Craft NI

Halloween Clay Lanterns
2022-10-29 10:30 - 12:30, 2022-10-22 10:30 - 12:30 (Europe/London) | Flowerfield Arts Centre, 185 Coleraine Road, Portstewart, BT55 7HU, United Kingdom
In this one-session workshop with cearmicist Fiona Shannon, children will design and make creepy creative and innovative clay lanterns just in time for Halloween. Designed for beginners and improvers this class will be a fun creative environment to get crafty using a range of clay techniques. In this workshop we will be using air dry clay which means participants can take it home, paint it and let it dry naturally – please bring a box with you to take your lantern home in. Suitable for children aged 7 – 12yrs.
The best creativity is messy! Please make sure your child wears suitable clothing.
We aim to ensure that all children and young people participate in an enjoyable and safe environment. Therefore, please complete and return a consent form for each under-18 no later than 24 hours before the activity begins. Completed consent forms are a condition of participation.

Moneydarragh Makers Pottery Challenge
2022-10-26 19:00 - 2022-11-30 20:00, 2022-10-19 19:00 - 2022-11-23 20:00, 2022-10-12 19:00 - 2022-11-16 20:00, 2022-10-05 19:00 - 2022-11-09 20:00, 2022-09-28 19:00 - 2022-11-02 19:00 | Moneydarragh Hub, 101 Longstone Road, Newry, BT34 4UZ, United Kingdom
Join a series of 6 community led ceramics sessions. Suitable for beginners and those with a little experience.
All welcome! Materials and refreshments provided.
Session 1; Wednesday 28th September — Introduction & Tile Making
Session 2; Wednesday 5th October — Making a Pot/Vase
Session 3; Wednesday 12th October — Wall Plaque/Bowl
Session 4; Wednesday 19th October —Refining and Finishing
Session 5; Wednesday 26th October — Glaze
Session 6; Wednesday 2nd November — Pickup and Showcase
Days subject to change should unexpected circumstances arise.
Get in touch via social media to arrange payment in person via cash.
We look forward to meeting you!
Suitable for ages 10+ (Children aged 10–15 must be accompanied by an adult)

'Make your own jam jar diorama' workshop with Sue Cathcart
2022-10-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Craft NI Gallery, 115 - 119 Royal Ave, Belfast, BT1 1FF, United Kingdom
The ‘Make your own jam jar diorama’ workshop is one of the supporting events for the ‘Paper Magic’ exhibition, currently on at Craft NI Gallery until October 29th.
Come along to this convivial workshop with Sue Cathcart and learn how to make a jam jar diorama! Sue will bring along her humorous Mr Papers character and lots of other paper ephemera. Participants can bring their own photos to make this more personal.
Expect lots of laughter as the irreverent Mr Papers takes over: ‘All you need is a mayonnaise jar or any other large jar. We will construct a tiny scene from paper inside the jar and add in Mr Papers or a friend or relation. Please bring any pictures or photos you would like to include. Can I just also say this is NOT a snow globe! There is no snow! It is a special heritage item and will be treasured by your family and friends, it had better be or there will be trouble!’
Bookings: please contact Sue Cathcart at the following email: SueCathcart3@hotmail.com .

Ceramic Figurative Sculpture
2022-10-15 10:00 - 16:00 | Island Arts Centre, The Island, Lisburn, BT27 4RL, United Kingdom
The Great Pottery Throwdown finalist, Anna McGurn, will guide you in the creation of sculptural figures, essentially taking a lump of clay and turning it into something with character and personality. Anna’s figures seem to take on their own temperament, she can show individuality in a stance; superiority in a look; charm in a smile, always original and sometimes eccentric.
The workshop will begin with the making of simple shapes to create body parts, moving on to assembling, refining and then adding detail, prior to using underglaze to decorate. Different techniques will be demonstrated and you can choose these as you create your own individual sculpture.
The workshop is suitable for beginners and those with experience. Works will be fired for collection at a later date. Please bring a packed lunch/refreshments.

Besom Broom Workshop
2022-10-15 10:00 - 16:00 | Moneydarragh Hub, 101 Longstone Road, Newry, BT34 4UZ, United Kingdom
A very unique workshop coming up just in time for the spooky season: Heather Mcdermott Willow Craft is hosting a Besom Broom workshop: participants will make their very own Besom Broom using all natural materials gathered sustainably and locally. The brooms can be used for clearing leaves and cobwebs and also symbolises cleansing and purification rituals.

To book a spot or learn more, email heatherswillowcraft@outlook.com .

Patchwork Coaster Workshop
2022-10-12 10:00 - 13:00 | Ards Arts Centre, Town Hall, Conway Square, Newtownards, BT23 4NP, United Kingdom
Join tutor Julie McCreery for a one-day taster workshop in Patchwork and create a coaster placemat for your mug.

Whether you have experience of using a sewing machine or not, this workshop will teach you the basics of patchwork and you will come away with a practical, fabric mug coaster, using a technique called ‘4 Patch’.
This square coaster project is perfect if you are just trying Patchwork for the first time, or if you have experience and just want to brush up on your skills and dust off your sewing machine.

Clay Capers
2022-10-08 11:00 - 13:00 | Island Arts Centre, The Island, Lisburn, BT27 4RL, United Kingdom
Halloween is coming – why not give the potter’s wheel a whirl and learn how to throw killer shapes, and combine hand building techniques to model one-off creations with tutor Andrea McCullough Alderdice?
Decorate your work with designs of your choice, perhaps go for kooky cats or spooky bats?
Suitable for children ages 6-11.

Clay Project Slip Casting
2022-10-08 10:30 - 16:00 | Millenium Court, 2 William Street, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT62 3NX, United Kingdom
Join ceramicists Rebecca Killen and Laureanne Kootstra for a masterclass exploring the creative process of slip casting.

During this workshop you will have the opportunity to work with porcelain casting slip, a selection of plaster moulds and coloured porcelain. You will also learn about refining your cast pieces and how to apply surface decoration. Each participant will create 2 cups and 1 bowl.
This class will commence on Saturday 8th October, from 10:30am-4pm.

Willow, Sunflowers & Dragonflies Workshop
2022-10-08 10:00 - 16:00 | Millenium Court, 2 William Street, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT62 3NX, United Kingdom
Spend a day with Sabine from Breaghmore Baskets and learn the skills needed to create 2 beautiful decorations for your garden using willow and traditional skills.
Please note this class will be held outdoors so dress appropriately.

Introduction to Metalsmithing: Jewellery Making
2022-10-03 19:00 - 2022-11-14 22:00, 2022-09-26 19:00 - 2022-11-07 21:00 | Moneydarragh Hub, 101 Longstone Road, Newry, BT34 4UZ, United Kingdom
Join a series of six metalworking sessions in which beginners can learn basic metalworking techniques for jewellery and silversmithing. Led by silversmith Claire Mooney.
Suitable for beginners and those with a little experience.
Session 1; 26th September — Tools and Techniques
Session 2; 3rd October — Copper Cuff Bangle Design
Session 3; 10th October — Bangle Completion
Session 4; 17th October —Silver Pendant
Session 5; 24th October — Silver Earrings
Session 6; 7th November — Completion/Free Week
Beginning Monday 26th September and continuing weekly with the exception of Monday 31st October (Halloween) with the final session being held on Monday 7th November.
Dates may be subject to change should unexpected circumstances arise.
Materials and light refreshments provided.
Suitable for ages 10+ (Children aged 10–15 must be accompanied by an adult)
Get in touch via social media to arrange payment in person via cash.

Spinning Yarns Festival 2022
2022-10-01 10:00 - 17:00 | Theatre at the Mill, Theatre at the Mill and the Mossley Miill Complex, Carnmoney Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5QA, United Kingdom
The Spinning Yarns Festival takes place on Saturday 1st October at the Theatre at the Mill and the Mossley Miill Complex in Newtownabbey.
Spinning Yarns is a one-day Festival celebrating the world of all things associated with wool & linen. The festival will showcase the colour, creativity and craft associated with these homespun yarns in all their forms.
Find out more about the festival here.
This year, the festival will hold a programme of talks, workshops and demonstrations and feature a market place with a wide range of traders, both local and from further afield.
Tickets are on sale now.

Silversmithing techniques
2022-09-29 14:00 - 2022-10-20 16:00 | Ards Arts Centre, Town Hall, Conway Square, Newtownards, BT23 4NP, United Kingdom
Learn the skills of Silversmithing and make your own silver jewellery with tutor Diane Lyness. Under her guidance, you will learn a variety of jewellery techniques including soldering, piercing, shaping, texturing metal and polishing. During the term, participants will work through the design and creation of a piece or pieces of jewellery.

If you have attended previous workshops this is a great opportunity to build on the skills you already have.
Suitable for all levels including beginners with no previous jewellery experience

Additional Information:

Materials and tools included. Tools/materials will not be shared during class at this time and must be cleaned before and after each use. Basic materials including copper sheet and wire will be given as part of the class. Individuals may wish to purchase precious metal and stones, etc along the way.

Folk Art Embroidery
2022-09-28 19:00 - 2022-11-02 21:00 | Island Arts Centre, The Island, Lisburn, BT27 4RL, United Kingdom
This 6 week course is for experienced and beginner stitchers alike. Join tutor Linda O’Kane and learnt to use fairly simple stitches to create a piece of needlework. Your work can then be framed or made into a bag or cushion afterwards.
The design, inspired by the paintings of Ukrainian Folk Artist Maria Prymachenko, is stitched with wool yarn onto a linen background.
All materials are included but you will need to bring some small scissors to class.

Make a ceramic pumpkin patch
2022-09-28 19:00 - 2022-10-12 21:00, 2022-09-16 19:00 - 2022-09-30 21:00 | The Ash Gallery, 83 Central Promenade, Newcastle, BT33 0HH, United Kingdom
Join ceramicists Rebecca Killen and Laureanne Kootstra this autumn for a two part workshop creating and glazing your very own ceramic pumpkin patch. Make up to three stoneware pumpkins using handbuilding techniques and return on the 30th September for our glazing session.
Your pumpkin patch will be fired and ready to collect from The Ash Gallery a week later.
Please note a second workshop is available: September 28 – October 12, please check the organiser’s website for more details.

10 week jewellery workshop with Robyn Galway
2022-09-27 19:00 - 2022-12-07 19:00 | Sugary Studios, 116a Castlereagh Street, Belfast, United Kingdom
Join a 10 week jewellery course with tutor Robyn Galway! The course is available on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights in a working jewellery studio in East Belfast. This workshop is suitable for beginners and those with some experience working in jewellery. Class sizes will be kept small and can be personally tailored for your needs. The first 5 weeks are project based to learn specific making skills and the last 5 weeks will be spent on personal projects.
Great for making Christmas presents for those you love or for learning new skills!

'Made in Ireland' Exhibition
2022-09-24 10:00 - 2023-01-21 17:00 | FE McWilliam Gallery, 200 Newry Road, Banbridge, BT32 3NB
The F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are delighted to present Made In Ireland. A celebration of the wealth and vibrancy of Ireland’s studio crafts, the exhibition presents work by over 110 craftspeople from 27 counties, each creating beautiful, considered objects using skills honed over many years. Supported by Design & Crafts Council Ireland and managed by the creative team of Hilary Morley, Stephen O’Connell and Mary Gallagher, Made In Ireland comes to the F.E. McWilliam Gallery after successful runs at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny and Farmleigh Gallery, Dublin.
Ireland’s makers, working in and across different sectors, are creating innovative work of high quality. Makers work in local and carefully sourced materials, across all regions of our island. Some are household names, some work away quietly perfecting their skill and promoting their work locally and regionally. The Irish public has shown itself to have a lively interest in craft, however, they are largely unaware of the diverse range and quality of work being produced in the country by skilled makers.
Selected after an open call, Made In Ireland showcases the skill of potters, glassmakers, textile artists, woodturners, basket makers, gold and silversmiths, metalsmiths and furniture makers. Exhibitors include makers of international renown as well as young, emerging artists and those who have practised quietly in areas of the country such as Clare Island, West Cork and the North Antrim Coast. Some are members of Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s Portfolio Critical Selection, while others are makers who practise away from the spotlight and national attention.
At a time when many people are showing a considerable preference and appreciation for goods that are Irish made, we can think of no better time to create a colourful, inclusive exhibition that shows the very best of what is Made In Ireland.

Traditional Stone Carving
2022-09-24 10:00 - 16:00 | Strule Arts Centre, Townhall Square, Omagh, BT78 1BL, United Kingdom
Learn traditional stone carving with sculptor Marc Kelly using expert tooling and local sandstone. Choose to carve your own design or a pre prepared one that can be displayed inside or outside your home. Traditional stone lettering is also taught during the class for those interested in this ancient skill. Drawing equipment, safety wear and stone carving information will be available to all participants during this popular one day class.
Please note: lunch is included.

'Paper Magic' Exhibition
2022-09-22 18:00 - 2022-10-29 17:00 | Craft NI Gallery, 115 - 119 Royal Ave, Belfast, BT1 1FF, United Kingdom
Craft NI are delighted to welcome you to their upcoming exhibition, ‘Paper Magic’. The exhibition will focus on the medium of paper, one of the oldest and most familiar materials known to man, and its hidden potential of transformation. Through their artful mastery of skills such as cutting, pulping, folding, oiling and collaging, five talented makers will reveal the magical properties of paper in this new group show.
Paper has been with us from ancient times to the present, a constant companion recording our art, our ideas, our transactions and, sometimes, quietly changing the course of history itself. We take this flat, flimsy and ephemeral material for granted, yet it also has the power to be transformed.
The exhibition features papier mache sculptures, collages and large scale mixed media pieces, and highlights unique techniques such as Momigami – a Japanese paper kneading technique using oil which transforms paper into a fibrous material which can then be stitched.
Exhibiting makers: Sue Cathcart, Jayne Cherry, Susan McKeever, Adele Pound, Emma Whitehead.
The five participating artists share a common passion for paper but their creative output is as diverse as it is intriguing, a testament to how this fragile material can be used to bring ideas to life.

Introduction to Woodcarving with Green Woodwork Ireland
2022-09-18 10:00 - 17:00 | Moneydarragh Hub, 101 Longstone Road, Newry, BT34 4UZ, United Kingdom
Have you ever appreciated the beauty and flowing lines of a woodcarving and thought this is something you would like to try?
This Introduction to Woodcarving class with Stephen Ryan from Green Woodwork Ireland will teach you the skills needed to produce a relief woodcarving of your own to take home and enjoy. You will also learn about woods unique properties, along with the many shapes and sizes of woodcarving chisels and how to use them safely and effectively.
Introduction to Woodcarving with Green Woodwork Ireland image
This class is ideal for people that just want to try something new along with those that want to take their new found skills to the next level. The tutor will provide a number of different woodcarvings to choose from. No experience necessary.
Due to the use of sharp tools during the class sturdy boots or shoes should be worn.

Beyond Edges
2022-09-08 - 2022-10-22 | Ards Arts Centre, Town Hall, Conway Square, Newtownards, BT23 4NP, United Kingdom
A group exhibition of paintings, glass artefacts, and sculptures crafted in wood and metal by Andrea Spencer, Nicola Nemec, and Sharon Adams.

An elegant and thought-provoking exhibition in which three woman artists investigate, interrogate and interpret their immediate locale and shared hinterland of open hills and dramatic coastlines in North Antrim.
All three artists respond to the physicality of the land, the impact of man’s intervention on its topography and the effects of changing atmospheric conditions, but they also evoke an essence of place with works that reflect their individual connection to landscape, one tempered by memory, emotional and personal experience, and the potential and constraints of their artistic practice.
Light permeates the work of all three artists – Adams employs it to ‘draw’ shadows from her coiled, sprung sculptures; Nemec’s paintings emulate the way light diffuses through the landscape creating ambiguous space and scale and Andrea Spencer exploits the qualities of light as it passes through her elegant glassworks of natural forms.
The collaboration was first exhibited at Roe Valley Arts Centre in 2021, and includes an accompanying text by Amanda Croft.

Launch 7pm-9pm Thursday 8th September at the Georgian Gallery, Ards Arts Centre.
The Exhibition will run from Thursday 8th September to Saturday 22nd October.

Ceramics Short Course with Tracey Johnston
2022-09-06 18:00 - 2022-10-25 21:00 | Belfast School of Art, Ulster University, York Street, Belfast, Antrim, BT15 1ED, United Kingdom
This course will suit someone who has little or no past experience of working with clay. You will be introduced to a number of different techniques, including, slab work, coil work and an opportunity to learn how to use a potter’s wheel. This is an exciting opportunity to use the superb facilities of the Ulster University and begin or progress your journey in clay.
This 8 week (3 hours per week) course is taught on a Tuesday day night 6.00 – 9.00 pm by Tracey Johnston a graduate of the Ulster University and current Graduate in Residence. There are two start dates 6th September 2022 and 1st November 2022.
The course is suitable for beginners and students that already have basic ceramic knowledge and wish to focus on and develop ideas and processes.
The teaching will be both individual and group sessions.
All main making techniques will be covered with an emphasis on skill development.
Costs include reasonable use of materials, colours and firings, and takes place in the new Ceramic Studios in the Ulster University, Belfast School of Art, York Street, Belfast.
Course Date:

Tuesday 6th September 2022, every Tuesday until 25th October 2022 (Closing date for application: Tuesday 30th August 2022 at 12 noon)
OR
Tuesday 1st November 2022, every Tuesday until 20th December 2022 (Closing date for application: Tuesday 25th October 2022 at 12 noon)

In Conversation with Stuart Cairns, Anne E. Boylan and Céline Traynor
2022-09-03 14:00 - 16:00 | R-Space Gallery, 32 Castle Street, Lisburn, BT27 4XE, United Kingdom
The second artist talk and closing event for Re-USe & Re-Imagine Adornment will take place on Saturday 3rd September in the gallery with makers Stuart Cairns, Anne E. Boylan and Céline Traynor.
In Conversation – Making- An insight into the careers and different approaches to navigating research & materials.
Stuart Cairns works as a silversmith combining natural materials and found objects alongside precious metals to create artefacts in the tradition of tableware and domestic objects.
Over a 40-year period of working with diverse materials and technologies, Anne E Boylan brings comment, materials, and form together as contemporary jewels. The wearing of jewellery should be an act of consideration; a small statement of individuality, strength, joy, and rebelliousness.
Thoroughly contemporary in style, Céline Traynors jewellery designs in silver and gold, polished and matt finish, reflect her love of pure shape and form appealing to those with a minimalist aesthetic.
All welcome – no booking required.

4 day Pottery Workshop
2022-08-16 10:00 - 2022-08-19 17:00 | Adam Frew Studio, 21 Cullycapple Park, Aghadowey, BT51 4AS, United Kingdom
Classes will be small groups of 4-6 students, suitable for all levels, from beginners to improvers. The emphasis of the class will be on using the potter’s wheel to make a variety of thrown porcelain vessels. Students will be guided through the basics of throwing and also turning (finishing) pots. Adam will demonstrate his various decoration techniques and students will be encouraged to be experimental in their approach. There will be flexibility in the teaching allowing students to request specific demonstrations or help with a particular technique.
Finished pieces will be glaze fired in the gas kiln and ready 3-4 weeks after the course for collection. Or shipping can be arranged.
Tea and coffee is provided.
