Archive for category Crafts
Get outdoors this Spring
Posted by Culture Vulture in Crafts, Events on February 26th, 2010
GET OUTDOORS AND INVOLVED THIS SPRING
Spring events for everyone at Westonbirt – the National Arboretum
Westonbirt – the National Arboretum, which is managed by the Forestry Commission, has launched 2010 with a packed calendar of spring events.
New for visitors is the International Garden Photographer of the Year Exhibition. During April and May, an exclusive collection of photography from the trees category of this prestigious international award will be on display on the historic Downs area.
The Easter Challenge, Mothering Sunday ‘Family Trees’ and ‘Awakening Woods’ events will give families the chance to explore the outdoors, as Westonbirt’s flowers and trees awake from the winter.
Visitors will also get a rare and exciting opportunity on April 12-13 to discover the whole historic Westonbirt estate. Guided tours and access to the house, gardens and Arboretum are included in the normal admissions price across these two days.
There’s also guided wildflower walks, photography courses, wood sales and charity events. Throughout April and May, visitors on Wednesdays will receive 50 per cent discount on admissions.
Visit www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt for full details on Westonbirt Arboretum events listings.
Make Do & Mend
Posted by Culture Vulture in Crafts, Events on February 4th, 2010
‘Make Do & Mend’
An interactive textile installation presented by Studio Seven textile artists
Showing until 28 February 2010 at The Museum in the Park, Stroud
Presented by the Studio Seven textile artists, ‘Make Do and Mend’ first appeared at Stroud Valleys Artspace in 2008. It has now been carefully brought out of storage, dusted off and re-invented to delight visitors once again.
The installation focuses on the themes of weavers and weaving, woollen mills, the use of Stroud Scarlet cloth for military uniforms, women working during wartime, and the ethos of ‘make do and mend’. These threads are brought together by the seven artists into an atmospheric world of images and ideas which the audience is invited to explore.
Enter an Alice in Wonderland-like rabbit hole world of ‘eat me, drink me’ instructions; of objects out of scale and out of place; of looms and pulleys, fragments and whispers; of animated dummies and mechanical garments; or warp and weft weaving and unravelling across a textile landscape.
Admission £3 on the door (£2 concessions and free re-admission with badge). Open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm.
The Museum in the Park, Stratford Park, Stroud GL5 4AF
Tel: 01453 763394
The seven artists are: Liz Lippiatt, Kathryn Clarke, Jenny Bicât, Anne Rogers, Sarah Cant, Sarah Cooke, Corinne Hockley.
In the Making
Posted by Culture Vulture in Crafts on January 7th, 2010
Stroud International Textiles in partnership with the Museum in the Park, Stratford Park, Stroud GL5 4AF
Linking the past to the present and the future
Stroud International Textiles will be unveiled an exciting new project on January 5th 2010 at the Museum in the Park.
‘In the Making’ will showcase contemporary designer craft from leading nationally acclaimed craft makers in a Museum setting.
One discipline will be exhibited at a time and reflect the innovation and high quality of British craftsmanship and will cover the broad range of disciplines that make up contemporary crafts today.
The work selected by Stroud International Textiles will be from established makers as well as new emerging makers.
We hope to offer opportunities to visitors of all ages who may not see leading contemporary work and to encourage debate and fresh observation for crafts and design.
Alongside this there will be talks and opportunities for people of all ages to engage with the work and be drawn to a greater understanding of contemporary crafts today.
Stroud International Textiles in partnership with the Museum in the Park’s Learning Officer will be organising school visits and encouraging young people to engage with contemporary craft and to take that learning and understanding back into the classroom.
There will be teaching notes and information on each discipline available for young people and visitors.
5 January – 21 February Cast Glass from Sally Fawkes, Richard Jackson & Monette Larsen
23 February -17 April Willow from Mary Butcher and Dail Behennah
1 May – 30 May Textiles with Needle felt artist Annie Hutchinson (part of the annual festival)
You will discover ‘In the Making’ in the foyer of the Museum.
Entrance Free
Opening Times:
January – March Tuesday – Friday 10 am- 4 pm Saturdays & Sundays 11 – 4 pm
April – June Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm Saturday & Sunday 11 – 5 pm
Contact: Stroud International 01453 808076 & Museum in the Park 01453 763394
Christmas at Pangolin
Posted by Culture Vulture in Art, Crafts on November 19th, 2009
Join Gallery Pangolin for a festive mix of old and new with plenty of ideas for Christmas!
Gallery Pangolin’s Christmas show brings together some forgotten treasures and exciting new sculpture by gallery artists including Anthony Abrahams, David Backhouse, Jon Buck, Lynn Chadwick, Ann Christopher, Terence Coventry, Abigail Fallis, Anita Mandl, Charlotte Mayer, Peter Randall- Page and Almuth Tebbenhoff. To add just a hint of spice, we’ve also included work by artists new to the gallery, Robert Aberdein, David Bailey, Adam Binder, John Sydney Carter, Dorothy Cross and Jason Wason.
See www.gallery-pangolin.com for more details.
Textile Holiday Tours
Posted by Culture Vulture in Crafts, Tours on September 4th, 2009
Textile Holiday Tours is a new venture offering specialist, small-group textile tours within the UK.
It offers the chance to enjoy and be inspired by the rich variety of textiles, both historic and contemporary, in stately homes, churches, cathedrals, castles, cottages and studios across the UK.
Stroud International Textiles has close associations with Textile Holiday Tours (which works across Britain) through its incredible textile heritage and contemporary scene.
Lorraine Traer-Clark (above) started the business to reflect her own passion for the subject and to remedy the lack of ways to discover all things textile. More details can be found at www.textileholidaytours.co.uk.
the artdepot at Tewkesbury’s ‘Awaken Your Senses’
Posted by Culture Vulture in Art, Crafts, Events on September 4th, 2009
Tewkesbury’s ‘Awaken Your Senses’ Festival goes from strength to strength.
Head for this pretty town on the edge of the Cotswolds between 11-13th of September for some great events.
As part of the Festival, the artdepot will be holding an exhibition in the Town Hall featuring 19 talented local artists, with a variety of paintings, sculpture, photography, prints and textiles, on hand throughout the exhibition.
Guild Of Craftsmen Summer Show
Posted by Culture Vulture in Art, Crafts, Events on July 29th, 2009
The Painswick Summer Show is a selling exhibition across a range of media such as jewellery and furniture. It runs 1-31 August with demos at weekends.
Toff Milway – salt glaze potter
Paul Spriggs – furniture maker
Saturday 8 August
Anne Rogers – feltmaker
Sarah Pearson Cooke – Shibori textiles
Saturday 15 August
Richard Bossons and Rita Dawe – stonecarvers
Saturday 29 August
Susan Early – basketmaker – “Willow World”
Val Michael – leatherworker
Discovering the Forest of Dean
Posted by Culture Vulture in Crafts on July 14th, 2009
Discover the story of the Forest, in the heart of the Forest, at Dean Heritage Centre.
Step out into the woodland to experience the lives of charcoal burners, traditional cottage-dwellers, and free miners.
Explore a Victorian Foresters’ cottage, free mine entrance, and charcoal burners camp. An impressive waterwheel and beam engine are also on show. Indoors the museum tells the history of a beautiful Forest formed by an industrial past.
For families, dressing up clothes, craft activities, and trails around the museum provide plenty to occupy everyone – not to mention our brilliant adventure playground. Picnic areas and specially built barbeques can be found around the site.
An exciting programme of events runs throughout the year; including archaeology, geology, mosiacs and a rural skills day. Visit www.deanheritagemuseum.com for full details.
Open Studios Art Trail
Posted by Culture Vulture in Art, Crafts, Events on July 2nd, 2009
The Open Studios Art Trail is a unique opportunity to talk with a wide variety of individual artists and makers and has been happening for the last 20 years. Come and discover the wonderful wealth of talent abounding in the Forest of Dean during July, as artists open their studios for you to visit, talk about and perhaps buy. All have been busy creating works for you to enjoy. Taster sessions at Taurus Crafts take place from 4th – 26th July. See www.tauruscrafts.co.uk for more details.
Made in the Dean – Proud to be Seen
Posted by Culture Vulture in Art, Crafts on July 1st, 2009
Just west of the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean is a beautiful ancient forest that is also a hotbed of creativity: known as a centre for art, design and making of a very high standard. Many of the makers are hidden away in homes and workshops, so to ensure that their work can be seen, bigartweb.net offers a virtual gallery where the work of over 65 members can be viewed.
Of course nothing quite beats meeting the artists and the Forest and Wye is a great place to be. You can plan your own individual arts tour by using the online guide or requesting a free copy of the Forest and Wye BigArtGuide. All the artists and craftspeople may be contacted direct and you can arrange to visit them all year round, for a chat, a browse or maybe advice regarding a commission.
To see and buy individual and unique arts and crafts, a permanent display of members’ work – “Made in the Dean – Proud to be seen” – can be found at the Tourist Information Centre in Coleford.