March events!!!!

LATE JUNE UPDATES

Monday, 28 June 2010

1. More copies are available of the "Anniversary Book" at the special price of £10 – you can order via the website or by contacting me. There is a postal charge of £5 per copy.

2. Sadly John Macleod died last Friday, 18th June.

 
His funeral will take place on Wednesday, 30th June at 12.00 midday at Over church,near Cambridge.

3. the William Morris Gallery has a call for entries for an exhibition inspired by William Morris - the prize is a solo exhibition for the winning artist. It is open to all London-based artists - but the deadline is 1st July. http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/william-morris

4. New Members:
Rebecca Jewell – artist and printmaker - www.rebeccajewell.com
Geoffrey Preston – plasterer - www.geoffreypreston.co.uk
Susanna Edwards – graphic designer - www.susannaedwards.com
Kirsty McDougall – weaver, textile designer - www.dashingtweeds.co.uk
Angie Lewin – printer - www.angielewin.co.uk
Dr Hugh Cullun – architect - www.hughcullum.com
Jane Nissen – publisher - www.janenissenbooks.co.uk
Rosie Wolfenden – jewellery designer - www.tattydevine.com
Mark Miodownik – Scientist - www.markmiodownik.net
Glen Adamson – achademic - www.vam.ac.uk/about_va/whoswho/dept_research/glenn-adamson/index.html
Rian Kanduth – gilder -
Geoffrey Wonnacott – cabinet maker – miniature -  geoffrey.wonnacott.org
Jason Amesbury  - shoe maker -
Suleyman Saba – ceramicist - www.suleymansaba.com

5. the National Heritage Ironwork Group
Have a special ‘Wrought Ironwork’ event at Hampton Court Palace which will provide an invaluable insight into why the group established itself and how it is working towards securing the future of this currently undervalued art form which is at risk.

The Artworkers Guild, I am sure will want to help secure the future of UK's rich heritage of wrought ironwork.
For an invitation to the event Please contact Bethan Griffiths, Secretary
National Heritage Ironwork Group
01483 20 20 27     07941 127 024
www.nhig.org.uk

6. Dates for your diaries over the summer:
1st July – Games night 6 – 8pm
12th July – film night – ‘7:30pm showing - "I KNOW WHERE I AM GOING" a film by Powell & Pressburger
21st July – Garden Party 4 – 8pm in Queen Square
16th August – 2nd Film Night – 7:30pm a series of animation shorts
2nd September – Games Night 6 – 8pm  
18th – 19th September – OPEN HOUSE and MEMBERS EXHIBITION
(organized by Brother Gareth Mason, volunteers needed)

Something I forgot to point out in May, Brother Phil Able was featured in a series of short films by the Guardian newspaper:

www.guardian.co.uk/money/series/disappearing-acts

May HIGHLIGHTS!!!!!!

Thursday, 06 May 2010

* Brother Bliss has published a fine book of woodengravings with a private press called Miss Margaret Beardsley of Ivy Cottage

She is selling her book for £45 each, but the print run is small, so get in there quick!

* There will be an exhibiion of new paintings by a painter from our Bloomsbury neighbourhood - Geoff Harrison in the Gradidge room from the 24th - 30th May.

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* Brother Julie Westbury has some new work for sale at
"LUNA & CURIOUS"
on show for a few weeks only

198 Brick Lane, London E1 6SA
Tel: 020 7033 4411

www.lunaandcurious.com

* Brother Anne Hickmott is exhibiting at two events:

1.    Wondsworth Artists Co-operation
An exhibition at the Putney Exchange
7 – 9 May

2. Sound Impressions @ the Musical Museum in Brentford
14 May – 31st Jul
by the Richmond Printmakers

Private View is on Friday the 14th May 6 – 8pm
All Brethren are welcome.  There will be free drinks or 3!

MID MARCH UPDATES

Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Stanley picker gallery presents
LOUDER THAN BOMBS
9th February – 27th March
(in collaboration with the Live Art Development Agency)
where Brother Rachel Mathews will be performing with her artistic partner under their trade name “Prick Your Finger”
www.stanleypickergallery.org
in Kingston upon Thames, entry FREE

Blacksmith Brother Chris Topp is one of the founders of the National Ironwork Group. Its objective is to overcome the indifference to the craftsmanship involved in historic blacksmith-made wrought-ironwork, skills needed for the future if we are to conserve and restore them. At present these tasks can be done by unqualified blacksmiths and it is the aim of the group to set the standards of training. For more information look at their website: www.nhig.org.uk

The Geedon Gallery in Essex(run by Brother Jaqueline Taber) is holding a SPRING EXHIBITION with works by Brother Prue Cooper and Tracy Sheppard amongst many others.
March 27th – 12th April
Jaggers, Fingringhoe, Colchester, Essex Tel: 01206 728587
www.geedongallery.co.uk


PM Patrick Reyntiens DOCUMENTARY FILM BENEFIT
Will be held at the Glaziers Hall on April 12th
The speakers are Graham Jones & Danny Lane
Tickets are £20, if you are interested in going please contact John Ryntiens
Tel: 020 77298718 or e-mail: prfilmbenefit@gmail.com
(some of his work is on sale, starting at £90)

21st Century Furniture II
The Arts & Craft Legacy: Today’s Designer Makers
A selling exhibition at the Millinary Works Gallery, including works by Brother Martin Grierson.
85/87 Southgate Road, Islington, London N1 3JS
Tel: 0207 3592019
Sunday 28th March – 25th April
Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 12 to 5pm

STONE SPEAK
15th April 2010 – 16th July 2010
Exhibition by Jane McAdam Freud
Featuring new works inspired by the concept of ‘a writing duo’
Working from the authors Helen Fry and James Hamilton (JH Schryer)
PRIVATE VIEW
Thursday 15th April 2010 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Freud Museum London
20 Maresfield Gardens NW3 5SX
Tel: 020 7435 2002
Opening hours: 12noon – 5pm Wed - Sun

CRAFTS COUNCIL
There’s still time tosign up for CRAFT MATTERS

www.craftmatters.org.uk/about

And this Thursday look out for the first Craft Rally: a programme of inspirational presentations, discussions, performances, networking and socialising, taking place in London on 25 March and Sheffield on 23 April.
Participate, investigate and celebrate the breadth of approaches within contemporary craft at this inclusive and dynamic opportunity for makers to exchange information and ideas. Craft Rally is designed with makers, by makers, for makers.

http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/professional-development/maker-development/craft-rally/

And Lastly .... Guild Secretary Monica Grose-Hodge

went to the launch of the Heritage Craft Association (HCA) at the V&A on Tuesday 23rd March where no less than three Past Masters where lauded as crusaders for traditional crafts and many delegates where familiare with 6 Queen Square. The Secretary chaired a table to discuss the importance of heritage crafts, the issues it faces and how we can contrubute towards its future. Please look at the website and sign up!

www.heritagecrafts.org.uk

March events!!!!

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

CRAFT MATTERS:
I went to see another presentation of the new initiative by the CRAFTS COUNCIL called CRAFT MATTERS. As far as I understand, all they want us to do is sign a petition and the only reason I can see them needing a petition is to drum up support for the Crafts Council. They have only managed to collect 6000 signatures, despite the fact that there are 35,000 registered makers in the UK.

I can't help wondering if they would get more support if they laid out why it is worth supporting the Crafts Council and what they intend to do for makers in the future.

Craft is enjoying a resurgence in the Art world and while some get bogged down in the meaning of words and the relationship between design and making, the new generation is bored with 'cerebral conceptualism' and is re-discovering the 'magic of making'.
Whether the creative student pursues a career as an artist, investigating process as a means to an end or as a craftsman who aims to master a particular skill, is not for anyone to decide. What is clear, is that there is again a real interest amongst people to learn new craft skills or to take their existing craft skills further.

What the Crafts Council do well is publish CRAFTS magazine. In the current issue there is an article covering the exhibition due to be held at MAD in New York, underlying this very issue - DEAD or ALIVE; an exhibitionof young artists using unusual materials.
http://madmuseum.org/


Two exhibitions that I shall be going to are both at the CAA
http://www.caa.org.uk/

The first one is showcasing "Pins" by Brother Vicki Ambery-Smith and is calledt:
The Honey Bee and the Hive (at Contemporary Applied Arts) from 26 March - 1 May

and at the moment there is:

Intelligent Trouble: A Curious Exchange

19th February - 20th March

Discussions will be
facilitated in the gallery
by Helen Carnac, Lin
Cheung, David Clarke
and David Gates (see images of cabinet attached) on:
Wed 10 March 4pm
Wed 17 March 6.30pm

All of whom came to the Guild recently to meet a number of Brethren and hear about the Guild's past and present goals. We hope to welcome them to Ordinary Meetings soon. 

NEW YEAR notices

Tuesday, 05 January 2010

Very warm wishes for a "Happy New Year". Time to set goals and re-assess priorities. The Guild has established some important ties in the last couple of years and this would be a good moment to list some of them and let you know what they are up to this year.

1. While studying the craft industry in Spain I was made aware of how well the British organize themselves and how much more effective independent associations can be than well intentioned but bureaucratic government initiatives. An English weaver married to a Spanish basket maker introduced me to the Heritage Craft Association, chaired by Robin Wood, a wood turner himself, who has got together with heads of various specialized craft associations is actively lobbying for Government to aid apprenticeships in the same way they give financial aid to degrees and career development schemes.

The Heritage Craft Association would like all craftsmen and women to fill out a short questionnaire, please go to their website for further information: http://heritagecraftsassociation.blogspot.com/2009/12/heritage-crafts-association-seeks-input.html

2. Towards the end of the year I was invited to a presentation by the British Crafts Council, they have come up with the seemingly vacuous notion of getting as many people as possible to sign a petition saying you care about Crafts "CRAFT MATTERS". However, as banally obvious as that is to us, perhaps having a significant amount of signatures is what is necessary to lobby on behalf of our industry and so I urge that you do, in fact, sign this silly thing - no pain no gain!

To sign up to the statement 'I'm signing up to Make Craft Count because Craft Matters to me', visit www.craftscouncil.org.uk/craftmatters.

The Art Workers Guild is a Partner of the Cultural Bloomsbury networking group: http://www.culturalbloomsbury.org/breakfasts.html

Interesting exhibition to see: CRAFTIVISM in Bristol: http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/details/549

November Notices

Wednesday, 04 November 2009

1. Daphne Gradidge has a foyer exhibition of her paintings at Turner Sims at the University of Southampton, which runs until the 6th November.

2. Next Life Drawing Class is on the 26th November – sign up with Monica

3. A refurbishment project by Stephen Oliver at Church in Wolverhampton

Other Guildsmen who worked directly on this include Rory Young and Katie Worthington.

The project can truly be described as a Guild collaboration – it came via Fr Anthony Symondson (a good friend of the Guild) to Hugh Petter and thence to Stephen Oliver.  Brother Rory Young was helped out on site by Andy Mitchell, so from its earliest stages of the project, the Guild has been there!

4.

5. The Christmas Fair this year will fall on Sunday 6th December, please come and support with friends and family. There are still some stalls left to hire, contact the Guild Secretary as soon as possible if you are interested to participate in this very social and festive event!!

Barcelona 1

Friday, 31 July 2009

My first interview is with 'Artesania Catalana', I was told at the beginning of my trip that Catalunia is the most advanced province in terms of helping crafts gain recognition.

This office was set up specifically to promote traditional and contemporary crafts. They have a gallery space, publish a monthly magazine called "", and they organize different projects. Significantly Barcelona has some of the best schools in ceramics, graphics and design. It also has more Museums than other provinces and the Decorative Arts museum is better than the one in Madrid!

Since 2007 they have started putting modern designers together with traditional craftsmen to produce new products using the traditional methods. They have had some success, although when I asked where could I see this collection of objects I was told that the objects belonged to the designers so there was no link between them, they where trying to produce a website with all the objects on them.

The offices where situated in the old part of the city and it was interesting to see that here you do find antique shops selling Spanish antiques other than religious artifacts. I also saw workshops for upholsterers and furniture restorers. I arrived early for the interview so that I could have a quick peak at the famous "Bour" Market.

On the Wednesday I had a busy day first seeing Oscar Abba, an Italian jeweler living in Barcelona for a very long time.

He studied Philosophy at University in Rome and then came to Barcelona to do jewelry at the famous Massana School.

He admits to being a bit of an odd ball and prefers to work in projects where his client asks him to produce something relating to a piece of art or building. He has had commissions from the Porche Foundation and the V&A.

We talked more about philosophy over a cup of coffee.

I then went to see Leo.

He and his partner set up a gallery (klimt@klimt02.net) specializing in contemporary jewelry and a website that offers a very comprehensive view of the "advent guard" jewelry scene. I was surprised that no one had asked them their opinions on how to market/improve Spanish jewelry, neither the government, or the schools.

In the afternoon I went to see the ONLY wallpaper producers in Spain. I was quite excited about this because as some of you know I am a Trustee of the Wallpaper History Society, so this meeting was a must!

Dani is the third generation in the family working in the firm and the and his brothers have revolutionized the business by getting famous designers to produce designs for them and improving distribution so that the can deliver anywhere in Spain within 24 hours. The get all their papers printed in Valencia and use rollers, no digital printing yet. This year is the first year they are also producing some fabrics. www.trestintas.com

You can see their product in Chelsea Harbour!

My final picture was taken inside the famous design shop Vincom, full of fab gadgets we can probably live without, but a really well designed shop with very tasteful things, well worth a visit.

They had an exhibition on the Barbie phenomenon, which I had to resist.