Oxford exhibition reclaims space for women, trans and non-binary woodworkers

Woodworkers from marginalised genders are invited to bring their work into an evolving week-long show, pairing furniture making and heritage woodwork skills with talks, demonstrations and a public exhibition.

Skilled. Seen. is a new national exhibition organised by Sylva Foundation to be held at Fusion Arts’ Depot, Oxford, from Monday 13 July to Saturday 18 July 2026. Presented as part of the Woodworking & Gender Project which is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Skilled. Seen. will bring together women, trans and non-binary furniture makers and heritage woodworkers in a week-long exhibition designed to make these traditionally excluded makers impossible to overlook.

Rather than opening as a finished show, Skilled. Seen. will open as an empty space and evolve across the week as makers bring furniture, products and other woodwork into the space. The exhibition will grow day by day, creating a living display of contemporary practice across furniture making, marquetry, carving, sculpture, turning, and green woodworking. A parallel public programme of talks, demonstrations, conversations and gatherings will run throughout the week, leading to the public launch event on Saturday 18 July.

At the heart of Skilled. Seen. is a question that is both historical and urgent: who is visible in woodworking and furniture making, and who is not? The exhibition responds to the long record of women and gender-diverse makers whose labour, knowledge and authorship have too often been overlooked, absorbed into family workshops, or deliberately credited to men. By bringing established makers and designers, emerging practitioners, students and independent craftspeople into one shared space, the exhibition aims to show the breadth of practice already present in the sector and make room for the next generation to see itself reflected there.

Cat Poppensieker, programme manager for the Woodworking & Gender Project at Sylva Foundation, said: “Skilled. Seen. is much more than a high end furniture show. It is about celebrating the skills, ambitions and authorship of women, trans and non-binary makers and designers, countering the male-default in professional workshops and design practice. We want this exhibition to be a celebration of our maker community: a space where established designers, makers, students and craftspeople share work, share stories and build new connections across the sector.”

Sylva Foundation is now inviting all women, trans (including trans men) and non-binary makers across the UK to exhibit work that represents their practice. Prioritising a maker-centred approach, this open call invites makers from all disciplines and skill levels to exhibit their finished pieces of furniture, smaller objects, prototypes or process-led work; from keepsake boxes, and bookshelves, to bowls.

Skilled. Seen. is also showing the maker behind the object, their journey, progression and skill. Alongside the exhibition, Sylva Foundation will invite makers in the UK to share their story. How they came to work with wood, what shaped their practice, what barriers they have encountered and what keeps them making. Together, the work and the stories will create a rich record of who is working in woodworkshops now and highlight the variety of rewarding careers available in this heritage industry.

Skilled. Seen. will take place at Fusion Arts’ Depot, Oxford, a short walk from Oxford railway station, and is intended to bring together craftpeople, educators, employers, industry partners and the wider public. Further details about exhibitors, speakers and the full programme will be announced in the coming months.

Makers interested in exhibiting or contributing to the story collection are invited to contact gender@sylva.org.uk by the 31st May 2026.