Contemporary Applied Arts (CAA) is a UK charity established in 1948 to work on behalf of British-based makers to advocate for the applied arts and to foster quality and innovation through education, gallery exhibitions and outreach.

CAA is a unique organisation in that although we have a commercial focus in order to fulfil our charitable objectives, we also provide a safe place for our makers during their periods of research and development of their craft, unlike other galleries who are strictly commercially focussed. We regularly host maker exhibitions, not just to sell their work, but as a learning tool to explore methods of making and thought provoking subject matter to engage the public in dialogue and discourse. We also run hands-on, educational projects for community outreach, promoting accessibility of the applied arts for people of every age and from every social demographic.

CAA does not receive any government funding. We generate income via membership subscriptions from our 350+ maker members, however this covers only a small percentage of CAA's operating costs. Our main income source is sales of our maker members' work in our Marylebone gallery.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on our financial position as we have had to close the gallery and furlough our staff. We are losing our main source of income with no view of when we will be able to reopen. This pandemic hit us at a particularly sensitive time as we were still rebuilding our finances after investing in both a new gallery location and new website in 2019.

Fine craft in Britain is a 150-year tradition, most significantly represented by our founding of the Arts and Crafts movement. The paradigm of the movement, linking quality in design and materials to benefit human welfare, is still relevant today. CAA was founded in an era in which excellence in British design and craft were seen as strategic tools to bolster the post-war economy. This was the age of Britain Can Make It and the Festival of Britain, government sponsored exhibitions organised to elevate British craftsmanship to the world stage.

Britain is currently facing a new set of economic, social and cultural challenges. We believe that safeguarding and promoting fine British craft, updated in a contemporary context, is just as critical as it was during the post-war period. CAA has a vital role to play in this endeavour. Please support us by making a donation to secure our future.