In the Making: Ruskin, Creativity and Craftsmanship

John Ruskin believed the act of making represents the perfect convergence of human spirit, skill and material. For Ruskin, creative effort shapes an artist or artisan just as indelibly as they in turn shape the stone they sculpt or the fabric they weave.

This new exhibition curated by Museums Sheffield will explore Ruskin’s ideas on making through a broad range of historical and contemporary art and craft. In the Making brings together work by artists including Grayson Perry, Susan Collis, Edward Coley Burne-Jones and Ruskin himself.

In the Making continues in the Millennium Gallery’s Craft & Design exhibition space, exploring the work of artists and craftspeople who create by stitching, sewing, weaving and dyeing. The exhibition will show the diversity of makers’ approaches to textile production, from exquisite 17th century linen and lace through to striking contemporary textile work by Tracey Emin.

The two exhibition spaces will be linked by a new installation from artist Harriet Popham. Created especially for In the Making, the work will see the floor of the Millennium Gallery’s main thoroughfare covered with a series of vibrant prints inspired by objects in the Ruskin Collection.

The exhibition forms part of The Year of Making, a major city-wide initiative celebrating Sheffield’s international reputation for innovation and excellence in making.

In the Making is the third in a triennial series of exhibitions celebrating John Ruskin’s enduring legacy in the 21st century. The triennial is funded by the Guild of St George, an organisation founded by Ruskin in 1871 with the broad aim of making the world a better place for humankind.