Organised by Royal Society of Arts
Endangered Skills, such as those in the first and forthcoming edition of the HC Red List of Endangered Crafts, often link to place as well as to people. Therefore, they are very relevant to the RSA’s Design for Life mission. They involve skills which remain necessary in the modern world. In an era of AI and robots, true craftsmanship is a life-enhancing antidote.
Our speakers will address the latest research and the 2025 HC Red List. They will also explore the importance of, and current UK work on, the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
From blacksmithing to basketry, from weaving to woodturning, the UK has some of the best craftspeople in the world and an incredible range of heritage craft skills. But many of these skills are in the hands of individuals who have been unable to make provision to pass them on. The Heritage Crafts Red List of Endangered Crafts, first published in 2017, was the first report of its kind to rank traditional crafts by the likelihood they would survive to the next generation, based on intangible cultural heritage safeguarding principles. The list attracted extensive media coverage in the UK and abroad, shining a light on heritage craft practices under threat from a number of issues. The fifth edition of the Red List is published on 13 May 2025.