Our new Associate level of membership opens up a new programme of benefits to a wider range of applicants, offering networking, training and development opportunities for those who are not eligible, not ready or do not wish to become Full or Graduate members.
We’ve given careful thought to this new entry level membership, developed to replace our previous Friends scheme. It is for:
- Emerging makers who have not graduated in the last three years
- Creative practitioners (craft / design related) whose work does not fit within our current list of eligible categories, or does not meet the criteria for graduate or full membership
- Students of related subjects
- Individuals in the craft and design sector who are working at galleries or craft and design organisations, or in education and delivering workshops, and who want the benefits of a network while growing their skills and knowledge.
Associate members benefit from a range of opportunities, including networking and training, and can also access some optional paid-for benefits.
Our membership manager Hayley Banks says, “It’s important to Design-Nation to promote ways to sustain the contemporary craft and design sector as a whole. We’re reaching out to those who don’t currently meet our full membership criteria and so may be missing out on valuable support. We are keen to connect to those who are not coming through traditional art school and design courses, as well as individuals with ambition and deep interest in the sector who are not in a position to run a creative practice. We soft-launched the scheme this summer and are delighted to already have people signing up – we can’t wait to start working with them all.”
Find out more and download an application pack here.
