Best in Show and Best in Manchester

Sadie's prize winning jewellery featured on a model.

Former student, turned tutor wins big at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair

UCEN Manchester tutor Sadie Blythin recently won a duo of awards at the 2019 Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair.

Sadie, who is a tutor for UCEN Manchester’s Visual Arts, HND Jewellery and Contemporary Design Crafts and BA (Hons) Creative Media and Visual Communication Top-up courses, collected the ‘Best Manchester Maker’ and ‘Best Showcase’ awards for her Jewellery design work.

Like many of the UCEN Manchester tutors Sadie remains an active professional practitioner in her sector, where she is a self-made businesswoman and Jewellery designer

Starting as a student at The Manchester College, Sadie studied a foundation degree in Jewellery and Applied Arts. She took advantage of the industry links, utilising the skills she gained through her course and put them into practise, eventually opening her own studio in Manchester.

Sadie has taken part in a number of exhibitions since graduating in 2010, both in the UK and internationally but when she was selected to exhibit at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair last year, it was the first time she had showcased her work at such a large and established event.

Subsequently, Sadie won the ‘Best Manchester Maker Award’ and ‘Best in Showcase Award’ and has now been selected by Platform Gallery to be a part of their ‘Platform & Function’ Exhibition in early 2020.

Sadie said, "The prize this year was the fantastic opportunity to exhibit in the amazing Platforms & Function exhibition. All artists for this show have been carefully selected from this year’s Northern Craft Showcase shows, British Trade Craft Fair or the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair."

The purpose of this exhibition is to celebrate the emerging new work of talented artists working across a range of Applied Arts, so I’m absolutely delighted to have been recognised.

This is an incredible accomplishment for Sadie and a glowing example to both The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester students of how hard work and patience with your craft can lead to highly successful careers.

Learn more about the Jewellery and Contemporary Design Crafts or Creative Media & Visual Communication courses available at UCEN Manchester.