About

For London Craft Week 2026, Darbyshire has curated a unique exhibition – ‘Darbyshire + Friends’ – that reveals the powerful, yet often hidden, role presentation plays in both craft and fine art. ‘Darbyshire + Friends’ is an exhibition of striking craft pieces from some of the UK’s leading makers. Working in partnership, we have devised a series of display solutions that aim to elevate and celebrate each maker’s work. These makers are respected specialists in their fields, each working with a different material, from feathers to glass, ceramics to textiles (see full list below).

Darbyshire is widely regarded as the UK’s leading fine art and craft framer and fabricator, and we work with many of the world’s leading makers, artists and institutions – Tracey Emin, David Hockney, Tate Modern, V&A. Presentation is vital to the appreciation of any piece of craft and art, allowing the work to be fully seen, examined, admired, understood. This is the first time we have opened to the public for London Craft Week and is a rare opportunity to visit a company working at this level.

As well as admiring these beautiful pieces, our aim is that visitors to our studios at the Angel, N1, will leave with lots of ideas about how to showcase their own treasures at home or in the workplace, as well as educated and inspired about the important work we do at Darbyshire.

Darbyshire Friends: Derek Wilson (ceramics), Effie Burns (glass), Eleanor Lakelin (wood), Erin McQuarrie (textiles), Kate MccGwire (feathers), Kei Tominaga (metal), Kim Francis (stone), Oliver Cook (stone), Royal Society of Sculptors (mixed media), Tim Fluck (ceramics), Vessel Gallery (glass, maker Bertil Vallien)

Derek Wilson – ceramics – https://www.derekwilsonceramics.com/
Effie Burns – glass ‘Curiosities’ – https://www.effieburnsglass.co.uk/
Eleanor Lakelin – wood – https://eleanorlakelin.com/
Erin McQuarrie – textiles – https://www.erinmcquarrie.com/
Kate McGwire – feathers – https://katemccgwire.com/
Kei Tominaga – metal – http://keitominaga.com/
Kim Francis – stone – https://www.kimfrancis.com/
Oliver Cook – stone – https://www.olivercook.co/
Royal Society of Sculptors – mixed media – https://sculptors.org.uk/about/10gram-2024
Tim Fluck – ceramics – https://www.timfluckceramics.com/
Vessel Gallery – glass – https://www.vesselgallery.com/