Globemaker Jonathan Wright appointed QEST Trustee

Jonathan Wright is a 2020 QEST Garfield Weston Foundation Scholar and a master globemaker.

He has recently been appointed QEST’s newest Alumni Trustee. We caught up with Jonathan for a Q&A to chat about this new role and what the opportunity means to him.

Congratulations on your new role. How do you feel about joining QEST’s Board of Trustees?

I’m incredibly proud to join the QEST board. As an alumnus, it’s a real privilege to now play a role in supporting other makers. It’s not just about supporting individuals but nurturing the legacy and culture of craft. This will be my first experience working as a trustee, so there’s a lot to learn, but I’m keen to bring my lived experience of apprentice to master globemaker to the table.

What would you like to achieve as an Alumni Trustee?

I believe it’s crucial to have diverse representation across all levels of craft. Understanding and breaking down barriers to entry is an important part of what I want to achieve.

Globemaking and conservation sit at the intersection of many different disciplines, so I understand the value of sharing knowledge across sectors and the benefit that can have on craft practice as a whole.

QEST has such an amazing resource in its makers, but often, as a maker, you can feel isolated in your world, it would be great to find a way to bridge that gap. With this being a long-term commitment, there’s a real opportunity to make a substantial impact.

When did your passion for globes and globemaking start?

Beyond the plastic, light-up versions, the world of globes had passed me by for much of my life. Having studied design engineering at university, I graduated feeling not entirely a traditional engineer nor a purist designer.

The moment I discovered a newly formed globemaking firm in London searching for an apprentice, I was captivated. Until then, I hadn’t even considered such a career existed. Could globes encompass the technical precision and artistry that I sought? That’s where it all began.

Globes are such beautiful objects, imbued with a rich and complex history, and yet capture only a single moment in time. There was a part of me that saw this as a lifelong profession, the type of knowledge that is only passed down from generation to generation. There’s a romance to that, but also the unfortunate truth that many globemaking traditions and skills have been lost over the years. The process of rediscovering the craft was fraught with difficulty, but since starting as an apprentice in 2012, I haven’t looked back.

What did your 2020 QEST Scholarship mean to you?

My scholarship had a transformational impact both personally and professionally. The funding allowed me to make long-term plans and develop my creative practice in really exciting ways.

The pandemic brought a lot of uncertainty into people’s lives with devastating effects on the craft world but QEST were fantastic in supporting my goals. I hadn’t fully appreciated what a QEST Scholarship meant until I met other scholars and realised what an incredible family I was now part of. It really gave me confidence in my craft and made me aware of the wondrous craft community I was part of.

What have you achieved since your Scholarship finished?

My scholarship was initially towards a year of study but I have now completed an MA in Conservation specialising in globes. I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved and have gone on to open my own studio, J. Wright Globemaker. As well as offering specialist conservation and restoration services, I continue to make bespoke globes informed by my conservation training, ensuring they can be enjoyed for many generations to come.

I have also taken up residency at Grandey’s Place, it’s a beautiful community of makers all specialising in amazing heritage crafts: lutherie, horology, and stained glass conservation to name but a few. It’s a really inspiring environment to be in and there’s a fair few QEST alumni there, too!

What are you working on at the moment?

Right now, I have a few special projects on. I’m working on a very exciting commission for a British heritage brand, I can’t reveal much at this stage but stay tuned for updates.

I have done a few workshops with school-age children and am keen on expanding this. I think it’s crucially important to introduce people at a young age to the magic of craft, build their hand skills, and spark interest in a craft-based career. It can be difficult to communicate the value of making, so offering hands-on chances is vital.