The Crafts Council has opened applications for Collect Open 2027, its annual showcase of independent artists and collectives staging ambitious, craft-led installations inside Collect, the international fair for contemporary craft and collectible design held at Somerset House in London.
Collect Open invites proposals that explore materiality in new ways, make a social or political statement, or reflect a fresh, personal perspective, with submissions reviewed by an expert advisory panel. Past participants have found it a genuine springboard: Chloe Lennon, who showed at Collect Open 2026, said the experience "was a wonderful experience that really pushed me to develop my practice," according to the Crafts Council.
Collect Open 2027 opens to the public at Somerset House from 26 to 28 February 2027, with previews on 24 and 25 February, presented in partnership with curator Spinocchia Freund. The Crafts Council's application page lists the deadline as Sunday 21 June, 23:59.
The showcase puts selected makers in front of museum curators, collectors, interior designers, architects and art advisers from around the world, making it one of the more direct routes from studio to major collections for independent practitioners working in clay, textile, wood, glass and beyond.
Full eligibility details and the application guidance document are available now on the Crafts Council's Collect Open 2027 page.