Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house in Bowness-on-Windermere is marking a major milestone year with the opening of Useful/Beautiful, a new exhibition celebrating 25 years of contemporary craft collecting and Blackwell’s 125th anniversary. Opening on Friday 1 May 2026, the exhibition brings together significant works from Blackwell’s collection alongside recent acquisitions, highlighting the makers, ideas and objects that have shaped the house since opening to the public in 2001.
Set within one of the UK’s most important Arts & Crafts houses, Useful/Beautiful invites visitors to explore the evolving role of craft from the 20th century to present day. Through ceramics, furniture and textiles, the exhibition considers how objects can carry meaning and convey stories – reflecting historical moments, cultural identity and wider societal conversations.
Featuring works by internationally renowned makers including Magdalene Odundo, Edmund de Waal, Elizabeth Fritsch and Richard Slee, alongside contemporary makers such as Mac Collins, William Plumptre and Annabel Hood, the exhibition presents a dynamic dialogue between established and emerging voices.
Magdalene Odundo MBE Symmetrical Piece with Dancing Figures – Image credit Photography By Ward
Mac Collins Iklwa Chair, 2024. Image credit Robin Zahler.
Annabel Hood Glacial Flow Teaset, 2019. Image credit Robin Zahler.
At its core, Useful/Beautiful encourages visitors to explore conversations around the future of collecting, and how craft continues to shape the way we understand making, value and everyday life. The exhibition title references William Morris’s well-known quote: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
Naomi Gariff, Programme Curator at Blackwell.
The exhibition also highlights recent acquisitions supported by Art Fund’s Sir Nicholas Goodison Award for Collecting Contemporary Craft, awarded to Naomi Gariff, Programme Curator at Blackwell, in 2023. These works bring new perspectives into the collection, expanding its scope and reflecting the diversity of contemporary craft practice today.
Makers featured in the exhibition include Bondil Manz, Alison Britton, Walter Keeler, Takeshi Yasuda, Jacqui Poncelet, Paul Scott, Colin Pearson, Philip Eglin, Stephen Dixon, Lawson Oyekan, Chun Liao, Chris Day, Claire Malet, Lorna Singleton, Iseabal Hendry, Dalia James, Masaaki Shibata, Irene Vonck, Martha Wiles and Michael Rue, alongside a collaborative project by Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld. The White Drawing Room Collection by Frances Priest will also be on display.
Useful/Beautiful is curated by Naomi Gariff, Programme Curator at Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house.
Naomi Gariff, Useful/Beautiful exhibition curator says “While the Arts & Crafts Movement is often seen as a movement of the past, its spirit is alive in the craftspeople of today. The Movement cared deeply about producing art and objects that enhanced people’s lives, which were in the words of William Morris, ‘useful’ and ‘beautiful’. The exhibition showcases the legacy of this ethos on contemporary craft. It also celebrates Blackwell’s nationally significant contemporary craft collection, which has recently expanded through the generous support of Art Fund’s Sir Nicholas Goodison Award.”
Visitors can experience the exhibition throughout the house, where contemporary works will add another dimension to Blackwell’s historic Arts & Crafts interiors, designed by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott.
Useful/Beautiful is part of Blackwell’s 125th anniversary programme, with further events and exhibitions planned throughout the year, including M H Baillie Scott: Architect & Designer opening later in 2026.
Exhibition details
Useful/Beautiful
1 May – 29 August 2026
Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house
Entry to Useful/Beautiful is included with house admission.
Entry also includes access to the house’s grounds overlooking Windermere, as well as daily guided tours offering further insight into this historic house’s fascinating history and design.
