The RDS National Crafts Competition judging panel is an independent panel of judges who are nominated by Guilds and Associations and other professional practitioners. Each judge serves a maximum of three years, after which a new judge is nominated.
Janet Phillips - Weaving Category
Janet studied Industrial Textile Design at the Scottish College of Textiles. After working in the industry for several years, she began a career as a commission weaver. She specialised in weaving original fabrics for clothing and interiors for private clients. Janet currently spends her time passing her knowledge on to others, by teaching courses and writing books. Her most recent publication is ‘Designing Woven Fabrics’ (2008). This is Janet’s second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition.
Gareth Colgan - Calligraphy and Lettering Category
Gareth Colgan began lettering as a schoolboy in Dublin. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Scribes & Illuminators (London) in 1993. More recently he went to the University of Reading for a year to study book typography. He has spent the last year doing personal calligraphy, mostly using texts from W. B. Yeats, and now has a substantial body of work gathering dust under his bed. This is Gareth’s second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition.
Jeanette Sendler - Felting Category
Jeanette's arrival in Scotland over a decade ago may have been more fortuitous than she initially realized as the region seems to have offered much in the way of inspiration and resources for her interest in felt. She currently runs the Textile Centre of Excellence and Hat in the Cat, Perth. She frequently lectures at numerous institutions in Scotland and Northern Europe also. This is Jeanette’s second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on Jeanette’s work, please visit her website.
Brenda Wroe - Patchwork and Quilting Category
Brenda’s work focuses on the creation of unique fabric by dyeing and surface design which is pieced, stitched and embellished to create contemporary art quilts. Her inspiration derives from the landscape and her travels throughout the UK, France and Spain. This is Brenda’s second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition.
Joe Hogan - Rod, Rush and Straw Category
Joe has worked as a basketmaker since 1978. More recently he has devoted much of his time to making non-functional baskets which use found pieces of wood as a foundation for baskets. Awards include: 1st prize Pinolere International Basketry Competition and the RDS Award for Excellence Reserve Prize in the RDS National Crafts Competition 2008. This is Joe’s first year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on Joe’s work, please visit his website.
Kim Mawhinney - Glass Category
Kim was appointed Head of Art last year at the National Museums Northern Ireland. She was Curator of Applied Art at the Ulster Museum for 15 years with responsibility for the glass, ceramic and furniture collections. Kim was one of the jury for the British Glass Biennale 2008 and in 2003 she juried the first ever exhibition of contemporary Irish glass. This is Kim’s second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition.
Nick Arnull - Woodturning Category
Nick writes regularly for GMC Publication’s Woodturning magazine. His work consists of many types of woodturning including spindle production and highly decorated turning. Nick teaches and demonstrates to clubs at regional and national symposiums in America, South Africa, Ireland and many clubs around the UK. This is Nick’s second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on Nick’s work, please visit his website.
Rob Steinke - Leatherwork Category
As a master saddler and harness maker, Rob served his apprenticeship in London with the Queen’s saddler and studied at Cordwainers Leather Design College. In 1970 he set up his own business specializing in made to measure saddlery and harness and he also runs his own private “Museum of The Master Saddler”. A horse owner and competitor for most of his life, he is the author and illustrator of seven books on saddlery and carriage driving harness. This is Rob’s third year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on Rob’s work, please visit his website.
Ann Day - Lace Category
As an Assistant Honorary Curator of the UK's Lace Guild Museum, Ann Day has the opportunity to study old lace, its design and how it was made. As a City and Guilds Lacemaking tutor for 20 years she taught Carrickmacross, Limerick lace, needlelace, bobbin lace, tambouring and tape laces. Despite her love of antique laces her own work is usually coloured and includes experimental techniques and modern materials. This is Ann’s second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition.
Lorraine Egan - Knitting and Crochet Category
Lorraine is a past winner of the National Craft Award for Textile Design. She established a knitwear design company, Limited Editions, which received a number of awards including the International Woolmark Award for Design and Innovation. Lorraine then took the opportunity to work as a designer with two US international clothing companies for three years before joining CTT (Coras Tracthala, now Enterprise Ireland) where she now manages the Consumer Design programme. This is Lorraine’s first year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on Enterprise Ireland, please visit their website.
Neil Read - Ceramics Category
Neil has been the Head of Department of Ceramics, Glass and Metals at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin since 1987. He has exhibited in Europe, China and North America. His work is held in public collections including The Irish National Collection, The National Museum of Ireland, The Royal Museum of Scotland, The Paisley Museum and Art Gallery (Scotland). Time, history, order and chaos inform his work. He has specialised in the Raku process of several years but uses his visits to Jindezhen to explore new techniques and processes. This is Neil’s first year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on Neil's work, please visit his website.
Charles Shackleton - Furniture Category
Charles was born and grew up outside Dublin. He studied at the West Surrey College of Art and Design in Farnham, England, before moving, in 1981, to Vermont, U.S.A, with glassblower, Simon Pearce. In 1987 he decided to pursue his lifelong passion of making furniture, with an emphasis on handwork. Together with his wife, master potter, Miranda Thomas, they started their own company, ShackletonThomas, in Bridgewater, Vermont, who specialize in making by hand, artistic, yet functional objects for daily use in the home. This Charles' second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on Charles' work, please visit his website.
Gerald Pullman - Ironwork/Metalwork Category, Chairman of the Judging Panel
For almost three decades Gerald has worked with various metals, enjoying the permanence of any results achieved. While it is cold, solid and unforgiving, the same material can, when worked, become tactile, lucid and liquid thus enabling it to be bent, bashed, beaten, curled, cut, shaped and poured to produce an unending and unlimited variety of products and finishes. He has in more recent times moved away from supplying a small number of quality outlets to dealing solely with commission work. Gerald has acted for two years as the Chairman of the RDS National Crafts Competition Judging Panel.
Maria Hanson - Jewellery Category
Maria studied silversmithing and jewellery at the Royal College of Art, London, graduating in 1991. She is Reader in Metalwork and Jewellery at Sheffield Hallam University, where she combines research and teaching with her practice as a designer/maker. Recent commissions and public purchases include the Goldsmiths’ Company, the Sheffield Assay office, the Shipley Art Gallery and a Royal Gift for the Duke of Kent. She has been involved in many external organisations during her professional life. This is Maria’s first year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on Maria's work, please visit her website.
Malcolm McInnes - Textiles Category
Materials and form have been the core initial interest for Malcolm in design. He has gone from studying ceramic sculpture in Italy, through to a foundation in design and constructed textiles, to a degree at Central St Martins, and fashion. Malcom has been working in the fashion industry for the past 20 years, working on different types of collections and levels of market around the world. Experience within the fashion and textiles business has allowed Malcolm to observe and question the personal interests and motivations for engaging in the discipline. This is Malcolm’s second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on his work, please visit his website.
Janet Edmonds - Embroidery Category
Janet Edmonds is an experienced and dedicated tutor of embroidery. She has delivered City & Guilds courses at various colleges for the past 18 years including East Berkshire college and Missenden Abbey in Buckinghamshire where she currently works, teaching across the range of hand and machine stitching. She also leads an advanced workshop at the Abbey. This is Janet's second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition.
Thomas Glendon - Wood & Stonecarving Category
Thomas Glendon has a long established studio specialising in sculpture, letterform, ecclesiastical work and design in stone, wood and bronze. His sculptures may be seen at the Solomon and Davis Galleries, Dublin, the Kenny Gallery, Galway, The Lavitt Gallery, Cork and the No. 5 Gallery, Liverpool. Sculpture works have been exhibited at the R.H.A. annual summer show for a number of years. His work is included in a number of private collections in Ireland and abroad. This is Thomas's second year as a judge of the RDS National Crafts Competition. For more information on his work, please visit his website.
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