The British Council has recently announced the Crafting Futures UK Study Tour for craft and textiles curators and collectors – a new initiative within its Crafting Futures programme, aiming to create more opportunities for exchange between Asian and British craft curators, museums, galleries and programmes in order to generate greater storytelling and promotion of women in sustainable and ethical craft-based textile production. The programme is seeking 6 excellent candidates based in Malaysia, Myanmar or Thailand to participate in a study tour to the UK in June 2018. The study tour will include visits to museums, galleries, archives, collections and sites of production across the UK. Participants will have the chance to network with British curators, museum workers, craft organisations and practitioners. The aim of the study visit is to:

• Build stronger connections with the UK sector and create opportunities for future exchange
• Learn about curation and storytelling practices around craft and textiles in the UK
• Create opportunities for further storytelling around female textile artisans in Asia

In addition to the study tour, participants will be tasked to deliver events, activities, creative projects or exhibitions within their own institutions or organisations in order to tell the story of female textile artisans from their region to a contemporary and young audience. Preference and priority will be given to projects which connect clearly to the existing British Council Crafting Futures projects and their beneficiaries. The British Council will support the projects through seed funding of £1,500 to each participant. Beneficiaries will also have travel, visa, accommodation and per diem costs for participation in the programme covered. Participants will be selected based on the relevancy of their background and project proposal to the Crafting Futures programme’s aims and objectives. British Council is unable to provide translation support, so candidates will be expected to have an understanding of English. Applicants must be based in Malaysia, Myanmar or Thailand, and the programme will endeavour to select 2 representatives from each country. Applications should be submitted by 28 February 2018. For further information about the open call for the British Council Craft Curators UK Study Tour, please visit https://www.britishcouncil.sg/programmes/arts/east-asia/regional-programmes/open-call-craft-curators