There is still time to apply to the annual international Loewe FoundationCraft Prize.
Even if you are not interested in applying, please take a look at the online exhibition of the previous winners and shortlisters of this fine craft award; their work is truly inspiring! Each listing includes a video tour of the artist’s studio. And while there doesn’t YET appear to be any works using the technique of feltmaking, there are makers who utilise other textile methods.
The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize celebrates “excellence, artistic merit and newness in modern craftsmanship. A panel of experts will select the winning entry, which will receive a €50,000 prize, from a shortlist of 30 artists. All finalist works will be presented in an exhibition in Singapore, opening in spring 2026.”
Submissions are open until the 30th of October, 2025.
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The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland presents ‘Common Threads’, an exhibition curated by Sarah Ross, showcasing the intricate and expressive work of artists from Feltmakers Ireland and The Quilters’ Guild of Ireland.
The exhibition opens at the National Design and Craft Gallery (NDCG) on Thursday, the 7th of August and runs until the 1st of November.
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Feltmakers Ireland guild member Sandra Coote has a solo exhibition at the Cavan County Museum. Titled ‘Spoken In Fibre – Wool art inspired by the poetry of Charles J. Coote’, this new exhibition features felted paintings by Sandra Coote.
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The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City has an exciting exhibition – ‘Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction’. This show spans early-20th-century works by Sonia Delaunay, Hannah Hoch, and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, whose textile practices parallel their painting and drawing, mid-century works by Anni Albers and Ed Rossbach, and contemporary works by Rosemarie Trockel, Andrea Zittel, and Igshaan Adams.
“Highlighting issues of labour and identity that are intertwined with modern textile production, Woven Histories argues that weaving and textiles are the quintessential link between lived experience and art.”
If you cannot travel to New York, there are 80 images online from the exhibition.
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The exhibition opens this Thursday, April 10th, from 5 to 7 PM in @thedunmored6, a restaurant that is a new Dublin Artform venue. Susan Connolly selected the work, Big Look Art curated it, and Richard Coghlan installed it.
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First Lady Sabina Higgins looking at Claire Merry’s ‘Hares in the Meadow’
Dublin, Ireland: Over 400 attendees gathered at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre for the opening of ‘Symbols of Ireland’, a stunning exhibition from Feltmakers Ireland.
First Lady Sabina Higgins, wife of President Michael D Higgins, officially opened the event with an inspiring address, marking a celebration of Irish craftsmanship and sustainability.
The exhibition featured the work of 47 guild members, showcasing many pieces crafted from Irish-raised wool fibre.
Mrs Higgins expressed her awe in her speech, saying, “I’m overwhelmed. I really haven’t seen a felt exhibition before… I have seen individual pieces in craft shops, but I haven’t ever seen anything like THIS! The innovation of the felt, how it is made from the start, is incredible.”
She went on to recommend transferring the exhibition to the National Gallery of Ireland, underscoring its cultural importance.
As Patron of the Wool in Schools Program, Mrs Higgins highlighted wool’s role as a sustainable material, noting its durability and self-cleaning properties. She also connected the exhibition’s themes to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, calling them “the 10 Commandments of our times.” To learn more about the Goals, visit here – https://sdgs.un.org/goals
‘Symbols of Ireland’ was open to the public at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre until the 30th of March, 2025. Visiting hours were 10 AM to 4 PM, Wednesday through Sunday, with free admission.
The Exhibition
Entering the Exhibition
Sabina Higgins and Loli Cox viewing Amanda Robinson Kelly’s artwork
Loli and our chairperson, Deirdre Carroll
The Committee. Left to right, Juliane Gorman, Deirdre Carroll, First Lady Sabina Higgins, Suzanne, Phelan, Lorna Cady (in front row), Annika Berglund in back row, Loli Cox, Adrienne Dempsey, and Elizabeth Redding. (Sam Fagan missing from photo)
Mrs Higgins talking with Lorna McCormack, head of Wool in Schools. Arwork by Heather Byrne
Mrs Higgins and Loli viewing Annika Berglund and Sandra Chase’s artwork
If you are unable to come to Dublin, we have an online version of the exhibition via our catalogue – Catalogue- Symbols of Ireland
The Poster
The exhibition ran from Wednesday, the 5th of March, to Sunday, the 30th of March 30th, 2025, at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre Gallery. Please note: the Centre is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The artwork featured on the exhibition poster is ‘Brigid’s Legacy’ by Jane Fox.
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Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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Sometimes, one wishes there was a form of magical travel so that one could instantly zip over to visit all the interesting exhibitions happening in places other than where one lives. Here are six that look interesting!
‘Costures Invisibles: Una Perspectiva Del Tèxtil Contemporani’
What: ‘Invisible Stitches: A Perspective on Contemporary Textiles’ – Weaving narratives with invisible threads, this exhibition explores the emotional connections, aesthetic textures and curious phenomena between the physical and the intangible in our modern world.
Where: Centre Cívic Barceloneta, Barcelona, Spain.
What: “Discover the rich and complex lives of women in the Middle Ages, with over 140 extraordinary items that reveal their artistry, resourcefulness, courage and struggles.”
What: “The exhibition presents the work of Stephen Jones, a British designer who, since his first collections in the 1980s to the most recent, is recognized by celebrities and fashion designers alike as one of the greatest contemporary milliners.”
What: “Enter the breathtaking world of SHAPE! In this fashion exhibition, you will wander past surreal, futuristic, seductive looks inspired by the human body and question beauty ideals. Through these designs, explore the body’s malleability and the creation of identity through textiles and fashion.”
What: “Flowers have, throughout history, inspired artists, writers and creatives. FLOWERS – FLORA IN CONTEMPORARY ART & CULTURE seeks to reveal the myriad ways that flowers continue to be depicted by artists and their omnipresence within our contemporary culture. Occupying two floors and over nine major gallery spaces, this exhibition features large-scale installations, original art, photography, fashion, archival objects and graphic design exploring the ongoing influence of flowers on creativity and human expression.”
‘Textile Manifestos—From Bauhaus to Soft Sculpture’
What: From geometrically ordered weavings in two dimensions to free forms in space: the exhibition shows anonymous pieces side by side with well-known positions, resulting in some surprising adjacencies of comparable perspectives from different periods.
Where: Museum für Gestaltung,in Zürich, Switzerland.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
Feltmakers Ireland member Karena Ryan‘s piece, ‘Redemption in Red,’ has been selected for the ‘Bloodroot’ group exhibition. Over 100 female Irish artists explore themes of human relationships and belonging through their work. The Hamilton Gallery and the Embassy of Ireland, Netherlands, present the exhibition. It opens at the Pulchri Studio, in their Klinkenberg Galleries in The Hague (Netherlands), on the 22nd of January and runs until February 5th. It celebrates women, creativity, and Lá Fhéile Bríde (Bridgid’s Day).
The exhibition is inspired by the poetry of Annemarie Ní Churreáin, who selected four powerful poems from her debut collection ‘Bloodroot’.
Six Ways to Wash Your Hands (Ayliffe, 1978) for the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation Bog Medicine Sisters Market Prayer
‘Redemption in Red’, symbolises a deeply personal act of redemption and remembrance. The hand-embroidered portrait of Karena Ryan’s daughter celebrates her innocence, hope, and the freedom to begin life with love and dignity—something denied to the children in the nearby Tuam Mother and Baby Home. As a mother, she seeks to give comfort and solace to the mothers of the institutions who mourn, honouring their pain and loss.
“The act of hand stitching is meditative and embodies care and compassion, a contrast to the neglect the children and mothers endured. The red thread is a symbol of connection, love, and remembrance. It represents the bond between mother and child and the shared humanity that connects us to those who suffered in the Mother and Baby Homes.” – Karena Ryan, artist.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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Dr Niki Collier, a visual artist and long lover of creating with wool, was commissioned by The Office of Public Works (OPW) to produce an installation and video about the legend of Oengus and Caer for the Winter Solstice at Newgrange. The work is part of the ongoing explorations of Symbols of Mobility and the performers wore unique nuno felted wings that Dr. Collier developed, informed by the legend of Oengus and Caer.
The Legend of Oengus and Caer
“The great love story of Oengus Óg and Caer is associated with Newgrange, known as The Dream of Oengus.
Oengus begins to dream of a woman he has never met, and his sleeping moments are spent yearning for Caer, who takes the form of a swan. He goes in search of her for a year and, upon finding her, decides to become a swan in order to be with her. The lovers fly off together towards Brú na Bóinne, the home of Oengus Óg ancestral”.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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