Feltmakers Ireland

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/

Visit: Kaffe Fassett Exhibition in Edinburgh

Published on May 23, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

The Dovecote Museum in Edinburgh, Scotland, has a colourful exhibition of Kaffe Fassett’s work.

Kaffe Fassett is one of the most successful artists and designers working in contemporary craft today. His career spans over 50 years, with a prolific oeuvre encompassing knitting, needlepoint, mosaic, quilting, textile design, painting and drawing. His books and projects have encouraged millions to make and create, with his designs being used and interpreted by quilters around the globe.

The show runs until the 8th of July, 2023.

There is an online tour on the 6th of June. Tickets £5.00 – https://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/online-tour-kaffe-fassett-the-power-of-pattern-1683649342

For more information, visit their website – https://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/kaffe-fassett-the-power-of-pattern

Opportunity: Future Makers 2023 Awards

Published on May 22, 2023May 22, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

Future Makers is a Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) initiative which recognises talent, potential and creativity. It aims to support the next generation of makers, designers and craftspeople to take the step from training into an enterprise. Divided into student and emerging practitioner categories and covering a wide range of disciplines, it is one of the largest prize-funded award programmes in Europe.

Note: Future Makers is the qualifying competition for the annual RDS Craft Awards, which provides 5 x €10,000 awards to makers at a formative stage in their careers. These five significant awards are for developing business and craft skills for those pursuing a professional career in the sector.

The deadline is 16th June 2023.

For more information, visit their website – https://www.futuremakers.ie/about-future-makers