4600 Gifts Workshop Setup

40 Objects for 40 Years

A simple blue and white graphic image of four skeins of yarn suspended from a horizontal pole. A thread from each has been unspun, spelling out '4600'.

4600 Gifts Workshop Setup (2021-2022)

When Birmingham hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2022, we worked with local residents to create 4600 gifts to welcome the athletes attending the games.

This was our biggest ever project and it took a LOT of organisation.

Over 3700 people made gifts at over 100 city-wide making in 34 host venues!
We delivered 4673 gifts to athletes including 48 specially made gifts for visually impaired athletes.

We needed a bespoke workshop set up that would be transportable, visually appealing, easy to use and provide all the materials each person needed to create their gift. Natalie Cole was part of the artist team and helped us to create a great system that produced some fantastic creations!

Every time we organise a project, we think carefully about how people can take part without barriers; we want our opportunities to make to be enabling and inclusive.  Special solutions like this make this possible by providing a positive welcome are easy to use and look good too!

Nominated by: Emma L, Operations and Development Manager; and Andrea Collier, a board member.

To celebrate Craftspace’s 40th Anniversary, we commissioned the artist Stewart Francis Easton to create an artwork which would explore the story of Craftspace through 40 objects. Stewart created a series of four beautiful graphic quilts.



Where Next

A simple green and white graphic image of a rangoli, made of concentric circles of flowers.

Floating Rangoli (2000) by Ranbir Kaur

Explore 40 Objects for 40 Years.

A bright bouquet of flowers, laid on a table, made from ceramic. The flowers are swirls of clay in gold, silver, purple, pink, blue and red.

A Sense of Occasion

Significant Objects marking diverse contemporary occasions.

A simple pink and white graphic image of a porcelain artwork by Lucy Baxendale, of a creature smiling, covered in leaves.

Movement (2025) by Lucy Baxendale

Explore 40 Objects for 40 Years.

A simple blue and white graphic image of a mug.

Mug (of tea) – James & Tilla Waters

Explore 40 Objects for 40 Years.



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