News: Guild Member Dr Niki Collier Solo Exhibition – National Museum of Ethnography, Bulgaria

Published on March 24, 2026March 24, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

A woman in a grey dress and hat sits in front of a large decorative backdrop featuring colourful, oversized butterfly wings. Behind her, a performer with wings in pink and white poses gracefully.

Recently, the artwork of Feltmakers Ireland guild member Dr Niki Collier has been featured in a solo show, ‘Symbols of Mobility’ in Bulgaria. It has ten installations, including the following: The Phoenix, Children of Lir, The Black Swan, and the newest bird joining the flock- the Flamingo. This travelling exhibition was launched at the National Museum of Ethnography in Sofia on Brigid’s Day, on the 2nd of February, by the Irish ambassador in Bulgaria, Her Excellency Catherine Bannon.

The exhibition has been visited by a record-breaking number of visitors, and there has been coverage on all major television stations: BTV, Nova, BNT, along with many radio stations: Horizon, Focus, BTA, and others.

Dr Collier also held a seminar at Shumen University on Brigid, alongside an exhibition of photographs of her installations. In addition, she led a few workshops at the National School of Applied Art, at the museum, and had an installation at a yarn shop.

There is a video of the exhibition launch on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1163154259226409

More information about the exhibition can be found on the Museum’s website – https://www.bas.bg/?p=62183&lang=en

Here’s a link about the exhibition on the artist’s website – https://www.nikicollier.com/solo-exhibition-ethnography-museum-of-bulgaria/

Her Instagram: @nikicollierfelt

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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 content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Exhibition: Feltmakers Ireland Presents ‘Water and Flow’ Exhibition – Phoenix Park Visitor Centre Gallery – Dublin

Published on March 23, 2026April 13, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

'Water and Flow' Feltmakers Ireland Group Exhibition poster, featuring felt artwork by Joanne Turner. Details about the exhibition location at Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, dates from 2nd to 26th April, and opening hours. Announcement of a launch event with knitwear designer Conor O'Brien on the 4th.

Feltmakers Ireland is delighted to present ‘Water and Flow’, a vibrant group exhibition featuring the contemporary artwork of 68 members. This showcase explores the many interpretations of water through the rich and versatile medium of felt.

From gentle streams to powerful oceans, ‘Water and Flow‘ explores the many moods of water: its energy and stillness, its capacity for renewal, and its connection to human emotion, from sorrow to joy.

Using fibres ranging from imported Merino wool to locally sourced Irish fleece, members have created a diverse body of work that highlights both traditional and contemporary felting practices. Featuring an array of textile techniques, including wet felting and needle felting, guild members have created three-dimensional sculptures, wall art, and wearable pieces, each offering a unique perspective on the theme, reflecting the creativity and individuality of the artists involved.

The Opening

The exhibition will be officially launched by knitwear designer Conor O’Brien on Saturday, 4 April at 3 PM.

Where and When

The exhibition is at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre Gallery and runs from Thursday, the 2nd of April, to Sunday, the 26th of April. The hours are 9:30 AM to 5 PM, daily, with the exhibition closing on its final day at 3 PM.

The gallery is conveniently accessible by Dublin Bus number 99 and is located within the historic Phoenix Park. There is ample parking near the Centre.

For further details, including maps and directions to the park, visit https://www.phoenixpark.ie/directions.

The artwork featured on the exhibition poster is ‘Waterfall’ by Joanne Turner.

Her Instagram @olannoriginals

We warmly invite you to join us for the opening or visit throughout the month to experience this dynamic and engaging exhibition celebrating feltmaking in Ireland.

Online Catalogue

A link to Feltmakers Ireland’s online catalogue of ‘Water and Flow’

There is also a PDF version of the catalogue (if the above link is not working for you).

News: Thank you for your Submissions to ‘Water and Flow’

Published on March 21, 2026March 21, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

Poster for Feltmakers Ireland's exhibition submission, titled 'Water & Flow', at Phoenix Park Visitors Centre in April 2026. Note indicating that applications are now closed.

WOW!

Dear Members,

Thank you for all of your excellent submissions!

We are overjoyed to receive such an outpouring from you. There will be 68 pieces in our group show, ‘Water and Flow’.

This Open Call is now shut – the deadline was extended a week to the 20th of March.

Email Confirmations

Each artist will receive an email with instructions on where to drop off or mail their artwork.

If you are NOT dropping it off at the gallery on the MORNING, 10:30 – 11:30 AM of the installation on Wednesday, the 1st of April, you should ensure your piece has been received at one of the five drop-off points by Tuesday, the 31st of March.

If you need to drop off your piece at the gallery on the morning of the installation, please let us know BEFOREHAND by email.

Questions or concerns, please email feltmakersIE@gmail.com

Exhibition: BeCraft’s ‘Abattoir’ Group Exhibition – Dr Niki Collier – Belgium

Published on March 10, 2026March 10, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

A poster featuring a grid of nine illustrated cows, with large yellow circles obscuring their faces, set against a mint green background. The text at the bottom reads 'À la belle vue de l'abattoir' alongside details for the BeCraft Expo from 8th March to 24th May 2026.

Close-up of vibrant orange felt sculptures with various shapes and curls, set against a neutral background.

BeCraft presents a group exhibition, ‘A la belle vue de l’abattoir’, which marks 20 years of organisation.

Bringing together around fifty artists from twelve European countries, the exhibition explores the theme “Abattoirs” through contemporary applied arts and crafts practices. Through memory, poetry and critical perspectives, the works explore the history and contemporary meanings of these sites, now part of our heritage, and question our relationship to the living, to making, and to transformation.

BeCraft is a professional association that promotes applied arts in the Wallonia and Brussels regions. Ceramics, glass, jewellery, paper, textiles, and product design are among the creative fields in which the supported and promoted artists work. Since its inception, the association has worked closely with the ECA – European Crafts Alliance (formerly WCC-Europe).

Feltmakers Ireland member Dr Niki Collier‘s piece, ‘The guts to be accountable’, is part of the exhibition.

Artist Statement from Dr Collier –

This is a three-part handmade felt sculpture emoted from the texture and form of the stomach, the guts, and the tongue The sculpture is informed by a cow’s digestive system which is a complicated multitude of organs. They can be a source of learning and growth; simultaneously as an organ and as a symptom of how we interact with food. The food industry today has developed such a disconnect between the food that we eat and its origin that we are conditioned to believe that only certain parts of the animal are nutritious or have a purpose. Rather than looking into changing ourselves: our relationship to food and what and how we eat, we demand the humane killing of farmed animals. The work is also a comment on greed and how greed dictates smokescreens such as ‘’humane killing of animals’’ rather than addressing our behaviour in how and what we eat; which would have an actual impact on the sustainability of our environment. The stomach is now discarded as rubbish by the contemporary food industry, while it used to be a source of healing, a treat reserved for special occasions, and a membrane used to create tools for music and craft. The sculptures aim to start a conversation about our eating habits – what we should not discard – and focus on our own accountability rather than on methods of slaughter.

Where: Anciens Abattoirs de Mons, Rue de la Trouille 17, 7000 Mons, Belgium

Runs until the 24th of May.

For more information, visit BeCraft’s website – https://www.becraft.org/event/a-la-belle-vue-de-l-abattoir-expo

Instagram: @becraftorg @nikicollierfelt

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Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Open Call: Reminder to Submit to ‘Water and Flow’ – Feltmakers Ireland Exhibition

Published on March 4, 2026March 23, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

Promotional poster for Feltmakers Ireland's exhibition submission, featuring details about the event at Phoenix Park Visitors Centre in April 2026. The theme is 'Water & Flow', inviting personal interpretations.

We wanted to remind you that Feltmakers Ireland members’ exhibition, ‘Water and Flow’, has a submission deadline of Friday, the 13th of March at MIDNIGHT.

Our annual exhibition will be displayed at the beautiful Phoenix Park Visitors Centre gallery from Friday, the 3rd, through Sunday, the 26th of April. The show launches on Saturday, the 4th, at 3 PM.

To learn more and to submit your application, visit our Exhibition page – https://feltmakersireland.com/exhibition-application-2026-water-and-flow/

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Questions: For content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Exhibition: Wearable Art by Claire Garvey – Made in Wicklow Invited Guest 2026 – Powerscourt House

Published on February 25, 2026February 25, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

Promotional poster for Claire Garvey's exhibition 'From Canvas to Cloth', showcasing 15 paintings and 15 wearable art sculptures. The event runs from 21 February to 1 March at Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, with free admission.

Display of artistic garments created by Claire Garvey, featuring mannequins dressed in vibrant, textured outfits against a rustic stone wall, with signage reading 'Claire Garvey Canvas to Cloth'.

As part of Made in Wicklow’s ‘For the Love of Creativity’ series, Claire Garvey presents ‘From Canvas to Cloth’, an exhibition featuring 15 bespoke, hand-crafted, and hand-beaded pieces of wearable art. Each garment is inspired by one of Claire’s ten favourite paintings, with influences ranging from the bold strokes of Van Gogh and Miro to the intricate worlds of Botticelli and HR Giger.

Claire Garvey is a bespoke designer with a couture shop in the heart of Temple Bar, on Cow’s Lane, Dublin. She has designed for the Oscars, the Emmys, the X-Factor, and the Cannes Film Festival. She specialises in one-off outfits for musicians and celebrities and is a celebrated advocate for ‘slow fashion’ and sustainability, hand-making every piece in her workshop with a focus on recycled trims and exquisite craftsmanship.

When: The show runs through Sunday, 1st March, 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM. Free entry.

Where: The Garden Room, Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow

For more information about the exhibition, visit the Made in Wicklow website – https://madeinwicklow.com/powerscourt-2026/

To see more of her work, visit her website – https://www.clairegarvey.com/

Her Instagram – @clairegarveydesigner_

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Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Open Call: 24th Annual Mini Textile Exhibition – Slovak Association of Textile Artists

Published on February 20, 2026February 20, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

Promotional poster for the 24th International Mini Textile Exhibition organised by the TXT - Slovak Association of Textile Artists. The theme is 'Empathy' with an entry deadline of February 28th, 2026. Includes a QR code and information in both English and Slovak.

The Association of Textile Artists of Slovakia invites artists to participate in its 24th annual international juried exhibition of textile miniatures. There is a size limitation of 20 by 20 by 20 cm.

The theme of the exhibition is EMPATHY.

From the organisers:

“Empathy is an apparently natural human feeling – the ability to perceive another person in our surroundings and to enter into their experience of joyful as well as complex, even tragic, situations.

Empathy is not a given.

It does not arise automatically simply because we share the same space or follow the same news. It is a fragile state of attentiveness – the ability to momentarily withdraw from one’s own world and allow oneself to be affected by the experience of another. Without the need to judge, correct, or seek solutions.

At a time when suffering becomes a distant image and reality is reduced to rapid information, empathy slows us down. It compels us to stay. With a gaze, with a gesture, with silence. It is neither loud nor spectacular. It is inconspicuous, and precisely for that reason vulnerable. It requires the courage to remain open even where it would be easier to look away.”

Where: Galéria Umelka, Bratislava, Slovakia

Deadline: Saturday, the 28th of February.

For more information, visit the European Textile Network‘s listing – https://etn-net.org/berichte/open-call-24th-textile-miniature-empathygal%C3%A9ria-umelka-bratislava-skdeadline-28-02-2026.html

The original post is here – http://www.txt.sk/index-en.html

Instagram @etn_european_textile_network

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Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Open Call: World of Threads Festival – Canada

Published on February 16, 2026February 16, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

Colourful promotional poster for the World of Threads Festival, inviting fibre and textile artists to submit their work. Location: Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Submission deadline: February 28, 2026.

Artists from around the world are invited to submit bodies of work, installations or individual pieces to The World of Threads Festival, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

Curators Gareth Bate and Dawne Rudman will draw from the pool of submissions to create different thematic group exhibitions, as well as solo shows and installations. They are open to submissions of artwork that have been made between April 2023 and January 2026.

Deadline: Saturday, the 28th of February 2026.

The Festival runs from the 23rd of September 2026 through the 17th of January 2027.

Where: Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2302 Bridge Rd, Oakville, ON L6L 2G6, Canada.

For more information, visit the Festival’s website – https://worldofthreadsfestival.com/submissions/

Their Instagram @worldofthreads

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Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Open Call: “Listen to the Land Speak” – West Cork Creates Exhibition – Cnoc Buí Community Arts Centre

Published on February 4, 2026February 4, 2026 by Feltmakers Ireland

Promotional graphic for 'West Cork Creates', featuring an open call for 2026 titled 'Listen to the Land Speak'.

The West Cork Creates (WCC) committee’s 16th Visual Arts Exhibition, “Listen to the Land Speak”, will run from 1st to 16th of August 2026.

The “Listen to the Land Speak” exhibition will be a tribute to the work and ideas of the late Manchán Magan, who honoured us with a knowledgeable and heartfelt opening speech for the 2018 WCC exhibition.

Listen to the Land Speak is a book (and RTE documentary) about “exploring Ireland’s deep connection to its natural landscape, uncovering ancient myths, ancestral wisdom, and ecological lessons embedded in its bogs, rivers and trees, revealing how these elements shaped Irish identity and offer profound insights for today. It’s a journey to understand the life-sustaining wisdom beneath our feet and reconnect with nature’s rhythms, tracing the footsteps of our ancestors who lived in deep harmony with the land.”

You can view Magan’s RTE programme here – https://www.rte.ie/player/series/listen-to-the-land-speak/10001901-00-0000?epguid=IP10001902-01-0001

Details

Craftspeople, fine artists and designers are invited to respond to the theme and produce innovative work (individual or collaborative) for the WCC exhibition.

Approximately 45 participants will be selected from the applications received.

Where: Cnock Buí Community Arts Centre is located in Union Hall, West Cork, P81 X274

Deadline: Sunday, the 1st of March 2026 at 5 PM.

For more information, visit their website – https://www.westcorkcreates.com/

Their Instagram @westcorkcreates @@cnocbuiarts

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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.