Art Openings – Feltmakers Ireland

Sunday Session: This Sunday – Wet Felted Holiday Star with Annika Berglund

Published on Nov 15, 2024Nov 15, 2024 by Feltmakers Ireland

Examples of Wet Felted Holiday Stars, designed by Annika Berglund

On the 17th of November, our Sunday Session will be a mini-workshop with artist and guild member Annika Berglund.

Time: 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Where: CIE Sports Hall, Inchicore, Dublin 8

We will make a wet-felted Holiday Star for window decoration – perfect for Christmas or year-round!

There will be a choice of three finished models using wool yarn, Merino wool, and, for one version, Wensleydale locks.

What to bring:

One large and one small towel
Sewing pins
Small sharp scissors
Bubble wrap – approximately sized at 25 by 50cm
Soap and water bowl
Ball brause or sprinkler
A plastic bag

All other materials will be provided.

Additional Information

A Sunday Session like this will require lots of tea/ coffee/cake and chat, so there’ll be an abundance of that. Of course, homebakes are always welcome! Please bring a ‘keep cup’ or mug from home if possible. That will lessen the amount of paper cups thrown away.

There is the usual 5 euro fee.

Note: Since this is the season of colds and coughs, let’s not share them. However, we welcome you to join via Zoom Link, which we email to all members on Friday afternoon.

Annika Berglund Exhibition

Annika Berglund, a graduate of NCAD, has shown work in solo and group exhibitions nationally and abroad and has won several awards, including the Crafts Council’s price for Best Craft in the Garden 2008 and the NUI Art and Design Prize 2010.

Moving from ceramics, glass, and bronze to felt in 2020, one of her earliest felt pieces depicting the COVID-19 virus was acquired by the National Museum of Ireland. Having had one solo show and many group shows featuring Felt, Annika was a primary contributor to Feltmakers Ireland’s research project around Irish wool and the resulting book, Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking. She is currently Treasurer of Feltmakers Ireland.

Annika’s upcoming solo exhibition, Tapestry, opens on Sunday, the 17th of November at 15:00 in the Olivier Cornet Gallery (after the Sunday session). She welcomes you all to attend. The show runs until the 15th of December.

For more information about her exhibition, visit the gallery’s website –https://www.oliviercornetgallery.com/tapestry-annika-berglund

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Exhibition: ‘Opposites Attract’ Opens Today

Published on May 4, 2024Apr 30, 2024 by Feltmakers Ireland

Feltmakers Ireland’s group exhibition, ‘Opposites Attract,’ opens today at 3 PM. Tom Watts of the Design and Craft Council of Ireland (DCCI) will inaugurate our exhibition.

Here are the last of the sneak peeks: Sandra Reynolds, Helena Mc Guinness, Sandra Coote, Valerie Nowak-oceallaigh, Patricia Conroy, Hélène Dooley, and Juliane Gorman.

Sandra Reynolds
Helena Mc Guinness
Sandra Coote
Valerie Nowak-oceallaigh
Patricia Conroy
Hélène Dooley
Juliane Gorman

Thank you for accompanying us on this Sneak Peek Journey. Learning about our members and their inspirations has been a fascinating part of organising this exhibition! We cannot wait to share more artwork during the show’s run from May 5th to 26th.

Remember: The Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. However, the lovely cafe across the way is open.

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Exhibition: Opposites Attract – Annual Feltmakers Ireland Show

Published on Apr 25, 2024May 7, 2024 by Feltmakers Ireland

Feltmakers Ireland is proud to announce that its group exhibition, ‘Opposites Attract,’ will open on May 4th at 3PM.

The show runs from the 4th until the 26th of May, 2024. Please note: the Centre is CLOSED on MONDAYS and TUESDAYS.

The show is in the historic Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre gallery. The Dublin Bus number 99 conveniently stops near the Visitors’ Centre.

There is information (and maps) on the Park’s website – https://www.phoenixpark.ie/directions/

The poster’s image is from a close-up of Maria McGarry’s piece, ‘Winter Solstice, Newgrange.’

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

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.

Recap: The Exhibition Opening a Success

Published on Oct 3, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

This past Saturday, from 3 to 5 PM, Feltmakers Ireland warmly embraced our community of wool and felt enthusiasts at the grand opening of our exhibition, ‘Bountiful.’ During this momentous occasion, we had the honour of Minister Pippa Hackett’s official inauguration of our recently published book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking.’ If you missed her inspiring words, you can catch portions of her speech on our YouTube channel, @FeltmakersIreland.

Your presence and support made this event truly memorable, and we’re excited to continue sharing our passion for feltmaking with you all.

Exhibition organiser, Dee Crofts introducing Minister Pippa Hackett. The piece in the background is by Aisling Hassett.

The Committee

In every voluntary organization, there are individuals who play a crucial role in carefully coordinating the group’s various activities. Enclosed is a photograph capturing the dedicated committee members, standing proudly in front of our collaborative Floral Tapestry. This beautiful artwork commemorates the guild’s inception, marking two decades of passion and commitment since its founding by the remarkable Elizabeth Bonnar.

Tapestry Revealed

Below is a photograph of our floral tapestry. Each of the flowers was handcrafted by our members during our September Sunday Session. Additional flowers were created, too. Then, several members got together to hand-stitch the over 180 flowers onto the backing, a very large piece of wool felt. {Invigilating members are welcome to sew on flowers during their volunteer shifts}.

The opening was quite exciting, with many members attending.

Feltmakers Ireland founder Elizabeth Bonnar and founding member Michelle Winters spoke with Minister Hackett.

Some of the artists and their pieces

Helene Dooley speaking with Minister Hackett

Each piece in our exhibition features a photograph of the artist along with the statement they provided, sharing their unique interpretation of ‘Bountiful’ when they submitted their work for jury consideration. You can spot these artist statements in some of the photographs above.

Below is the ‘Box of Chocolates’ by Clare Brophy that Minister Hackett points to in her speech.

Clare Brophy’s piece ‘Sharing the Bounty’.

In closing, we truly regret if we missed the opportunity to personally thank you at the opening event, which, as we’ve mentioned, was quite the bustling affair! With an impressive turnout of over fifty attendees, including cherished friends, beloved family members, and passionate supporters of the wool industry, it was a testament to the resilience and dedication of our community. Despite the tempestuous weather on that Saturday, your unwavering commitment to our cause warmed our hearts. We cannot express enough gratitude for your presence and your support for the art of feltmaking. Your enthusiasm fuels our creative journey, and we look forward to sharing more moments of inspiration and collaboration in the future. Thank you once again for making our opening event a truly memorable occasion.

Link to Minister Hackett’s opening remarks – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4OztSN83iY

Copies of our Irish wool book can be purchased from our website – https://feltmakersireland.com/exploring-irish-wool-for-feltmaking/

Exhibition: Opening This Afternoon – ‘Bountiful’

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

Today, on the 30th of September, art enthusiasts and admirers of the exquisite craft of felting will gather at the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre in Dublin, Ireland. Feltmakers Ireland’s highly anticipated juried exhibition is set to open its doors to the public at 3 PM.

The exhibition showcases a stunning array of felted artworks that push the boundaries of this ancient textile art form.

As a sneak peek into what promises to be an awe-inspiring show, we bring you exclusive glimpses from four diverse pieces that will be featured in this remarkable exhibition.

Photo 1 – Breda Fay’s wall piece, ‘Torthuil’.

Photo 2 – Valerie OCeallaigh’s ‘Bountiful Love’.

Photo 3 – Adrienne Dempsey’s ‘Where the Wild Things Grow’.

Our exhibition will be opened by Pippa Hackett, Sheep Farmer and Irish Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity. She has kindly written the foreword to our ‘wool project book’, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’. Copies of the book will be available during the opening and throughout the exhibition.

Lastly, many thanks to the Design and Craft Council of Ireland for helping to fund our 20th-anniversary Floral Tapestry Project.

Close-up detail of our collective felted flower project, a Floral Tapestry, in celebration of Feltmakers Ireland’s 20th-anniversary.

Exhibition: ‘Bountiful’ Exhibition Opens Tomorrow

Published on Sep 29, 2023Sep 30, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

In one day, Feltmakers Ireland’s juried exhibition, ‘Bountiful’, will open. The event will be introduced by Pippa Hackett, sheep farmer and Minister of State and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.

In addition to our members’ wet and needle-felted creations, copies of our recently published book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’ will be available.

Lastly, as part of the celebration of our founding twenty years ago, we will unveil our collaborative Floral Tapestry.

In the meantime, here are snippets of two members’ pieces.

Photo 1 – Hélène Dooley’s ‘Visualising the Beauty of the Sunflower Field’.

To see more of Hélène’s work, visit her Instagram page – https://www.instagram.com/feltzen/

Photo 2 – Clare Brophy’s ‘Treasury Trees’.

To see more of Clare’s work, visit her on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/clarepbrophy/

Exhibition: Two More Days Until ‘Bountiful’ Opens

Published on Sep 28, 2023Sep 28, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

Only a couple more days until our juried members’ exhibition ‘Bountiful’ opens this Saturday at 3 PM at the Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre in Dublin.

In the meantime, here are two snippets of wearable art that will be displayed. The exhibition includes wall art, sculptures, shawls, and even a hat!

Photo 1 – Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann’s piece, ‘Positive Vibes’.

To see more of Astrid’s work, visit her website – https://bombyxmoriwearableart.com/

Photo 2 – A snippet of Caoimhe Tuthill’s piece – ‘Nature’s Bounty’.

To see more of Caoimhe’s work, visit her website – https://www.boann.ie/

Exhibition: Feltmakers Ireland Juried Show Opens on the 30th of September

Published on Sep 19, 2023Oct 31, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

Feltmakers Ireland is excited to announce that on the 30th of September at 3 PM, Pippa Hackett, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will open our group exhibition, ‘Bountiful’.

This juried art exhibition will be held in the beautiful Phoenix Park Visitors Centre from the 30th of September through the 29th of October, from 10 AM until 4 PM.

There are over 35 pieces by 28 guild members in the show. In addition, we will unveil our collectively created Floral Tapestry to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. Copies of our book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’, will also be available.

Members who have a piece in the show, please contact us about invigilating. All members are welcome to help by volunteering for the show. Bring a small ‘felty’ project to work on because it will truly interest visitors.

To be added to the invigilation rota, email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com

Watch a short video of our Floral Tapestry in the making from our September Sunday session on our Instagram and/or Facebook.

Here’s a short video of the finished Floral Tapestry on our YouTube Channel.

To watch Minister Pippa Hackett’s opening remarks, where she talks about wool and our newly published book, see HERE.

Lastly, a new, convenient bus goes from near Heuston Station to the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre. Below is the schedule.

Exhibition: Along The Loanin – by Caóilfíonn Murphy O’Hanlon

Published on Jun 13, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

Member Caóilfíonn Murphy O’Hanlon, who creates felted landscapes under the business name Cushla of Gullion, has an exhibition, Along The Loanin, that launches this Friday at 7pm in the Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre, Armagh, Northern Ireland.

It’s a multi-media exhibition of word, wool paintings, and photography – all inspired by the hills of home.

The exhibition runs through the 15th of July.

For more information, visit this website: https://visitarmagh.com/along-the-loanin-caoilfionn-murphy-ohanlon/

Invitation to Annika Berglund’s Interlocked exhibition opening – Sunday 14 November – 2pm to 6pm

Published on Nov 11, 2021Mar 14, 2023 by Feltmakers Ireland

I would like to extend an invitation to all my fellow members of Feltmakers Ireland and anybody interested in felting to my upcoming exhibition. It is primarily felted works with a sprinkling of Joomchi (An ancient Korean paper technique similar to felting)

All the best

Annika

The Olivier Cornet Gallery would like to invite you to the opening of the show

Sunday 14 November 2021 between 2pm and 6pm, in the presence of the artist.

Please book a time that suits you.

Olivier Cornet Gallery

3 Great Denmark Street
(beside Belvedere College,
off Parnell Square)
Dublin 1

Opening hours:
Tues to Fri: 11am to 6pm
(till 8pm on Thursdays)
Sat & Sun: 12 noon to 5pm

All visits to the gallery have to be pre-booked until further notice
Closed on Mondays

Website: https://www.oliviercornetgallery.com
Email: info@oliviercornetgallery.com
Phone: +353 (0)872887261