Metalwork Collection: She wields a hammer: Five centuries of women silversmiths

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Museums Sheffield’s Metalwork Collection is one of the finest in the world. It contains the cutlery, flatware and tableware that have made Sheffield famous, as well as beautiful objects collected from every continent.

This new display within the gallery features stunning silver objects to celebrate the contributions of female designers and makers to the discipline of Design and Technology.

This display includes 14 objects on loan from the V&A by contemporary designers including Yukie Osumi, Kyosun Jung, Elizabeth Clay, Carla Nuis, Miriam Hanid, Nan Nan Liu and Ndidi Edubia.

The history of female makers in Sheffield and beyond is explored through a series of objects from the collections of Museums Sheffield and Sheffield Assay Office.

The display forms part of the V&A’s flagship educational programme, DesignLab Nation. First launched in April 2017, with the V&A’s Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016 prize money, DesignLab Nation brings secondary schools, local industry and regional museums together, to bolster the teaching of art, design and technology (D&T) and inspire the next generation of designers, makers and innovators. To date, the V&A has worked with over 21 schools on the project and loaned 114 objects to regional museums.