Yinka’s Challenge

A national schools competition in collaboration with Yinka Ilori

The Colour Palace, a temporary pavilion by Yinka Ilori at Dulwich Picture Gallery for London Design Festival 2019. Photo courtesy the artist.jpg

The Craft School challenge is a nationwide competition to get primary and secondary school students to submit a craft project on one of three themes: play, storytelling, and empowerment.

The challenge has been set by Crafts Council trustee and multidisciplinary artist Yinka Ilori and will run from September 2022 to March 2023. It will encourage and nurture craft thinking and making and provide a moment to celebrate the brilliant craft creativity of a younger generation.

Who can take part?

Craft School: Yinka's Challenge is a free programme for education provisions and learners from KS1 to KS4. Learners can participate individually or as collaborative groups.

When will it take place?

From September 2022 to March 2023 participating schools will create against a brief designed and set by Yinka centring on play, storytelling, and empowerment. To support teachers and learners through the challenge the Crafts Council has developed digital resources, engaging video content and further specialist CPD sessions.

In spring 2023 the challenge will culminate in a prize-giving event to celebrate winners and all entrants to the challenge. Winners from each key stage will be selected by an expert panel from the craft world. The panel will include experts from NSEAD, AccessArt and our Learning and Business Skills supporter Cox London.

Playland, Yinka Ilori, Pinterest for Cannes Film Festival, 2019
Love always wins, Yinka Ilori, Harrow Council, 2020. Photo: Andy Stagg

What will learners do?

Over the course of a minimum of 10 hours, working individually or in groups, we will be asking learners to draw on ‘craft thinking’. Using hand skills to explore materials, take risks and make three-dimensional forms in respond to one of three creative briefs:

Storytelling — Taking inspiration from Yinka Ilori and Pricegore’s Colour Palace, craft a model of a pavilion that celebrates your background or culture.
Play — Using Yinka Ilori’s Playland as inspiration create a model, using craft materials, of an amazing new space that encourages children to play together.
Empowerment — Taking inspiration from Yinka Ilori’s Restoration Station choose an everyday item and repair and redecorate it to represent who you are. The re-animated object should tell your story without the need for words.

How do I submit

The submission portal is now open! You can submit your learner's work until the 31st March 2023. Click here to open the submission portal.

What to submit

Schools can enter a maximum of five student entries. Students are welcome to work on their own or as part of a group of up to four students.

Entries must include four A4 sheets or two A3 sheets of work that contain:

Evidence of research into artist’s work, including Yinka Ilori, and diverse communities of making and makers — we will also accept a scan of the exercise from a student workbook or free research if more suitable.
Evidence of experimentation and development. This may take the form of photographs of practical making, test pieces and models towards the development of a final piece — maximum of three photos and a minimum of three test pieces showing two craft practices.
Written statement (100 words advised but variable by age group) or one minute video from the student on their final piece. This can include a description of their choice of concept, materials, and techniques.
One photograph of the whole final piece and up to two photographs that capture the detail of making.

Find out more

For more information on all upcoming programmes and events please join our Craft Educator Facebook group and refer to the FAQ document. We have also provided a list of downloadable resources.

If you have any further queries please email our Education Manager, Rebecca Goozee: r_goozee@craftscouncil.org.uk

Download resources

Yinka Ilori, Heart of Hale, Tottenham, 2021. Photo: John Sturrock

About Yinka Ilori

Yinka Ilori is a London-based multidisciplinary artist of a British-Nigerian heritage, who specializes in storytelling by fusing his British and Nigerian heritage to tell new stories in contemporary design. Humorous, provocative and fun, every project that he creates tells a story. Bringing Nigerian verbal traditional into playful conversation with contemporary design, Yinka Ilori’s work touches on various global themes that resonate with different audiences all over the world.

Evaluation

We have pulled together all of our learning from the first year of Craft School: Yinka's Challenge and Craft School: a summer of playful making and produced the following evaluation report.

Craft School: Yinka's Challenge Evaluation

Craft School: Yinka's Challenge Evaluation - Year 1.PDF (2.7mb)Download