Feltmakers Ireland

Artists’ Talk: This Wednesday – Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin

Published on Jun 6, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

‘Arbour Essences in Anthropocene Dublin – Four New Visions for our Urban Forests’, a group show running at the Olivier Cornet Gallery until 30 June 2023.

Artists: Annika Berglund, Hugh Cummins, Eoin Mac Lochlainn and Yanny Petters, with a small selection of works by Belvedere College’s art students.

The exhibition is sponsored by Coillte Nature and is also complemented by an outdoor ‘pocket’ urban forest installation in collaboration with Simon O’Donnell from the Urban Farm project at Belvedere College.

Artists’ Talk

Author and writer Paddy Woodworth co-curated this exhibition and will chair a panel talk with the four artists at 6:30pm on Wednesday, 7 June 2023, at Olivier Cornet Gallery, 3 Great Denmark Street, Dublin.

You are invited to attend this free event, but booking is advised as seats are limited. Please email info@oliviercornetgallery.com or phone/text 087 288 7261 to book your seat.

“It’s been exceptionally exciting, stimulating – and humbling — to assist, however indirectly, in the development of an exhibition by four artists as talented and as responsive to environmental issues as Annika Berglund, Hugh Cummins, Eoin Mac Lochlainn, and Yanny Petters, with a co-curator as generous, insightful and experienced as Olivier Cornet.
And, after many months of periodic discussions around the theme of urban trees, it’s been a breath-taking pleasure to walk into Olivier’s gallery and see such beautiful, poignant and sensitive work on the walls. Annika’s magical evocation of the unseen wood-wide web that sustains trees from beneath our feet, Hugh’s delicate use of wood itself as a material for subtly allusive art, Eoin’s heartfelt, heart-breaking elegies for individual trees loved and lost, and Yanny’s innovative and exquisite celebration of trees in Dublin’s historical topography – all engage us intimately with the role of trees in making our cities more liveable, healthier, happier spaces. And they all hint at the catastrophe we are inviting by tearing the interconnected fabric of life to breaking point.
It was an added delight to see the loving sketches of Katy apple trees by Belvedere College students, adding a dimension to the show that is both youthful, and rooted in the gallery’s location on the college’s property. And the installation of birch trees and ferns in the basement frontage showed visitors to the gallery how nature can bring vivid life to neglected city spaces.
In our panel discussion with the artists, we will discuss their practices and techniques and reflect on the relationship between art and environment, and how this relationship can enhance environmental awareness, without losing artistic integrity. I look forward to it very much.”
Paddy Woodworth

For more information about the show and the artists, please visit https://www.oliviercornetgallery.com/arbour-essences-in-anthropocene-dublin

Open Call: Felt United 2023

Published on Jun 6, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

FELT UNITED 2023 THEME: CHANGING SEASONS

This may be of interest to Feltmakers Ireland members/followers:

Nicola Brown and Dawn Edwards warmly invite you to participate in this year’s Felt United theme, ‘Changing Seasons, ’ through the sharing of your felt images pertaining to the theme.

The allure of nature’s changing seasons offers an endless source of inspiration…From the vibrant hues of autumn leaves to the delicate blossoms of spring, each season brings its unique magic and transformation.

Felt United is celebrated on the first Saturday in October, so this year, that falls on October 7, 2023.

Please feel free to interpret the theme in any way that you wish. We are requesting that you please include a short statement along with your photo(s). It’s always interesting for our members to hear from the artist regarding the thinking that goes into making their creations.

We look forward to seeing your felt submissions, and you may begin submitting your images as soon as your felt creation is complete.

Let your imagination bloom and embrace the enchantment of the ‘Changing Seasons’ through your felt art!

Our warmest regards,

Dawn Edwards (USA) and Nicola Brown (IRELAND)

We Felt United

For more information, please see the Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefeltunited/permalink/10160920882251007

Recap: Second Day at Bloom

Published on Jun 4, 2023Jun 4, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

We had a perfect day at BLOOM yesterday!

As usual, we parked miles away from our stand in the DCCI’s Irish Craft Village, which was right in the middle of the festival. But thanks to Marian for lending a special, large-wheel cart, we only had one journey from the car.

The ladies who did the morning session finished in time for us to set up for our stint from 2-5 PM. Feltmakers Ireland committee head, Deirdre Carroll, is an amazing helper! She put up my many poster samples of Nuno Felting on the walls – that was the topic for my demonstration!

I chose to create a beret as I had a few of them to show off, and besides, our table layout area was small. I brought a few wraps to show as there were two mannikins. In addition, Juliane’s hats, our book sales section, and the number of us there occupied much of the allotted area.

Seeing some visitors purchase our book – ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’ was gratifying, and there was huge interest in what Adrienne and I were making.

Annika Berglund discussing Irish Wool for Feltmaking.

Adrienne made small flowers— perfect for the space. She was a genius at luring in the children, when their mums or dads were interested in what I was doing. She had an amazing quiet way of getting the kids to join in by inviting them to add their favourite colours and manipulate the fibres into felt. They loved it! Future Feltmakers in the making!

Adrienne Dempsey demonstrated feltmaking with some children.

Somewhere along the way, I realised I had left my lovely cut-out Margilan silk beret circles at home on my kitchen table, so Nuno was not to be, but a wool-only beret! I gradually laid out the fibre, chatting away to the visitors, slowly wet it down, still chatting! Added Tussah silk for embellishment, while answering questions and explaining the process, each time to new groups. I turned it over and slowly laid the reverse side, explaining all about resists.

The very interested visitors came from everywhere! At least three or four groups were from Newry, Antrim, and Belfast. Another group from Tralee made it a two-day trip to Dublin. Many were from Louth, Kildare, and the Midlands. I was quite surprised and delighted to find younger people, often couples, with the gentleman just as interested in the process as the lady.

I spoke to many about our research project —our book— but personally didn’t manage any sales!

After a solid three hours in the heat and the crowds, I was tired but very happy with how the day went.

While dismantling the stand from Feltmakers in preparation for the next Guild tomorrow (The Irish Patchwork Society), I had a great chat with Catherine Gray, the DCCI’s coordinator at BLOOM. She and I share the same love for our Roscommon/Leitrim haven and even share some friends and acquaintances. Her textile landscapes are displayed at the Leitrim Design House in Carrick-On-Shannon, which I regularly visit. She is a most supportive DCCI person!

Thank you, Feltmakers Ireland, for accepting the invitation and giving us this great exposure to the broader public. Hopefully, we may get more members out of it.

Particular thanks to Deirdre Carroll, Adrienne Dempsey, Juliane Gorman, Annika Berglund, and Deirdre Crofts, who made this a special day

Clare Brophy
June2023

Editor’s note: Thank you also to the following Feltmakers Ireland members who volunteered at other shifts on our rota: Elaine Peden, Lorna Cady, Marian Fagen, Tamzen Lundy, Claire Merry, Marie Dunne, and Fiona Leech.

A Gallery of photographs of almost all of the members who volunteered during our two days at Bloom.

Photographs by Juliane Gorman

Deadline Approaching: Homo Faber Apprenticeship Programme

Published on Jun 1, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

Reminder via the DCCI’s Head of Craft & Education, Mary Jo Hoyne, because it would be LOVELY if one of our recent craft grads and/or artisan feltmakers took up this opportunity.

A new education programme is currently open for craft graduates and master artisan applicants. The deadline for applications is this Sunday, 4th June 2023.

The seven-month Homo Faber Fellowship programme, developed by the Michelangelo Foundation in collaboration with DCCI, allows you as an artisan(maker) to take on a fellow (apprentice/intern). The programme will run from 23rd September 2023 to 24th April 2024. All information on the programme can be found here – https://www.michelangelofoundation.org/en/homo-faber-fellowship

The process is as follows:

The artisan will sign two documents: a tripartite agreement with the Michelangelo Foundation and the fellow and an employment contract with their fellow outlining the salary. (We will provide templates of this contract).

Once these documents are signed, the artisan will receive the contribution directly from the Michelangelo Foundation in three disbursements. This allows the artisan to pay the fellow directly as a monthly salary. The artisans themselves do not receive an additional financial amount. The programme is an opportunity to provide artisans with a sponsored intern, without a cost on their workshop. Please find here a “What’s in it for me?” document outlining benefits, including a stipend to cover the costs of materials used for the co-created object.

The amount the fellow (apprentice) will receive from the Michaelangelo Foundation is the living wage in line with the local costs of living and social security of the country the fellow will be in during the placement.

If you have any further queries, please contact education@homofaber.com

Exhibition and Online Catalogue: Interwoven, the Many Voices of Fiber

Published on May 31, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

A contemporary textile art exhibition in Columbus, Ohio, at the Riffe Gallery, curated by Quilt and Surface Design Symposium director Tracy Rieger.

While one may not be able to travel to Ohio, there is a richly illustrated online catalogue on FLICKR. If you click on an image, there is an explanation about inspiration and techniques.

Among the artists are feltmaker, Pam MacGregor.

Here is the link to the catalogue of 80 pieces by various artists – https://www.flickr.com/photos/ohioartscouncil/sets/72177720304838681/with/52780203593/

News: Feltmakers Ireland will be at Bloom

Published on May 30, 2023May 30, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

This Friday and Saturday (the 2nd and 3rd of June, 2023), Feltmakers Ireland will demonstrate various feltmaking techniques. We will be sharing at Bloom from 11 AM to 5 PM on these two days. (The event runs from the 1st through the 5th of June).

Find us in the Design and Craft Council of Ireland (DCCI) Irish Craft Village. We will be in

the YELLOW section, area 26. See below.

Note: we will be closer to the Red Car Park.

There will be free shuttle buses from Heuston Station.

Need to learn more about Bloom, visit their website – https://www.bordbiabloom.com/

Opportunity: Westival Festival – deadline soon

Published on May 26, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

The Westport Music and Arts Festival (Westival) is seeking submissions.

This year’s theme is ‘The Art Of Living’, which seeks to celebrate the wonder that lives in the cracks of our daily lives. It also looks to engage with that ubiquitous phrase ‘ the cost of living’, which is impacting so many of us today. How does this increased pressure affect our creative lives, and can we still find the space to be inspired?

While we welcome submissions across all genres, priority will be given to workshops and community-driven projects.

We are particularly encouraging applications from those currently underrepresented in the arts, including but not limited to artists of colour, artists who identify as LGBTQI+, artists with disabilities, migrants, and members of the Traveller community.

The deadline to apply is May 31st @5pm, and artists can apply here –

https://forms.gle/Z1UdvPqgaGQqhnG87

If you have any questions about your application, please email sarahbyrne@westival.ie

For more information, visit their website – https://westival.ie/

Event: 2nd International Day of Celtic Art

Published on May 25, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

Where: St Patrick Centre, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.

When: 8-11 June 2023 (Thursday to Sunday).

Who: Celtic artists, craftspeople and scholars from the USA, Canada, Scotland, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland speaking about their work, displaying artworks and doing demonstrations.

For more information, visit their website.

Exhibition: Stitching the Community Together – this weekend in Naas

Published on May 24, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

‘Stitching the Community Together’ is an art-based, intergenerational programme centred around the medium of wool and knitting that is supported through the Creativity in Older Age Scheme.

Also on display is Future Tapestry, a newly commissioned virtual reality artwork which is an artistic response to the current state of sheep farming and wool production in Ireland. Directed and produced by John Conway and written by Aisling Byrne, with visuals by NOHO Dublin.

The event is on the 26th & 27th of May, from 10 AM – 4 PM in the Luisne Centre, McAuley Place, Naas, Co. Kildare.

For more information, visit the website – https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/event/future-tapestry/