Made in the Middle: Craft in the Midlands
Made in the Middle returns in 2025 for its ninth edition, showcasing 37 contemporary craft artists from the East and West Midlands. Launched at Leicester Gallery, De Montfort University on 25 January, the exhibition will tour the region until 11 April 2026. Curated by Craftspace, it highlights the diverse talents shaping the Midlands' creative landscape.
Featuring embroidery, textiles, ceramics, jewellery, and bio-materials, the exhibition reflects the region’s evolving craft scene. Guest Curator Jazz Swali has also invited six artists to explore how global migration influences contemporary craft, emphasising the power of cultural exchange.
At a time when mass production dominates and the textile industry faces environmental scrutiny, Made in the Middle champions sustainability, repair, and slow fashion. With pieces available for purchase, it offers a rare chance to support local makers and invest in handcrafted works.
As the exhibition tours, it continues to elevate regional artists and invite the public to engage meaningfully with craft. Here’s a look at some of the textile artists involved
Jade Webb - Leicester
Jade explores biodiversity and neurodivergence through sustainable weaving with linen, nettle, wool, and hemp. Embracing weaving’s meditative nature, her Made in the Middle pieces incorporate ‘mistakes,’ revealing insights into her mind. Her work blends sustainability, texture, and personal expression.
Karina Thompson - Birmingham
Karina creates large-scale Art Quilts, merging machine quilting with digital embroidery on Yuzen fabrics. Her Recovery Quilts series, inspired by her mental health journey, uses obscured messages to explore anger and grief, contrasting vibrant florals with hidden meanings.
karinathompson.co.uk | @karinaworld2
Mahawa Keita - Birmingham
Mahawa blends traditional and contemporary textile techniques to promote sustainability and cultural heritage. Originally from Gambia, she uses unconventional materials in community-driven work. Her piece Be You for You explores migrant identity, inspired by the Mandinka saying, “A log in water never becomes a crocodile.”
masading.com | @mansading_designs
Nilupa Yasmin - Birmingham
Nilupa merges photography with weaving, exploring craft’s cultural and gender biases. Rooted in her British Bangladeshi heritage, her work examines identity and community. For Made in the Middle, she’s loaning two pieces - one depicting Coventry’s Foleshill Street, another addressing gentrification. She also leads projects on craft’s role in mental health.
nilupayasmin.com | @nilupayasmin_
Aishah Carberry - Burton upon Trent
Aishah, an autistic and Deaf artist, creates vivid, dreamlike patterns inspired by African, Indonesian, and Aboriginal art. Using acrylic inks on cotton rag or recycled paper, her intricate designs reflect nature and offer relaxation. For Made in the Middle, she’ll craft new patterns on handmade paper from household waste, emphasizing sustainability.
Oliver Bliss - Worcester
Oliver creates large-scale pictorial quilts exploring identity, sexuality, and masculinity. His Soft Lads series reimagines male tattooed portraiture through embroidery. For Made in the Middle, he’s crafting a quilt featuring LGBTQIA+ activist Khakan Qureshi Esq. BEM and his partner, highlighting queer and Muslim community connections.
Roo Dhissou - Birmingham
Roo challenges narratives of identity, diaspora, and community. For Made in the Middle, she presents a Manji (charpai), a traditional craft with a modern twist. Her interactive pieces bridge art and function, questioning gallery norms. Three of her manjis are in the Arts Council Collection.
rookaurdhissou.com | @roodhissou
Sarah-May Johnson - Leicester
Sarah redefines weaving, blending nature-inspired patterns with mathematical precision. Her dyslexia enhances her ability to visualize complex 3D structures. For Made in the Middle, she’s showcasing three pieces using her Crossing Warp Threads technique, creating intricate woven designs without post-weaving alterations.
sarahmayjohnson.com | @sarahmay.johnson
Tereza Bušková - Birmingham
Multidisciplinary artist Tereza Bušková explores ritual, tradition, and craft, reinterpreting Slavic and European customs through print, performance, and video. Her practice blends intuition with anthropological research, engaging diverse communities through craft and baking workshops inspired by Slavonic folklore.
terezabuskova.com | @tereza.buskova
Farwa Melodina - Birmingham
Farwa Moledina explores faith, Islamic traditions, and the portrayal of Muslim women, deconstructing colonial stereotypes through textile-based installations. Inspired by art history, architecture, and Islamic design, her work features symmetry, abstraction, and repetition. She has exhibited widely, with works in major collections, and is currently showing a solo exhibition at Modern Art Oxford.
farwamoledina.com | @farwamoledina
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Further Information:
Catch the show at the following venues:
Made in the Middle Tour (2025-26)
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Hub, SLeaford: 5 April – 6 July 2025
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Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery: 27 September – 22 November 2025
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Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham: 14 February – 11 April 2026
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Image Credits:
Lead Image: Jade Webb
All images courtesy of Craftspace and the artists.