2026 August Craft Month exhibition callout: Rhythm

22 April 2026

“Every performance of [a] symphony is unique, though the notes to be played are exactly the same…[and] typical of folk music in general is the fact that there is no one correct version of a given tune. In craft, every material rendition of a design will differ…The melody remains recognizable but each player has a slightly different take on it.”

(Glen Adamson, Fewer, Better Things)

Craft NI is delighted to welcome applications to take part in the 2026 August Craft Month Exhibition! For August 2026 we invite craft makers to consider the connections between making and music, traditional or contemporary.

In 2026, Belfast will be the host city for the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, festival of music and culture from Sunday 2 August 2026 to Sunday 9 August 2026. Qualifying competitors from all over the world will showcase traditional and folk music, song, and dance in the city, expecting around 800,000 visitors.

Craft NI Gallery will be one of the cultural venues in the pedestrianised concert zone in Belfast City Centre. What better opportunity to introduce work from local makers to new, culturally-engaged audiences visiting from across the island and beyond?

This exhibition will have a number of prizes aimed at supporting makers at different stages of their careers and will take place during August as part of the August Craft Month celebrations, held in the Craft NI Gallery, Belfast’s only dedicated crafts venue.

The 2026 August Craft Month exhibition will take place from July 23 to August 28, 2026.

Exhibition brief: Rhythm

For August 2026 we invite craft makers to consider the connections between making and music, traditional or contemporary.

Are you drawn to the rhythm and repetition of traditional music, where patterns emerge, repeat and develop? Do you visualise harmony and tone in your work or does it call to mind a soundscape? Or see the movement and flow of a lyric? A musician playing in a group may bring a new interpretation to a piece in that context – does working in a collaboration drive new elements of your practice?  Has a song sparked an impulse or an idea that you want to express through your making? Or perhaps the tactile pull of the materials used in instrument-making – metal, wood, leather and textile – open areas for exploration for you.

We invite you to consider these and other interpretations of the theme for our August Craft Month exhibition 2026 and we look forward to receiving your proposals.

Prizes

We are particularly grateful to the former Guild of Northern Ireland Designer Makers (The Guild) who have given us a legacy gift for the development and promotion of the craft sector in Northern Ireland.

We use these funds for awards for work in the annual exhibition highlighting the work of both emerging and established NI makers. There will be five prizes in all:

1st prize: £500

2 x commended: £250 each

2 x Emerging Maker prizes: £500 each for makers who have been practicing for five years or less.

Online

To ensure the exhibition reaches the widest possible audience, we are delighted to announce that all work chosen for the exhibition will be viewable online on our dedicated exhibition website.  The work can be made available for sale in our Craft NI Gallery as well as directly from our website, increasing the opportunity for craft enthusiasts, buyers and collectors.

Panel

Selection will be made by a guest judge (to be announced), and supported by Craft NI’s Quality Group, led by Board Members Kim Mawhinney, Senior Curator at National Museums NI, Dr Christopher McHugh, Lecturer in Ceramics at Belfast School of Art, Patricia Flanagan, specialist facilitator of design thinking/creative problem solving and Rachel Fitzpatrick, designer-maker.

Eligibility

• Makers should be working in one of the recognised craft disciplines listed here;
• All work should be the original design of the Maker and should also be made by the Maker;
• All work must evidence the skill of the Maker and must be a unique object, coming from the vision of that Maker.
• Demonstrate distinctive design and significant accomplishment in product construction and presentation;
• Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the material with which they are working;
• Shows high level skill in the techniques used;
• Demonstrate the individual creative signature of the maker;
• Demonstrate creativity or create design and innovation in the use of materials;
• Reflect appropriate standards in the products’ durability, size, weight and materials.

Submitted work can be:

• a new piece of work that responds to the theme,
• existing work you would like to showcase as part of August Craft Month 2026 and meets the theme,
• All work must have been made within the last three years
• Submissions must respond to the exhibition theme and this should be made clear in your work description

Submission

To apply, you will need to complete the application HERE.

Important Dates

All applicants will be notified of the results of their submission via email. If selected, responsibility for the delivery and collection of work is the maker’s own.

Application Deadline | Sunday June 7th 2026, 5pm

Notification | Friday, June 12th 2026, 5pm

Work must be delivered to the Craft NI Gallery between: July 10 – 11, 2026

Work must be collected, if unsold between: August 31 – September 1, 2026