In fact, there's every style of craft with subject matter as diverse as model robots made from junk to Asian Pop-Art dragons. The artists represent the region’s vibrant and diverse creative community and include both emerging talents and established names.
Thirty-one exceptional artists, ranging from 22 to 82 years old, were selected by a panel of curators and craft sector specialists.
A further six artists have been invited by Guest Curator, Jazz Swali, with Curatorial Support from Marta Marsicka to emphasise the enriching cultural impact of global migration to the region. Their work highlights powerful stories about the world we live in.
There will be a wide variety of techniques and disciplines on display until July 6th, including textiles, ceramics, mixed media, jewellery, metalwork and biomaterials. There really is something for everyone.
Made in the Middle has inspiration for anyone interested in making, seeing, or buying crafts.
Featured artists from Lincolnshire include:
Robert Maurice King – Spalding
Domino, 2024
E-waste mixed media sculptures with oak plinth
Robert is a polymath creative who has developed skills in a variety of contexts. A graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in French horn, subsequently undertaking a Fine Art MA and concurrently establishing himself as a professional model painter. His works in this exhibition draw on traditions of kit bashing and in which artists build new models from the remnants of previous sets and domestic junk.
Miniature painting is central to Robert’s work, and his nostalgic, robot forms are a new way to present the skills he has developed through his modelling. He sees no hierarchy between his work painting Warhammer miniatures, his arts practice and his film making. They are all equally valid forms of creative practice for him.
Oxana Geets - Lincoln
The Black Dragon with The Fiddleheads, The Quiet Hedgehog. The Squirrel in The Snake’s Skin
Hand built stoneware
Oxana has a fascination with how ancient cultures continue to shape our world today. She takes inspiration from old figurines such as the Jomon Dogū and artefacts from the Vinca culture, then fuses them with the fun designs of Asian pop art. Through the use of various grogged stoneware types and added pigment, Oxana’s sculptures showcase both the natural colours of the material and the pigment accents to create a dramatic visual contrast that stir the emotions.
She further draws on stories from the immigrant community, not necessarily tied to any national culture, but rooted in an individual’s personal experience. And through this selection of new sculptures Oxana aims to challenge stereotypes on national characteristics and highlight how all people who have experience in migration are individuals with unique backgrounds.
(Image credit: Aleksei Geets)
Deirdre Figueiredo (Pictured), Director Craftspace, commented:
“In 2025, the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, the exhibition shows how artists are playing their role in evolving the cultural voice and identity of the Midlands. The curation of the exhibition gives artists an unusual opportunity to experiment, speculate and make work freely without commercial constraints and audiences will be amazed and inspired.”
The exhibition is the ninth in the Made in the Middle series and will tour galleries across the Midlands into 2026 raising the profile of regional artists and providing an opportunity to sell.
For the public and collectors, it’s a chance to commission a unique artwork or buy existing pieces to suit all budgets.
Artists’ work is also available to buy online through Craftspace’s shop at craftspace.co.uk
Made in the Middle is a regional touring exhibition curated by Craftspace in partnership with The Hub in Sleaford, funded by Arts Council England.
#MadeITM craftspace.co.uk madeinthemiddle.org