News

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

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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. 

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