Our headline sponsor Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour contributed a particularly generous sum to our year’s funding, and added to their largesse with an invitation to take part in the five days of their ARTEFACT celebration of UK craft galleries as part of London Craft Week.

This was held at the beginning of May 2023 in the Design Centre’s glamorous riverside complex of 120 showrooms displaying 600 brands, and we were allocated a prime spot on the ground floor of the first dome. “Sustainability is our utmost priority,” says Claire German, CEO Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. “We have commissioned a rigorous Net Zero Audit from leading sustainability consultants to understand how our buildings are performing so that we may reach Net Zero by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement of 1.5C. We’re implementing cleaner energy, smart meters, better recycling, and more green spaces. Alfa Energy, our energy broker, will shortly provide SBTs (Science Based Targets) for the site so we can complete our ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) strategies.”

Our delightful venue was circular with abundant natural lighting thanks to the glass ceilings of the three magnificent domes that make up the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. Show design was by our co-director Michael Czerwinski, following a layout carefully planned by the Design Centre’s regular stylist Arabella McNie (and we benefitted greatly from her creativity, experience, and meticulous attention to detail). Curator Barbara Chandler chose ten GREEN GRADS to present their work, highlighting our makers whose designs are already available to purchase. Taking part were established GREEN GRADS Georgie Gerrard (mycelium vessels); Elena Branch (the CLIMATE COLLECTION of digitally-printed fabrics and art prints); Roberta Schreyer (activism through soft sculpture); Amber Thompson (wool lampshades); Bruno Schooling (ceramics from local wild clay); Mathilde Wittock (screen and chair from discarded tennis balls); Millie Harris (turned waste wood vessels and bench); Simon Redstone (willow weaver); and Christoph Kurzmann (upcycled furniture). And we welcomed new GREEN GRAD William Harris from the RCA with his intriguing chandeliers of waste glass. We were also grateful for promotion by the Design Centre’s press office, who organised a well-attended opening press event, and two evening guided tours for the general public.

Thanks to Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour & Arabella McNie