"Protect Craft": Sheila Loewe at the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2025

ON OUR RADAR | HAPPENINGS | WORLD OF CABANA

Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar presented the eighth Loewe Foundation Craft Prize to Japanese ceramicist, Kunimasa Aoki, while president of the Loewe Foundation, Sheila Loewe, issued an impassioned call to action on the future of craftsmanship. 

BY CAMILLA FRANCES | HAPPENINGS | 30 MAY 2025

The jury of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2025. Clockwise: Patricia Urquiola, Abraham Thomas, Olivier Gabet, Sheila Loewe, Minsuk Cho, Frida Escabedo, Deyan Sudjic, Andrés Anza, Wang Shu, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, and Magdalene Odundo. 

“There is such risk in not supporting craft,” warned president of the Loewe Foundation, Sheila Loewe, at the eighth edition of the Loewe Craft Prize, held last night in Madrid. 

Before the winner was announced to an acclaimed audience of actors, designers, artists and international press, Sheila told Cabana that she hoped the prestigious prize would inspire future generations to study and collect craft. “So many countries have an important craft heritage and in many cases this can be lost forever,” she said.

“In many cases, it has already been lost. So, let’s save these crafts. By producing a beautiful exhibition and catalogue every year, I hope the Loewe Craft Prize is helping to show the next generation that craft can be cool; that it’s attractive and inspiring. I hope we are also helping craftspeople, and helping clients to want to buy crafted things.” 

The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2025, on show in Madrid throughout June. Left to right: Radiance Amidst Uncertainty by Akari Aso (Japan); Sobejos XII by Jessica Costa (Brazil); Hollow Stripe Chain by Caroline Broadhead (UK). 

This year’s Craft Prize, held in Loewe’s home city of Madrid, saw Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar present the €50,000 prize to Japanese ceramicist Kunimasa Aoki for his meticulous coiled clay creation (pictured below), while actor Meg Ryan presented a special mention to Delhi-based Studio Sumakshi Singh, and Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola awarded a special mention to Lagos-based maker, Nifemi Marcus Belo. 

The Nigerian craftsman was recognized for his sculptural bench, with bowl, hand cast in recycled aluminium, while the jury praised Sumakshi Singh’s tapestry-like work, a life-size replica of an ancient column in Delhi, intricately woven with fine copper threads. 

Now in its eighth year, the Loewe Craft Prize is held annually and receives submissions from all over the world. The selection process is rigorous with artisans asked to submit evidence of their technique and process, along with videos and written explanations. The Foundation spent several years researching and visiting artisans, art fairs, and museums, “to understand what the world needed from a craft prize,” Sheila said.

With an impressive jury of 12 – which this year included Mexican architect Frida Escabedo, French art historian and curator Olivier Gabet and Kenyan-British ceramicist Magdalene Odundo – the decision was far from easy. “Having such an important jury does mean that everyone has strong opinions," Sheila said. "The whole Loewe team is learning from these voices. It was not easy, because it’s not one deserving craftsperson, it’s not even 30 deserving craftspeople, we had thousands of excellent submissions.”

Craft Prize finalist Anina Major (Bahamas) with her work, Sandcastle.

Praising the “exceptional” work of all the finalists, Shelia highlighted the work of New York-based ceramicist Anina Major whose bold, large-scale works – inspired by traditional basket weaving in her native Bahamas – had made a strong impression on her. “I was really impressed by Anina’s piece, and the story behind it,” she said. “She is taking her own family’s traditional practice of basket weaving and bringing this to clay.” 

Sheila voiced her admiration for all the finalists, and for the hundreds of people whose work has been shortlisted by the Loewe Foundation over the last eight years. “There are so many authentic stories behind these works," she said.

"These artisans are the best examples of people who are able to stop time, to create and think with their hands, to fall in love with their material and communicate a message with it. They have so many things I admire because my life is not like that,” Sheila laughed. “I think we all have so much to learn from craft.”

The work of all 30 finalists, spanning multiple techniques and 18 countries, will be on show at Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum until 29 June 2025.