform how the exhibition is designed and delivered.

3. Curation: What counts as “woodwork”?

A rich discussion emerged around the question of what should be included.

We discussed a wide range of practices:

furniture making and cabinet making
carving, sculpture and lettering
wood turning
steam bending
green woodworking
timber framing
basketry, straw marquetry and pyrography
upholstery and “upcycling” IKEA

Rather than defining strict boundaries, the group leaned towards a more open approach.

Key reflections included:

the importance of transforming or working the material with skill
recognising different forms of making, including those often undervalued
Just painting something is not enough > at the same time, adapting and caring for objects (“upcycling”) can be a meaningful and gendered form of making and should be recognised

We discussed the range of possible objects and discovered we have reasons to display most (if not all) of them considering the range from art/ decorative to utilitarian/ everyday objects of use:

Wall art/ drawing/ marquetry/ pyrography
Sculpture, carved or steam bend
Relief carving, letter carving
Turned objects, vases
Keepsake boxes
Fine furniture
Cabinets
Upholstery
Turned objects, drinking vessels, bowls
Spoons and crockery
Brooms, brushes, baskets
Boats
Timber framed shelter

Moving from “inclusion” to “not excluding”, focusing on value and intention rather than strict categories.

Emerging ideas

The session also generated a number of ideas for how the exhibition could feel and function:

A guestbook and physical feedback cards
Encouraging connections between makers through prompts and interactions
Allowing the exhibition to shift and be gently re-arranged as new work arrives
Documenting the exhibition daily to capture how it evolves
Sharing these changes through social media or short updates

Get involved

There are many ways to take part in Skilled. Seen., including:

exhibiting work
contributing a story
shaping the programme (talks, demonstrations, discussions)
supporting communications and design
helping install and shape the exhibition space
volunteering during the exhibition week

If you’re interested in being involved, we’d love to hear from you!

Looking ahead

This Makers Meet was an important first step in shaping the exhibition. The ideas, questions and challenges raised will directly influence how Skilled. Seen. develops over the coming months.

At its core, this exhibition is about making space and making it together.

The next Maker’s Meet is on the 21st April 2026, 7-8PM.

Woodworking & Gender