In:Site Learn Talk with Julia Rowntree
2022-02-10 13:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | West Midlands
Making the most of your In:Site Live day, working with people and organisations, developing projects & workshops
Talk and Q&A with Julia Rowntree
Closed event.
This event is part of In:Site Learn and is for artists selected to take part in In:Site 2022.
In:Site Learn focusses on practice and career development, supporting emerging artists and makers to develop the skills, experience, knowledge and confidence needed to progress and expand their career paths. The programme combines the real-life stories, experiences and knowledge of craft, art and design professionals alongside group or one-to-one mentoring, networking opportunities and support from Craftspace. The In:Site Learn talks and mentoring programme features an exciting cohort of UK based and international artists, craftspeople and designers including Ibukun Baldwin, Stefano Santilli, Rebekah Frank, Laura Slater, Anna Ray and Julia Rowntree.
In:Site is an annual event in the centre of Birmingham, which provides an opportunity for selected new arts graduates to create bespoke, site-specific artworks.

We are Commoners
2022-02-05 - 2022-04-23 | The Civic, Barnsley., Hanson St, Barnsley, S70 2HZ, United Kingdom
Creative Acts of Commoning
This exhibition invites you to become or recognise yourself as a ‘Commoner’. Featuring UK and international artists, the projects exhibited here represent ideas and resources to inspire acts of commoning.
Including new work by artists: Amy Twigger Holroyd, Deirdre Nelson, Linda Brothwell, Blackwater Polytechnic: (a collaboration created by Ben Coode-Adams and Freddie Robins), Jacky Oliver, Common Agency Projects (Shane Waltener & Laura Glaser), Lise Bjørne Linnert with Gelawesh Waledkhani, Rachael Colley, Alinah Azadeh, Hefin Jones and Kate Hodgson.
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 9am – 5pm
Free Admission.
Update March 2021: Please check the venue website for local restrictions due to COVID-19.
Image: Claudia Rodriguez and Ana Joaquina Ramirez, REDES Project Procession (Photo: Metztli Cerda)

In:Site Learn Talk with Laura Slater & Anna Ray
2022-01-11 13:30 - 16:30 | West Midlands
Printed and constructed textiles: surface pattern & print, commercial textiles, small & big business collaborations, experimental working processes, constructed textiles and working with gallery settings.
Talk and Q&A with Laura Slater & Anna Ray
Closed event.
This event is part of In:Site Learn and is for artists selected to take part in In:Site 2022.
In:Site Learn focusses on practice and career development, supporting emerging artists and makers to develop the skills, experience, knowledge and confidence needed to progress and expand their career paths. The programme combines the real-life stories, experiences and knowledge of craft, art and design professionals alongside group or one-to-one mentoring, networking opportunities and support from Craftspace. The In:Site Learn talks and mentoring programme features an exciting cohort of UK based and international artists, craftspeople and designers including Ibukun Baldwin, Stefano Santilli, Rebekah Frank, Laura Slater, Anna Ray and Julia Rowntree.
In:Site is an annual event in the centre of Birmingham, which provides an opportunity for selected new arts graduates to create bespoke, site-specific artworks.

Craftspace at Christmas in Cathedral Square
2021-12-16 11:00 - 20:00 | Birmingham Cathedral, Colmore Row, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 2QB, United Kingdom
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone as craft fairs reopen this Christmas, come along to say hello! We’ll have lots of gift inspiration including jewellery from Shelanu, DIY brooch kits and our new We are Commoners merchandise.
Christmas in Cathedral Square will take place in the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral between 17 November-19 December 2021, offering a mixture of craft, gift and food and drink stalls. We’ll be there on the 16th December.
Image: Commons Sense should bag, £19.50.
Or, buy online in the Craftspace shop.

YARNING
2021-12-15 15:30 - 16:30 | West Midlands
The ongoing development of Yarning is supported by Craftspace with more to come in 2022.
Read more about Yarning in our archive.

Trevor Pitt presents a live streaming of his play YARNING: four women spin tales of life, survival and knitting for Christmas

About this event

In association with Yardley Great Trust Group, Trevor Pitt presents his play YARNING as a live streamed event. In response to Covid restrictions the play has been adapted so that it can be experienced by people at home, and in particular older people in residential care settings. Trevor has been working with Yardley Great Trust Group and their residents to create a heartwarming and life affirming event.
Booking
Book you free place online via Eventbrite.
5 days before the performance you will be sent a link to watch the performance that will be streamed live via Youtube. You will also be sent a Zoom link to join an after performance discussion with the writer Trevor Pitt, director Jake Oldershaw and actors Debra Baker, Norma Cohen, Kitty Martin and Jenny Earl.
About the play
Premiered in 2016 it played to ‘sold out’ audiences at Midlands Arts Centre. Four women spin yarns of their lives and how they grew up with knitting. Performed as a series of interweaving monologues, each story is life affirming, telling of survival against the odds to achieve a dream.
Trevor’s first play draws on 10 years working with knitters, spinners and sheep farmers from across the country. Using recordings he made with the remarkable women he met along the way, Yarning tells four women’s life stories:
At the age of 9 Greta went to live at the Doctor’s house with her Aunty who was an amazing knitter.
Betty moved her family from Manchester to Cumbria to become a sheep farmer.
Gloria was born in Oxford Workhouse and raised by relatives who all knitted.
Marion’s house is full to the rafters with wool and crafting paraphernalia and she loves it.
YARNING is supported using public funding by Arts Council England .

In:Site Learn Talk with Rebekah Frank
2021-12-09 18:00 - 20:00 | West Midlands
Career and practice: unpredictability, success and failure, navigating your own path

Hosted by Rebekah Frank and includes a chain-making demonstration.
Closed event.
This event is part of In:Site Learn and is for artists selected to take part in In:Site 2022.
In:Site Learn focusses on practice and career development, supporting emerging artists and makers to develop the skills, experience, knowledge and confidence needed to progress and expand their career paths. The programme combines the real-life stories, experiences and knowledge of craft, art and design professionals alongside group or one-to-one mentoring, networking opportunities and support from Craftspace. The In:Site Learn talks and mentoring programme features an exciting cohort of UK based and international artists, craftspeople and designers including Ibukun Baldwin, Stefano Santilli, Rebekah Frank, Laura Slater, Anna Ray and Julia Rowntree.
In:Site is an annual event in the centre of Birmingham, which provides an opportunity for selected new arts graduates to create bespoke, site-specific artworks.

Shelanu at MAC Christmas Arts Markets
2021-12-04 11:00 - 17:00, 2021-11-27 11:00 - 17:00 | Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH, United Kingdom
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone as craft fairs reopen this Christmas, come along to say hello! We’ll have lots of gift inspiration including jewellery from Shelanu.
Expect a range of stalls with a wonderful selection of quality handmade products including ceramics, jewellery, paintings, and craft items. The markets are free to attend and take place from 11am – 5pm, with stalls throughout MAC’s bustling public spaces and First Floor Gallery.

Shelanu at Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair
2021-12-04 | West Midlands
GNCCF is an online fair showcasing some of the very best contemporary craft. We’ll have lots of gift inspiration including jewellery from Shelanu.

In:Site Learn Talk with Ibukun Baldwin & Stefano Santilli
2021-11-29 13:30 - 16:30 | West Midlands
Ethical production, the circular economy & working with people
Ibukun Baldwin will be hosting a talk with a Q&A session and Stefano Santilli will follow with a talk & activity.
Closed event.
This event is part of In:Site Learn and is for artists selected to take part in In:Site 2022.
In:Site Learn focusses on practice and career development, supporting emerging artists and makers to develop the skills, experience, knowledge and confidence needed to progress and expand their career paths. The programme combines the real-life stories, experiences and knowledge of craft, art and design professionals alongside group or one-to-one mentoring, networking opportunities and support from Craftspace. The In:Site Learn talks and mentoring programme features an exciting cohort of UK based and international artists, craftspeople and designers including Ibukun Baldwin, Stefano Santilli, Rebekah Frank, Laura Slater, Anna Ray and Julia Rowntree.
In:Site is an annual event in the centre of Birmingham, which provides an opportunity for selected new arts graduates to create bespoke, site-specific artworks.

Craftspace at Paperdolls Christmas Market
2021-11-28 11:00 - 18:00 | The Custard Factory, Gibb STreet, B9 4AA
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone as craft fairs reopen this Christmas, come along to say hello! We’ll have lots of gift inspiration including jewellery from Shelanu, DIY brooch kits and our new We are Commoners merchandise.
The market returns to Birmingham’s Custard Factory on Sunday, November 28th. Expect top quality, contemporary craft by a hugely talented group of artisans and designer makers.
Image: Commons Sense should bag, £19.50.

We are Commoners: Day of Commoning
2021-11-13 11:00 - 17:00 | Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ14 9AF, United Kingdom
Find out more about We are Commoners
Visit the exhibition, at Devon Guild until 13 November 2021.

Free activities and events, online at the Digital Craft Festival and in person at Devon Guild.
Join us for a day of commoning through craft, exploring ideas around Fashion Commons and offering alternatives that avoid a wasteful throwaway culture. Valuing skills and creativity in maintenance, repair and re-use.
Activities include: a screening of short films, garment exchange, commoning marketplace, a guided tour and a panel discussion.
Schedule
Check the Devon Guild and Digital Craft Festival website for more details and booking details for workshops.
All day events, 11am – 5pm (In person. Drop in.)

Film screening
Screening of short films made by artists about their acts of commoning.
Blue Fashion Commons
Bring your blue garments to exchange or repair. Experiment with folk motifs in chain stitch.
Commoning Marketplace
Activities and information from local projects: MEND Assembly, Fibershed, Precious Plastic Plymouth, Green Maker Initiative/Low Carbon Devon and S4S Project.

1pm (Screening & Online.)

Panel discussion
On the theme of Fashion Commons. Including artist Amy Twigger Holroyd. (Check online to watch.)

3.30pm (In person.)

Exhibition tour
A tour of We are Commoners with one of the Craftspace curators.
(Check online to book.)

Make a Zine (SHOUT x CRAFTSPACE)
2021-10-23 13:00 - 15:30 | Birmingham LGBT Centre, 38/40 Holloway Circus, Birmingham, B1 1EQ
“Make a Zine” is a craft workshop developed by Craftspace for the SHOUT 2021 Festival.
Book online via Eventbrite.

SHOUT invite you to participate in an upcoming FREE workshop that supports intergenerational conversations within our community. This event is part of SHOUT’s efforts to develop a platform that focuses on bringing together people of different ages to share their life stories and is supported by Ageing Better LGBT Hub.

“Make a Zine” was originally designed by Craftspace and artist Seleena Laverne Daye for the Making for Change project. Zine-making is a widely appealing and accessible format often used for talking about identity. It incorporates writing, drawing, collage and stitch with the aim to develop a way to visually communicate one’s story and one’s experience. To see the previous iteration of the workshop click HERE.
Throughout this workshop, you will have a chance to make a Zine while sharing and talking about your experiences of the commonalities and differences in relation to the social and political changes that are affecting our LGBTQ+ community.
The Zines you create will be displayed in the Birmingham LGBT Centre.
This activity will be led by Jacob Monk who is a Lancashire born hand-weaver and textile artist now based in London. Jacob’s design process celebrates the history and craftsmanship that goes into making an ikat fabric, whilst using contrasting colour combinations to create contemporary artworks.
The event will take place at Birmingham LGBT Centre on 23rd October 2021 between 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm.
There is a limited amount of spaces available; make sure you book your ticket before attending!
Book online via Eventbrite.

We are Commoners: Day of Commoning
2021-10-17 11:00 - 17:00 | Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH, United Kingdom
Find out more about We are Commoners
Visit the exhibition, at MAC until January 2022.

Free activities and events, online and in person at MAC!
Join us for a day of commoning through craft exploring themes of co-operating, healing and claiming.
Activities include: a celebration of stitch, a drop-in make and take jewellery workshop, an online stitch repair workshop, a screening of short films, a BSL guided tour, an artist talk and panel discussion on the theme of care and repair.
Schedule
Check the MAC website for more details and booking details for workshops.
All day events, 11am – 5pm (In person. Drop in.)

Screening of short films made by artists about their acts of commoning.
Drop-in pendant making workshop using food waste and natural foraged materials with artist Rachael Colley.

11.30am–12.30pm (Online. Bookable)

Online stitch repair workshop with artist Alinah Azadeh. Join Alinah to make visible repairs to clothing that means something to you whilst talking about repair and mending as a way to heal ourselves.

12pm – 3pm (In person. Drop in.)

A celebration of stitch as resource, ritual and skill that is shared in common across all cultures. Gather with textile artists Ranbir Kaur, Mahawa Keita and local stitchers to exchange skills or watch a demo. If you’re a stitcher feel free to bring your samples or demonstrate and share your skills.

1.30pm – 2.30pm (In person. Bookable.)

Artist talk and panel discussion:
Rachael Colley will give an illustrated talk about her work and material experiments. Rachel is inspired by circular design and zero waste principles.
The panel discussion, on the themes of care and repair, will be chaired by ‘field philosopher’ Jeremy Kidwell from the University of Birmingham.
This talk will also be live streamed and available to view here

2pm – 3pm (In person. Bookable.)

A BSL tour of the We are Commoners exhibition guided by artist Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq. In the People’s Postcode Community Gallery.

2.30pm – 5pm (Online)

Live stream screening of short films made by artists about their acts of commoning.
Available to view here

Medals for Everyday Courage (SHOUT x CRAFTSPACE)
2021-10-16 13:00 - 15:30 | Birmingham LGBT Centre, 38/40 Holloway Circus, Birmingham, B1 1EQ
**FULLY BOOKED**

“Medals for Everyday Courage” is a craft workshop developed by Craftspace for the SHOUT 2021 Festival.

SHOUT invite you to participate in an upcoming FREE workshop that supports intergenerational conversations within our community. This event is part of SHOUT’s efforts to develop a platform that focuses on bringing together people of different ages to share their life stories and is supported by Ageing Better.

“Medals for Everyday Courage” was originally designed by Craftspace and artist Alinah Azadeh with the aim to bring people together to produce medals for themselves or as a gift to someone else to celebrate and acknowledge their acts of courage, especially in this time of crisis. You can check out the video of the previous iteration of the workshops by clicking HERE.
Throughout this workshop, you will have a chance to make the medals while sharing and talking about your experiences of the commonalities and differences in relation to the social and political changes that are affecting our LGBTQ+ community.
The medals you create will be displayed in Birmingham LGBT Centre and a selection of them will be featured in the upcoming CRAFTSPACE exhibition at Midlands Arts Centre (November 2021).
This activity will be led by Karina Thompson, a Birmingham-based textile artist with over 30 years of experience in helping people tell the stories of their lives and neighbourhoods using creative processes. Although primarily working with textiles, she often uses a wide range of materials and digital processes to enhance people’s making. She has led projects in spaces as diverse as a wood, an isolation ward for cancer patients, a young offenders’ centre and a robotics research facility.
The event will take place at Birmingham LGBT Centre on 16th October 2021 between 1 pm and 3:30 pm.

We are Commoners: MAC showcase
2021-10-09 - 2022-01-16 | Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH, United Kingdom
Featuring projects by We are Commoners artists: Alinah Azadeh, Ele Carpenter, Alice McLean and Justine Boussard, Linda Brothwell, Lise Bjørne Linnert and Gelwesh Waledkhani.
At MAC you can see a showcase of community work linked to We Are Commoners, our national touring exhibition which explores the contemporary commons movement. Artist-led projects and workshops encouraged ‘acts of commoning’ – actions of shared benefit to a group – within local communities in Birmingham and Norway. Also featured is Linda Brothwell’s Acts of Care Bench Repair Project in Bristol.
In this showcase, craft skills and materials provide a means to common. The projects featured demonstrate the need to imagine a more collectively-made and owned future. The artists’ projects are represented across three themes: Claiming, Healing and Co-operating. They all suggest a shift in thinking from ‘you’re on your own’ to ‘we’re in this together.’
We hope visitors will feel encouraged by the examples of co-operative action. To experiment, seek out exchange and make connections with people, objects, spaces and their environments. #WeAreCommoners
“The commons means: Things we share/ Places we share/ Systems we share/ Ideas we share/ Culture we share.” – Peter Barnes, On the Commons co-founder
More details on the MAC website.

Exhibition: Presence and Absence
2021-10-05 - 2022-08-06 | Crafts Study Centre, Falkner Road, Farnham, GU9 7DS
This is a Craftspace consultancy project, working with Crafts Study Centre.
Presence and Absence is curated by Deirdre Figueiredo with Dr Stephen Knott. Although the selection of works will be fundamentally based on the CSC’s permanent collections and archives, as independent curators they will seek new meanings from the careful assemblage of artefacts and records drawn from the foundation years of the CSC up to the present day.
The exhibition will, however, not be driven, as in the past, by a consideration of the work of a sole maker, curator or artist-trustee. It will directly respond to the gaps in the CSC collections. It will speak to the lack of a full diversity in collecting; the absence of work by makers of cultural backgrounds that are other than white British. It will ask why, how and why not? It will lay out the strengths and the weaknesses of the collection, and establish a profound benchmark for a new collecting regime, where a full and diverse range of practitioners, students, researchers and visitors might feel that the collection is relevant to their needs, interests and histories.
Entrance to the CSC and exhibitions is free.
Image: Kanama by Ranti Bam.

We are Commoners
2021-09-18 - 2021-11-13 | Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ14 9AF, United Kingdom
Creative Acts of Commoning
This exhibition invites you to become or recognise yourself as a ‘Commoner’. Featuring UK and international artists, the projects exhibited here represent ideas and resources to inspire acts of commoning.
Including new work by artists: Amy Twigger Holroyd, Deirdre Nelson, Linda Brothwell, Blackwater Polytechnic: (a collaboration created by Ben Coode-Adams and Freddie Robins), Jacky Oliver, Common Agency Projects (Shane Waltener & Laura Glaser), Lise Bjørne Linnert with Gelawesh Waledkhani, Rachael Colley, Alinah Azadeh, Hefin Jones and Kate Hodgson.
Opening Hours
Monday – Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday – Saturday: 11AM – 5PM
Sunday: Closed
Free Admission.
Update March 2021: Please check the venue website for local restrictions due to COVID-19.

Image: Claudia Rodriguez and Ana Joaquina Ramirez, REDES Project Procession (Photo: Metztli Cerda)

In:Site Revisited 2021
2021-09-08 - 2021-09-14 | Birmingham Cathedral, Colmore Row, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 2QB, United Kingdom
Artwork Trail
8th – 14th September
Birmingham Cathedral Square
Monday – Friday 7.30am – 6.30pm
Saturday & Sunday 7.30am – 5pm
Each year, Craftspace brings new BA and MA graduate makers, designers and artists to Cathedral Square with In:Site, an annual event showcasing new craft and design talent from across the UK.
For In:Site Revisited 2021, once again we present some of the work produced by In:Site makers and the public from the past five years. There are artworks on display throughout Cathedral Square that have responded to its architecture, history and heritage, drawing fresh attention to the imagery, stories and people to be found here.
In:Site Live will return to Cathedral Square in May 2022. Over five days, talented graduates will bring their work to the public who can watch and take part in a wide variety of different projects designed specifically for this city centre space. Free and accessible to all, the activities will focus on the environment and sustainability and show how art, craft and design is being used to raise awareness of important issues.
Scan the QR code on the posters around the square to access a map of all the artworks and find out more about the artists who made them.

We are Commoners
2021-07-10 - 2021-08-28 | Leicester Gallery, De Montfort University, Vijay Patel Building, Mill Lane, Leicester, LE2 7PT, United Kingdom
Creative Acts of Commoning
This exhibition invites you to become or recognise yourself as a ‘Commoner’. Featuring UK and international artists, the projects exhibited here represent ideas and resources to inspire acts of commoning.
Including new work by artists: Amy Twigger Holroyd, Deirdre Nelson, Linda Brothwell, Blackwater Polytechnic: (a collaboration created by Ben Coode-Adams and Freddie Robins), Jacky Oliver, Common Agency Projects (Shane Waltener & Laura Glaser), Lise Bjørne Linnert with Gelawesh Waledkhani, Rachael Colley, Alinah Azadeh, Hefin Jones and Kate Hodgson.
Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday – 12.00pm – 5.00pm
Closed bank holiday: Monday 31 August
Free Admission.
Update March 2021: Please check the venue website for local restrictions due to COVID-19.

Image: Claudia Rodriguez and Ana Joaquina Ramirez, REDES Project Procession (Photo: Metztli Cerda)

Crafting Worlds in Common Symposium
2021-06-24 13:30 - 20:30 | On-line event
Craftspace and Crafting the Commons Research Network warmly invite you to attend ‘Crafting Worlds in Common’ half day symposium (1.30pm – 5.30pm) followed by guided virtual tour of We are Commoners exhibition. (7.00pm-8.00pm). This symposium marks the outcome of a two-year collaboration between academics, curators, artists and makers exploring intersections between craft practices and ideas of the commons:

How might we create worlds in common?
How can we share resources, ideas and knowledge?
How we might foster a more collective relationship with the places where we live?

Contributors from the UK, Michigan, Norway and Puerto Rico.
Keynote speaker: Professor Peter Linebaugh, author of: ‘The Magna Carta Manifesto: Liberties and Commons for All’; ‘Stop, Thief! The Commons, Enclosures, and Resistance’ and ‘Red Round Globe Hot Burning: A Tale at the Crossroads of Commons and Closure, Race and Class, Love and Terror, and Kate and Ned Despard’.
Key contributor: Torange Khonsari , a researcher in the field of Cultural and Civic Commons.

Book and find out more via eventbrite.
The event will have live closed captioning.

Image: Alice McLean, Justine Boussard and the Walsall Road Allotment holders, Common Ground: The Walsall Road Allotments, Photo: Alice McLean

Crafting Conversations
2021-06-09 18:30 - 19:45 | On-line event
In Conversation with Artist Linda Brothwell & Leila Dawney cultural geographer.
Acts of Care: Bench Repair, is a 10 year project by artist Linda Brothwell. Linda uses bespoke tools she creates for herself and techniques often associated with ‘high craft’ to create projects that take ‘care’ as the core.
Her most recent iteration created for the City of Bristol features in our current exhibition We are Commoners and introduces a language of repair and care to benches throughout the City. Linda and Leila paired through the Crafting the Commons network attached to the exhibition. Leila’s research interests of how our idea of ‘public’ is changing framed these walking conversations to discuss themes of care & responsibly, maintenance and attention, dilapidation and austerity.
This online event is an opportunity to hear more about these conversations, and how public places and objects can provide an experience of being held and cared for.
Tickets:
Craftspace + members free priority booking
Non-members: £5.00

Image: Acts of Care: Bench Repair Project (detail of wooden slats with inlay for bench repairs within Bristol) by Linda Brothwell. Photo: Dewi Lloyd.

Craftspace+
Membership of the Craftspace+ community gives you priority access to special events and activities. Craftspace+ offers insights to the rich and varied world of contemporary making; behind the scenes access and inspirational knowledge which sheds light on current and future making.

Hey Craft! Connecting to Nature: Cut, Stick and Mindfulness – Collage Zine
2021-05-16 14:00 - 15:30 | West Midlands
A 1.5 hour creative workshop, for young people aged 16-25, to create your own collage zine using materials found in your home, garden or local nature.

This workshop is facilitated by graphic designer and artist Sharonjit Kaur Sutton. She is working with Craftspace on our Making for Change project. As part of Mental Health Awareness Week the workshop focuses on craft and making as a mindful activity to improve your sense of wellbeing. No specialist skills are required but you will need to supply your own basic tools and materials such as; paper, pen/pencil, scissors, glue, stickers/tape, scraps of paper and natural materials. Full list provided on registration.
This workshop takes place online using Zoom.
Click here to book on Eventbrite
Visit the Making for Change Expo for more craftivism ideas.

This event is part of Hey Craft! 2021 from the Crafts Council
As part of Get Creative – a nationwide campaign to support everyday creativity – this year the long-running participation festival formerly known as Hey Clay! will evolve into Hey Craft! and take place from Friday 14 – Sunday 16 May.
Hey Craft! Is open to all craft disciplines and experience levels, so whether you’re an emerging maker, studio collective or professional looking to learn a new skill – join the fun and help promote the transformative power of craft.

Hey Craft! Make an Everyday Courage Medal
2021-05-15 14:00 - 15:30 | West Midlands
Craft in Common is a series of five online workshops with artist Alinah Azadeh. It’s a resource for making and sharing things to get through difficult times and in solidarity. This workshop is themed around courage.
In this time of crisis we are all trying to be more courageous. Alinah invites you to make a medal celebrating the often-unacknowledged acts of everyday courage. “It’s courageous to: try new things, reach out for support, feel and share difficult feelings, be strong for others, tell truth to those who you love, find joy in small things and to keep focusing on what you love and have rather than what is lacking.”
Alinah invites you to make a medal for yourself or to gift to someone else. You can use materials found around the house.
This workshop takes place online using Zoom.
Click here to book on Eventbrite

This event is part of Hey Craft! 2021 from the Crafts Council
As part of Get Creative – a nationwide campaign to support everyday creativity – this year the long-running participation festival formerly known as Hey Clay! will evolve into Hey Craft! and take place from Friday 14 – Sunday 16 May.
Hey Craft! Is open to all craft disciplines and experience levels, so whether you’re an emerging maker, studio collective or professional looking to learn a new skill – join the fun and help promote the transformative power of craft.

We are Commoners
2021-03-26 - 2021-06-26 | Oriel Davies Gallery, The Park, Newtown, SY16 2NZ, United Kingdom
Creative Acts of Commoning
This exhibition invites you to become or recognise yourself as a ‘Commoner’. Featuring UK and international artists, the projects exhibited here represent ideas and resources to inspire acts of commoning.
Including new work by artists: Amy Twigger Holroyd, Deirdre Nelson, Linda Brothwell, Blackwater Polytechnic: (a collaboration created by Ben Coode-Adams and Freddie Robins), Jacky Oliver, Common Agency Projects (Shane Waltener & Laura Glaser), Lise Bjørne Linnert with Gelawesh Waledkhani, Rachael Colley, Alinah Azadeh, Hefin Jones and Kate Hodgson.
Find out more about We are Commoners.
Opening Hours
Mon: CLOSED
Tue – Sun: 11:00 – 15:00
Free Admission.
Update May 2021: Please check the venue website for local restrictions due to COVID-19.

Image: Claudia Rodriguez and Ana Joaquina Ramirez, REDES Project Procession (Photo: Metztli Cerda)

The Peter Dormer Lecture
2021-01-25 19:00 | West Midlands
Image: Grayson Perry, Coming Out Dress. Photo: Rob Weiss
“A people’s art is the genesis of their freedom”
The 2020 Annual Peter Dormer Lecture has been slightly delayed but we’re really excited that the guest speaker for first digital version of the lecture will be our Director, Deirdre Figueiredo.
Deirdre joins a list of diverse and high profile speakers including Grayson Perry, Richard Wentworth, Martina Margetts and Edmund de Waal.
Watch and download summaries of previous lectures on the RCA website.
The 2020 Peter Dormer Lecture, hosted by the Royal College of Art will take place on:
Monday 25th January 2021, 7pm
Free
Online, via Zoom
Click here for more info and booking details.

Embroidered Digital Commons - Stitching Together Online
2020-12-02 18:00 - 19:00 | Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH, United Kingdom
Free. Booking essential.
This is the second in the Embroidered Digital Commons online workshops. This session will be an opportunity to catch up with the rest of the Portability group and continue to stitch your patch.
More details and booking information.
The introductory workshop takes place on 11 November 2020.

Embroidered Digital Commons - Introductory Zoom Talk & Workshop with Ele Carpenter
2020-11-11 18:00 - 19:00 | West Midlands
Are you an embroiderer or coder based in Birmingham?
Join artist Ele Carpenter to create a collective artwork which will be displayed in We Are Commoners, a national touring exhibition, launching next year (2021). You will be stitching part of the term ‘Portability’ for the Embroidered Digital Commons.
More information and booking details here.
Deadline for registration: 30 Ocotober 2020.

In:Site Festival: Revisited 2020
2020-09-11 11:00 - 2020-09-17 16:00 | Birmingham Cathedral, Colmore Row, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 2QB, United Kingdom
Exhibition
11 – 17 September 2020
Monday – Friday 7.30am – 6.30pm Saturday & Sunday 7.30am – 5pm
Each September, Craftspace brings new graduate makers, designers and artists to Cathedral Square with In:Site, an annual event showcasing new craft and design talent from across the UK. In:Site encourages a large public audience to watch, make and take part in contemporary art and craft activities in this unexpected, city centre space.
With artworks displayed around Cathedral Square, In:Site 2020 Festival Revisited showcases the work of In:Site makers from the past five years. Artworks on display have responded to the Square’s architecture, history and heritage, drawing fresh attention to the imagery, stories and people to be found there.
Download the map on the blog from Friday 11th September..
Talk and Workshop **THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND WILL BE MOVED ONLINE**
Friday 12 September
2 – 4pm
Take part in an outdoor workshop with previous In:Site artist, jeweller and enameller Naomi Clarke inspired by the heritage of the Cathedral and Square. You will learn about Naomi’s work, her interest in heritage and about enamelling, a heritage technique, creating your own small, enamel artwork to take home. You can also find out more about the artworks in the exhibition with the Craftspace Director Deirdre Figueiredo.
Find out more about Naomi’s enamelling work and her In:Site heritage project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPwgtGRDMUE
The talk and workshop are free but places are strictly limited and booking is essential. COVID-19 safety measures will be in place.
See the blog for more details and to book.

Craft in Common
2020-07-29 - 2021-08-31 | Online
Five creative online workshops
Craft in Common is a series of five creative online workshops with artist Alinah Azadeh. It has been co-commissioned by Craftspace and Midlands Arts Centre for our forthcoming national touring exhibition ‘We Are Commoners’.
You can watch the videos and download instructions here.
