Rebecca Skeels started her business in 1994 after graduating from the University of Wales. Since 1994, Rebecca’s thirst for knowledge and her passion for sharing has led her to graduate from Central Saint Martin’s (MA Project by Design) and achieving a PGC in Higher Education from the University for the Creative Arts. Rebecca is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
As a designer maker, Rebecca’s work has exhibited across Europe, in the US and in China. She continues to explore ideas and work collaboratively with like-minded designer makers of different disciplines utilising different materials. In parallel, Rebecca’s enthusiasm to encourage others to learn and to be creative led to her position as Course Leader for Postgraduate courses in Craft at the University for the Creative Arts from 2013 to 2019. Rebecca is now Senior Lecturer at the School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University and External Examiner on the BA (hons) Designer Maker course at Brighton University.
Rebecca’s position as a design maker, leader of craft courses and as an active member of the UK’s craft industry, provides her with a unique perspective on education and requirements for the future of ‘the crafts’. Her interests allow her to continuously develop craft education to enable more inclusive learning experiences which are adaptable to the students’ abilities, and her exploration of ‘other’ materials and processes from different craft disciplines provides an extensive view of the industry.
Materials are her obsession; bridging her work as a designer maker and her role as an educator. Materials and their related processes determine not only the form and function of an object, but also the object’s interaction with the surrounding environment, connecting with personal memories and associations. The use of materials within Rebecca’s own work can be fun, contradictive, functional and thought provoking. The knowledge of other craft sectors has led to the exploration of traditional techniques and processes, along with new technologies and digital processes, developing current and future craft practices.