Rachael Colley

Rachael Colley is a Senior Lecturer in Jewellery and Metalwork at Sheffield Hallam University’s Department of Art and Design, within the College of Social Sciences and Arts. She teaches on the MA Jewellery and Metalwork course, leading the 'Critical Making' module. A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she holds a BA in 3D Design from Loughborough University and an MA in Goldsmithing from the Royal College of Art.

Her research explores material experimentation and interplay between craft, contemporary art, and food culture. She creates jewellery, tableware, and sculptures that challenge societal connections with food, exhibited globally, including at the Museum of Arts and Crafts Itami and the Freelands Foundation. Key awards include the QEST Howdens Scholarship and Goldsmiths’ Centre Career Catalyst Grant, alongside participation in the Freelands Artist Programme residency.

Rachael’s work features in renowned exhibitions like the 2023 Radical Jewelry Makeover and 'Swords into Ploughshares.' She supervises doctoral research in Jewellery and Metalwork and served as an external examiner at the Royal College of Art (2021–2023). Affiliated with the Art and Design Research Centre, Lab4Living, and Culture and Creativity Research Institute, her practice integrates personal experiences with ASD and systemic sclerosis into her artistic narratives.