There is a growing need and desire to see, experience and feel contemporary crafts and design. This mapping of large and small places where you can experience craft and design points to the lack of a venue for craft artists to exhibit across professional affiliations, materials and large formats. Part of the mapping also shows that contemporary craft and design is largely disseminated through artist-run initiatives, galleries and pop-up exhibitions at practitioners’ own workshops, temporary locations or as recurring project formats.
Craft artists and designers are generally good at creating their own scenes, but this also has a consequence. Although it creates visibility and an audience, the scenes are handheld, sporadic and often not documented. In the absence of documentation, the exhibitions, practitioners’ works and intentions do not become part of the factual history of design and thus tradition and research. This is a problem in relation to the ongoing cultural heritage and distorts the image of the field. Because if only a third of the total experiences and works are documented, it’s far from accurate.
Below you will find a list that is intended to be comprehensive in terms of mapping the museums, art centres, galleries, pop-up formats and communication platforms that exhibit and disseminate high-quality professional crafts and design.
In the unlikely event that you know of other professional venues or channels, please let us know via this email: formkraft @ dkod.dk
Museums
Art Museum in Odense, which occasionally shows exhibitions where design and crafts are on the agenda, such as the current exhibition Needle and Thread.
BORNHOLMS KUNSTMUSEUM
Major art exhibitions and smaller craft exhibitions with a local flavour are presented at the museum.
CLAY
Ceramics museum with various exhibitions on historical and contemporary ceramics. In 2024 with a new extension of international calibre.
The country’s largest museum for design and crafts with a permanent collection, research commitment and a wide range of exhibitions that primarily present design (occasionally crafts) based on history, tradition and innovation.
GLAS
The former Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, with a new name and new director, focuses on the artistic practice of glass rather than, as before, solely on crafts.
HEMPELS GLASMUSEUM
Located in Odsherred, this small museum with a marvellous view of the water displays small special exhibitions and a permanent collection of glass. The museum is also the founder of the Hempel Glass Prize. The museum is currently closed for remodelling.
HJORTH’S FABRIK
Det tidligere produktionssted på Bornholm er nu udstillingssted med skiftende udstillinger om keramik samt arnested for residency-ophold og en mindre produktion, der sælges i egen butik.
HOLMEGAARD VÆRK
Glassblowing workshop and museum that conveys the history and craftsmanship and offers a restaurant and shop.
KOLDINGHUS
Former home to the Biennial for Craft Artists & Design and the graduation exhibitions from Design School Kolding. Now added to the royal exhibition venues The Royal Collection.
KØNG MUSEUM
In Lundby in southern Zealand, the former weaving factory has been transformed into a small museum. The permanent exhibition tells the history of the factory, while the second floor of the museum is used for changing craft exhibitions with a focus on textiles.
MUSEUM FOR PAPIRKUNST
In Hune near Blokhus is this relatively new museum that uses paper as a starting point for exhibitions with artists, craft artists and designers.
TEKSTILMUSEET
The Textile Museum is part of Museum Midtjylland and is based on the industrial textile industry that has characterised the region for generations. The museum is mostly an experiential museum.
TRAPHOLT
Art and design museum in Kolding, showing varied exhibitions about primarily art, secondarily design in changing tempos. For the past few years, it has created participatory exhibitions and workshops with craft artists and designers at the forefront. The project is now a collaboration with Aarhus University.
VEJEN KUNSTMUSEUM
Small art museum in Vejen with relevant exhibitions, especially on ceramics. Has its own ceramics collection.
Art Centres
AUGUSTIANA KUNSTHAL
The art centre i Sønderjylland shows contemporary art and sometimes material-based art and craft artists.
BORNHOLMS CENTER FOR KUNSTHÅNDVÆRK GRØNBECHS GÅRD
The old warehouse on Bornholm displays craft and design exhibitions on all floors and has a small shop on the ground floor with mostly local craft artists.
DEEP FOREST ARTLAND – SKOVSNOGEN
An art centre under the open sky. Skovsnogen near Herning also houses a few works by craft artists.
DRONNINGLUND KUNSTCENTER
Dronninglund Art Centre is an art and culture centre in North Jutland, with changing exhibitions focusing on art and to some extent craft artists.
KUNSTETAGERNE HOLSTEBRO
Kunstetagerne hosts three to four major exhibitions a year, as well as a number of smaller special exhibitions focusing on contemporary art, craft and design. The furniture company Rud Thygesen’s archive is also attached.
KUNSTCENTRET SILKEBORG BAD
The former sanatorium is now the setting for art, design and crafts exhibitions.
MUNKERUPHUS
Designer and artist Gunnar Aagaard Andersen’s former villa in North Zealand has been transformed into an art centre for changing exhibitions with artists, craft artists and designers.
NICOLAI KUNST OG DESIGN
In the centre of Kolding, the cultural centre is both an exhibition platform and a cultural centre for children and adults. Crafts and design are occasionally exhibited.
NORDATLANTENS BRYGGE
Nordatlantens Brygge presents changing exhibitions of art and craft artists from Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
Galleries
CINNOBER
Bookshop and gallery n Copenhagen with changing exhibitions by craft artists.
DRIFTSKONTORET
The former operations office at Bruunshåb Gl. Papfabrik in Viborg is an artist-run exhibition space where craft artists and artists can apply for a residency and a following exhibition.
ETAGE PROJECTS
Collectable design gallery in Copenhagen with changing exhibitions.
FORMA
Nexø on Bornholm is home to Forma, a collective of several glass and ceramics practitioners, which is both a gallery with changing exhibitions and sales of crafts.
GALLERI GOLDFINGERS
Gallery for jewellery art in central Copenhagen, where commercial business is mixed with jewellery art exhibitions.
GALLERI MONTAN
Focusing on glass and corpus silver, Montan in Copenhagen is a classic gallery with themed exhibitions on glass every now and then.
GALLERI PAGTER
It is one of the oldest galleries in Denmark that specialises in quality crafts. The gallery is located in Kolding.
GALLERI RUMMET
A few years ago, the shop Dina Vejling Kunsthåndværk og Design in Brandts Passage in Odense opened a gallery in the same location, where changing exhibitions with craft artists are presented – often in conjunction with talks.
GALLERI VISBY
In Lønstrup, Galleri Visby exhibits changing craft exhibitions with a special focus on ceramics.
HELLO THE ROSES
A jewellery gallery and platform founded in Copenhagen in 2024.
HINT PROJECT
Hint Project is an artist-run non-profit exhibition platform in Aarhus with jobs, talks and events. Currently. Hint Project is currently closed.
KUNSTNERFLØJEN ANNEBERG KULTURPARK
It houses 25 artists and craft artists with workshops and a gallery where visitors can experience the artists’ joint exhibitions.
KØPPE CONTEMPORARY OBJECTS
In Rønne on Bornholm, Køppe Contemporary exhibits ‘high end’ crafts from a wide range of Danish and Nordic practitioners.
MATTER HOUSE OF CRAFT
Matter House of Craft in Nexø is a vibrant workshop that sells commercial ceramics and glass, but also hosts changing exhibitions of craft artists.
OFFICINET
Danish craft & Design Association’s gallery in Bredgade with exhibitions, showcases of prototypes, talks and lectures. Officinet is one of Copenhagen’s few free spaces for craft artists and designers. It also showcases new talents selected after an open call.
PEACH CORNER
Ceramics in all its forms of representation is the anchor of the artist-run gallery along with a small ‘Wunderkammer’ where ceramics can be purchased from the shelves. The gallery is based in Frederiksberg in Copenhagen.
RVNHUS
Gallery in Kolding for art and crafts – jewellery is also on display here.
SE! UDSTILLINGSRUM
SE! is an independent non-profit exhibition platform for experimental and often material-based contemporary art located in Aarhus.
TABLEAU – CPH
Tableau is a flower shop, webshop and gallery that showcases crafts, art and design in a beautiful and diverse union. Owner Julius Værnes Iversen helped select participants for the last Biennale for Crafts & Design and was also the exhibition architect for the biennale when it was shown at Copenhagen Contemporary 2023.
TILVÆRKS
A new gallery focusing on architecture, design and craft artists. Located in Copenhagen.
Craft & Design Fairs
Craft Fair Vejen
Danish Crafts & Design Association South has initiated a new market at Vejen Art Museum.
Flid Marked
Three days fill Nørrebrohallen in Copenhagen, where craft artists and designers welcome visitors in the run-up to Christmas.
Frue Plads Marked
The prestigious 40th anniversary market of the Danish Association of Craft Artists & Designers. Members of the association can participate over three days in the historic square. Over 100 craft artists participate.
Ovnhus
Censored market over three days with professional crafts and design in Nykøbing Sjælland.
Skals
For many years, Skals Håndarbejdsskole outside Viborg has been the setting for a high-quality two-day craft artist market.
Skælskør Keramikfestival
One-day festival with market, exhibition and workshops at the harbour in Skælskør.
Trapholt markeder
Trapholt organises two annual crafts and design markets: a spring market and a Christmas market.
Dissemination Platforms
Artmatter.dk
The former kunsten.nu has been transformed into Artmatter.dk, which focuses exclusively on art, but occasionally, you may be lucky enough to read about exhibitions or craft artists. Supported by foundations and own earnings on events.
Charlottejul.com
Platform for articles, columns etc. by founder Charlotte Jul and other writers who can be persuaded to write on occasion. The platform is also a portfolio for the founder’s other projects. Everything is written without remuneration, with heart and interest.
Formkraft.dk
The Danish Crafts & Design Association’s dissemination platform, which turns four years old in 2025. The platform disseminates articles about the field by various writers and practitioners, and the older analogue magazines such as Danish Crafts and KUNSTUFF have been digitised and can be searched on the platform. The platform is supported by foundations.
HÅNDVÆRK – bookazine
Rigetta Klint is behind the bookazine, which is published both in print and online. The print magazine is published twice a year with a focus on materiality and craftsmanship.
Magasinet Kunst
An analogue media about art, crafts, architecture/design.
Mindcraftproject.com
Digital exhibitions, films and articles fill this platform, which from 2023 began to physically exhibit the annual exhibitions again. Supported by the state and through commercial partnerships.
Pop-Up venues
The Biennale for Craft & Design
Every second year, the Biennale focuses on current Danish crafts and design with a strong communication programme, an Open Call exhibition and the coveted Biennale Award of DKK 100,000. The Biennale is produced by Danish Craft & Design Association in collaboration with various exhibition venues.
3daysofdesign
The Danish design festival 3daysofdesign transforms Copenhagen into a mecca for design enthusiasts and press from around the world to visit exhibitions, showrooms, talks and other events. In 2024, there were 615 events to embark on.
Design School Kolding
Design School Kolding exhibits several times a year – sometimes it’s smaller projects, sometimes it’s a larger whole that is presented. Like the annual graduation exhibition of bachelors and masters. The exhibition location has varied in recent years, but the school’s new remodelling in Kolding hosted this year’s graduates. It remains to be seen whether this will be a permanent location or whether the graduation exhibition will continue to travel around.
Spacious Copenhagen
A nomadic exhibition platform focusing on contemporary art jewellery and holloware as well as collaborative exhibition projects with other arts, crafts and design creatives.
The Royal Academy
The annual graduation exhibition for architects, designers and conservators at Holmen in Copenhagen is a must if you want to get an insight into the young graduates’ view of the world. Around 250 projects are presented in three halls throughout the summer. The Royal Academy also displays other exhibitions regularly in the library or in the exhibition hall, where at least one special exhibition is presented every year.
The Royal Academy – Glass and Ceramics, Bornholm
The Royal Academy’s department of crafts, specifically glass and ceramics, is based on Bornholm. The graduation exhibition for the programme’s bachelor graduates is shown every year at the Centre for Crafts Grønbechs Gård, after which the exhibition is split up and shown at GLAS in Ebeltoft for the glass graduates and at CLAY for the ceramists.
European Ceramic/Glass Context
The Royal Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation is behind this triennial, which every three years presents glass and/or ceramics from all over Europe. The triennial takes place on Bornholm in collaboration with Bornholm Art Museum and the Centre for Crafts Grønbechs Gård. In addition to exhibitions at several locations on the island, the triennial also offers talks, walks and other events during the exhibition period.
Kunstforeningen af 14. august
The association purchases crafts and offers the works for raffle among members. The purchased works are exhibited each year at a gallery or museum in connection with a member event.
Snedkernes Efterårsudstilling
The Cabinetmakers’ Autumn Exhibition (SE) is an association of furniture architects, designers and manufacturers. Each year, the members of the association exhibit under a given theme at a new venue. SE is an experimental platform that presents new furniture offerings based on a given theme.
UKURANT
The exhibition platform Ukurant is relatively young and was initiated by a group of young, primarily furniture designers who started curating and exhibiting young design and crafts during 3daysofdesign in 2020. This year, the platform is also behind the curation of the upcoming Biennale for Craft & Design 2025.
Further Reading
Art centre with an obligation to communicate?
Denmark lacks a scene that purely exhibits craft and design. We have several museums and galleries dedicated to the field, but we miss the big stage where craft artists and designers can frolic freely with a perspective on both the past and the future. A stage that can manifest and communicate the potential that does not have to take into account political discourses and museum obligations, but can focus solely on form and the cross-material potentials.
Exhibition Architecture: An Experience and a Process
Exhibition design is created in an encounter of different media, creative and professional disciplines and messages. The exhibition architect has to find new and innovative ways to combine these aspects with the goal of giving the visitors an experience of being emotionally affected and enlightened in ways they would not otherwise have been.
