Farewell to our Chair, Juliet Bowmaker
Juliet Bowmaker joined the Society as Chair in 2022 and has since worked with unwavering dedication. Here, Vice Chair Liz Chester and Past Secretary Sarah Woodcock reflect on her tenure, highlighting all she has achieved through quiet diplomacy and steadfast determination.
We first met Juliet at an interview with the Committee in March 2022.
We had been delighted to have two strong candidates, but ultimately chose Juliet, a quietly spoken, clearly capable former gallery owner. My first impression was of someone exceptionally skilled with people, and that impression only deepened over the years we worked together. She later told us that, despite our best efforts to make the meeting feel relaxed, we still managed to make it rather intimidating, something she handled with her characteristic calm and composure.
Juliet has approached every challenge with care and thoughtfulness, always maintaining a respectful and considerate manner. The ability to remain diplomatic while still achieving meaningful results is a rare and valuable quality, and one she consistently demonstrated.
Having someone from outside the Society in the role of Chair has been invaluable. Juliet brought a fresh perspective, free from prior bias, and an ability to mediate with fairness and clarity.
She also brought with her a strong sense of ambition and determination to raise the profile of the Suffolk Craft Society beyond the county. Her belief in the quality of members’ work, combined with her talent for communication and building relationships, opened the door to a range of exciting opportunities and collaborations. One of the first of these was our partnership with RSPB Minsmere to create site-specific artworks.
Thanks to Juliet’s initiative, we made our first venture into London with Made London, soon followed by London Craft Week early last year.
Juliet’s connections at London Craft Week also led to a collaboration with the Society of Designer Craftsmen, bringing makers from both organisations together in a shared creative project, the results of which will be unveiled later this year.
She also re-established our connection with Snape Maltings. The Society first exhibited there in 1971 before moving to Aldeburgh in the late 1970s, and after a gap of nearly fifty years, it was a great pleasure to return this year with a new exhibition.
Several members have credited these opportunities with leading to further prestigious invitations, reflecting the wider impact of Juliet’s work.
Our ventures into London’s major craft events were made possible not only through Juliet’s own contacts, but also through the strong relationship she fostered with the Society’s Patron, Trevor Pickett.
It is hard to imagine that relationship flourishing in quite the same way without her and we look forward to returning to Pickett London during London Craft week again this May.
Juliet has given an enormous amount of her time and energy to supporting the Society and its members, and we are all deeply grateful for her contribution. On a personal note, I have greatly appreciated her support and the steady professionalism she brought to everything she undertook.
We are also thankful to Juliet for welcoming us into her home on several occasions for both social gatherings and meetings, and to James, her husband, for his patience and support throughout the many commitments that came with Juliet’s role.
We wish Juliet every success for the future and are confident that her ambition and drive will continue to inspire the Society.