As part of ⁠Made in the Middle⁠ we have been collecting stories of making in the Midlands that are influenced by migration.

We met with ‘everyday makers’ who craft for themselves, making at home, in a local studio or with a community. Through jewellery, pottery, crochet, textiles, blacksmithing and batik, their work celebrates the cultural and ethnic diversity of the Midlands. It highlights how craft skills that migrate with the makers influence creativity.

We met makers of North American, South American, African, Caribbean, South Asian and East Asian heritage. They tell of a love for making and craft. Whether self-taught, passed down through family or shared within their community. It has been a privilege to work with them to weave together a rich tapestry of stories across the Midlands.

Smashing Metal is a blacksmithing group run by Alex at Newbigin Community Trust in Handsworth, helping people to learn new skills and practice mindfulness. They started up during lockdown, and have gone on to work on a range of projects from sellable items to raise money for the Community Trust to recycling knives surrendered to the police.

To read a transcript of this interview, head to our website.

Podcast created by Hayley Salter.