The Exhibition Theme: Water & Flow
- Water is felting’s silent partner.
- It softens the fibre, carries the colour, and coaxes separate strands into one skin.
- In Water & Flow, we invite makers to listen to that partnership and let it speak.
Artists are encouraged to present works that reflect their unique perspective on Water & Flow through visual, conceptual, or abstract forms. This open call welcomes all artistic styles and interpretations.
The DEADLINE for submitting your artwork ~was~ Friday, the 13th of March.
–>> NOW EXTENDED to Friday, the 20th of March at MIDNIGHT <<–
See the online form below.
Mind Mapping the Theme
Our first Sunday Session of 2026 was on the 11th of January, where Dee Crofts led us in Mind Mapping around the theme of Water & Flow. HERE is a recap with video of this part of the session.
In 2024, Breda Fay led in Mind Mapping on the theme of ‘Opposites Attract.’ HERE is a recap of that session. Both of these may help you to get your creative juices flowing!
Details:
Our exhibition will be displayed at the beautiful Phoenix Park Visitors Centre gallery from Saturday, the 4th, through Sunday, the 26th of April.
The Centre is open* seven days a week, 9:30 AM to 6 PM. *The hours may change, depending on the Office of Public Works. Their website currently says they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays through April.
Opening
The exhibition will officially launch on Saturday, the 4th of April, at 3 PM, with a special guest, TBD.
Guidelines
- You must be a 2026 paid-up member of Feltmakers Ireland.
- There is no entry fee.
- Only one piece will be considered.
- Your submission may be two or three-dimensional, but should be predominantly made of felted wool – wet or needle felted or both.
- The maximum width is 60 cm, including the FRAME, if you use one. There is no limit on height.
- The Application Submission deadline is Friday, the 13th of March at MIDNIGHT.
- Pieces need to be ready to hang (with hooks or wire on the back) or installed, and should be delivered to one of the FIVE drop-off points by Tuesday, the 31st of March. {Please allow ample time if using the services of a framer. Also, please note that the drop-off point in Co Kildare has an earlier cut-off date.
- Pieces are considered sold once payment is received in full. We will have a SumUp card reader at the gallery, and customers can opt to pay in cash.
- The Guild will take 10% of the price of the work sold for handling and wrapping. This amount will ~not~ be added to the listed price. For example, if your piece is priced at 200 euros in the gallery, you would receive 180 euros after the guild’s handling fee.
- For the artist to receive payment for the sold work, we need your bank details for an electronic bank transfer. Please include them on the submission form. Artwork that is not for sale need not include this information.
- The show is non-juried, but the Committee reserves the right to refuse artworks.
- Artwork must stay in the gallery until the end of the exhibition.
Terms and Conditions – they are boring, but please read
1) ARTWORK: The work must be original and predominantly made using feltmaking; all handmade felting techniques are accepted. Other textile techniques (as well as non-textile media) may be included, though handmade felting techniques must be the principal ones.
Work can be two or three-dimensional, ‘fine art’ or wearable.
2) DATE OF CREATION & PREVIOUS EXHIBITION LIMITATIONS:
- The work must have been personally handmade AFTER the 1st of January 2025.
- It should not have previously been shown in any exhibition (with the exception of our one-day European Wool Day Exhibition in Tralee on the 28th of March).
Work done during courses or under teachers’ guidance is NOT allowed.
3) PHOTOS: Submission photos must be in JPEG FORMAT, 300 dpi, at least 2000 pixels by 2000 pixels, and photographed against a plain white background. (No need to go larger than 3000 pixels, tho’)
Image filenames should include the artist’s name and the work’s title.
A hypothetical example: JANE_DOE_INSPIRED-BY-LAKES and JANE_DOE-artist-portrait
- Submit ONE photo of the piece.
- Submit ONE photo of the artist.
There is an option to include a second photograph of the artwork – ideally, another angle or a close-up of the piece. Please also label the file with your name and the additional information of ‘closeup’ or ‘detail’
Images are to be uploaded via the form below. (No hard copies or memory sticks).
There are TWO excellent blog posts about photographing artwork by guild members.
- Ramona Farrelly has written about photographing work with your iPhone, editing photos with free software, and renaming your files for exhibition applications – HERE.
- Karen Bowden has written step-by-step instructions for photographing with an iPhone and shares some helpful tools –HERE.
4) ARTWORK DELIVERY: Provide your actual piece for the exhibition on or before Tuesday, the 31st of March, 2026. There will be 5 drop-off/mailing points in the following locations: Dublin North, Dublin South, Co Kildare, and Co Galway (in Creggan and Kinvara), which we will share via email at a later date. If dropping artwork in Co Kildare, it needs to be slightly earlier – Sunday, the 29th of March.
If, for some reason, an artist cannot drop off by the 31st of March, with PRIOR COMMUNICATION, they may bring their work to the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre Gallery on the morning of the Installation Day – Wednesday the 1st of April, between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM.
You may mail your piece, but you are responsible for the return postage. Please include a self-addressed envelope with pre-paid postage. Note: From an earlier exhibition shipping experience, we do NOT recommend using UPS.
5) DISPLAYING: Entries must be ready to hang with wire or hooks on the piece or stable enough to display on a plinth. Note: Very lightweight works can be problematic due to the gallery’s wire-hanging system.
There is a helpful blog post by Lorna Cady about framing your artwork. Find it HERE.
6) PICKUP: Artists accept responsibility for getting pieces to the organisers on time and collecting them promptly after the exhibition. Feltmakers Ireland will permit pick-up from the gallery at the show’s end on Sunday, the 26th of April, at 3:00 PM 2026. The show’s takedown will be between 3 and 4:30 PM on the 26th. Please do not ask to remove your piece before this time.
Selected artwork must stay in the gallery until the end of the exhibition. If a piece is sold to a visitor from abroad, the artist is responsible for shipping the artwork after the show ends. Otherwise, the customer will be expected to pick up their piece, unless arrangements are made for the artist to do so. Unsold artwork should be picked up by the artist or their representative.
IF the customer or artist is unable to pick up on the Closing Day, then arrangements need to be made with the Exhibition Sub-Committee – feltmakersIE@gmail.com
Feltmakers Ireland will arrange and provide 4 collection points for those who cannot pick up at the gallery. However, we REALLY want to avoid being responsible for long-term storage. Hence, please include a self-addressed envelope or box, along with protective packaging, with your mailed artwork. If you do not include return postage, the Guild will need to be reimbursed.
7) HELPING: Artists living in or near Dublin are expected to help invigilate at the Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre gallery. We have been informed that the gallery is open from 9:30 AM to 6 PM, so we will offer half-day shifts, in addition to full shifts. The gallery’s open hours may change. We will keep everyone informed. Note: If you are a caregiver or in full-time employment, you are excused from serving as an invigilator.
8) PERMISSION: Feltmakers Ireland will assume we can use submitted photos to advertise the Exhibition unless you inform us in writing that you withhold your consent.
9) INSURANCE: The Guild currently holds public liability insurance; however, our policy does not at present cover members’ artworks during exhibitions. Members are advised that, if their artworks are of significant value, they may wish to consider arranging individual insurance coverage, such as through their own home and contents or specialist art insurance policies.
The SUBMISSION FORM
Use the scroll bar on the right side of the form to enter all your details, upload your photos, and finally click the red submission button at the bottom of the form.
THANK YOU FOR READING THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT, and also thank you for being part of the exhibition!
Again, any questions or concerns? Please email feltmakersie@gmail.com