EARTH RISING at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) is a three-day festival where art meets activism and offers visitors a unique opportunity to engage with our time’s most pressing environmental issues. Over the weekend, EARTH RISING will present a diverse range of eco-themed installations and exhibitions, workshops, screenings, and thought-provoking discussions that invite participants to reflect on their role in the global climate movement.
All events and experiences at EARTH RISING are free of charge; the festival is drop-in and accessible to all. Spaces for talks and workshops are allocated on a first-come basis. Some workshops require booking, and ticket links can be found on the festival app on the workshop event page.
Fibreshed Ireland will offer short workshops, demonstrations, and talks throughout the event. From Seeds to Textile Sovereignty is an interactive space that will help festival-goers visualise and understand how seeds turn into textiles and why agrobiodiversity is key in this process.
When: Friday, the 20th through the Sunday, the 22nd of September.
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The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) welcomes expressions of interest for TWO residencies—Dwell Here: One Month Residency and Dwell Here: One Year Residency. These residencies are for practices based in Ireland or internationally to reside and practice for up to a month/one year at the museum. This opportunity invites practices working across disciplines of the visual arts, design, architecture, curation, and related humanities fields.
Dwell Here offers participants a simple proposition: to commit to this time and place while thinking deeply about its urgencies. Together, we are curious to learn what can be activated or challenged through the process of dwelling.
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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As part of August Craft Month, the Irish Guild of the Weavers, Spinners and Dyers is holding the ‘Second Big Spin’, tomorrow, Saturday, the 24th of August.
Access: There is a multi-storey car park nearby and there is a set down area in front of the hotel.
Spinners of all levels are welcome, bring your wheel or spindle. Weavers are also very welcome to bring their inkle looms, rigid heddle looms, etc. There is no charge to attend the Big Spin. Both members and non-members are welcome.
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.
The show explains the origins of the Dum Emer & Cuala Industries in Dundrum and Churchtown, the engagement between the Yeatses, but specifically Susan ‘Lily’, and the pioneering figure of Evelyn Gleeson. Additionally, it includes contemporary embroidery from the Irish Guild of Embroiderers.
The exhibition elaborates through a series of visuals from original prints, the work of the many women artists who contributed to the Cuala portfolio, and presents original works by the members of the Irish Guild of Embroiderers, who, in marking the centenary publication of ‘The Cat and the Moon’ (Cuala, 1924) have found inspiration within the themes of this piece of WB Yeats’ writing, while also reflecting the colour palette and skilful selection of stitches created by Susan ‘Lily’ Yeats in completing her textiles.
Cat and The Moon, and Certain Poems
When: The show runs until the 30th of August, 2024.
Location: Exhibition: DLR Lexicon Library, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, A96 H283.
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.
As part of August Craft Month, discover the delicate art of Irish Lace! Join Guild of Irish Lacemakers members for a morning filled with tradition and craftsmanship that the whole family can enjoy.
When: Saturday, the 3rd of August from 11 AM to 1 PM.
Where: The Museum of Decorative Arts and History in Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7.
Live Demonstrations:
Watch in awe as our skilled lacemakers weave intricate designs right before your eyes, demonstrating the precision and artistry passed down through generations.
Interactive Displays:
Get up close to beautiful, historic laces and contemporary designs in our displays. See the supermini to the super-sized!
Try It Yourself! Roll up your sleeves at our hands-on stations, where you can learn to stitch your own stitches and use children’s crafting needles and embroidery hoops. Guided by expert lacemakers, you’ll work with a pillow, bobbins, and hexagon netting —perfect for beginners and children alike.
Explore the Collection:
Visit ‘The Way We Wore’ exhibition to discover how lace has been interwoven with Irish culture and identity over the centuries.
This drop-in family event will occur from 11 AM to 1 PM in the Palatine Room off Clarke Square in Collins Barracks in the Decorative Arts and History Museum.
No booking is required. For more information, call 01 648 6453 or contact bookings@museum.ie
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.
Now in its 194th year, the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) Annual Exhibition is Ireland’s largest and longest-running open submission exhibition.
Excitingly, one of Feltmakers Ireland’s members, Leiko Uchiyama, has a piece in the exhibition!
Leiko Uchiyama – ‘Memories 64.20’
A video installation by Asha Murray has tufting in it! According to Tufting Shop: “Tufting is a modern technique in textile art that involves using a specialized tool called a tufting gun. This tool helps to weave yarn into a base fabric, creating intricate and textured designs.”
Asha Murray – ‘Are You Domestic Enough?”
Anna Macleod‘s sculpture, ‘Behold the Wind’ won the ESB Moran Award and Silver Medal for an outstanding sculpture. Her piece is made from Poplar wood, Harris tweed thread, and Lead.
Lastly, Abigail O’Brien‘s ‘Mentation I + II’ is a photographic print of two pieces of cross-stitch needlework: The photos show the stitching of the front and back of a colourful brain.
Abigail O’Brien – ‘Mentation I + II’
Overall, not many pieces in this year’s RHA Annual exhibition would be considered ‘textile art’.
However, for next year, members of Feltmakers Ireland and other fibre artists can hopefully increase the number of textile-related pieces by submitting our work under the ‘Mixed Media’ category. (The Open Call for this exhibition stated the following: “Submissions of work are invited from visual artists working in paint, photography, sculpture, architecture, print, drawing and mixed media. Works outside these categories are not accepted.“
Several high-profile, textile-related art exhibitions have recently taken place in the US, UK, and Europe, so there may be more opportunities for fibre-related work in future RHA shows.
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.
The Liberties Weavers has created a guided walk around the area to share some places, people and textiles that have shaped Ireland’s textile history.
Marja Almqvist, textile artist, weaver and initial mind behind The Liberties Weavers, will conduct this amazing experience – where the participants rediscover The Liberties as the centre of textile production for over 1000 years, an aspect of our heritage that is often overlooked.
The tour will start at the Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin at 11 am.
The tour is not free but includes entry to the St Patrick Cathedral.
Embark on a new and exciting journey with us!
When: Saturday, the 27th of July, 2024, 11:00 AM – 13:00 PM.
NOTE: The Tour is full, but one can join the waitlist.
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.
The Dublin City Council Culture Company is seeking to appoint two Artists in Residence for 14 Henrietta Street. Museum – a social history museum of Dublin life.
They seek creative and collaborative individuals who share their belief in connecting people and communities through culture and conversation.
They are seeking two artists to develop a creative response to 14 Henrietta Street. This could focus, for example, on the building itself, our oral history collection, the museum artefacts, the visitor experience or the museum’s way of working. Previous artist responses and projects have included poetry, photography, theatre and music. The Museum would particularly welcome applications that focus on the unique quality of the museum and how stories are told and gathered. Much of the existing artist responses focus on the tenement era of the house, so applications which include other periods within the 300-year history of the house are of interest.
The deadline for submission of proposals is Monday, 22 July 2024.
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 hosting the event.
Over the June Bank holiday, volunteers from Feltmakers Ireland spent two days at the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland’s Irish Craft Village within Bord Bia’s Bloom 2024 in Phonix Park. Our volunteers shared the wonders of transforming fluff into felt.
Irish Craft Village Sign – Photo by Sam Fagan
Most of all, Feltmakers Ireland wants to thank theDesign and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) for giving us such an excellent marquee and display opportunity in the Craft’s Demonstration Booth at Bloom. We especially want to thank Geraldine Gray (of the DCCI ) and her sister Catherine for their support, helpfulness, and friendship on-site over the two days.
The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland’s Irish Craft Village – Photo by Sam Fagan
Our Booth
The public enjoyed watching volunteers show how to wet felt and needle-felt.
The photo on the left is early in the day – Photo by Loli Cox. The one on the right shows how popular our booth was – Photo by Sam Fagan.
Annika with samples of Irish Wool Breeds – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Irish Wool Breed Felted Samples – Photo by Sam Fagan
Annika’s 3D fish and butterflies attracted much interest, as did other artworks on display.
Fishes and Butterfhly – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
3D Butterflies by Annika Berglund – Photo by Sam Fagan
Hélène Dooley’s spiral in the foregraound.
A busy booth – Photo by Hélène Dooley
Tamzen Lundy demonstrated wet feltmaking by creating a Mr Fantastic Fox. Her cute, wee-felted animals on display are terrific. You can find her work at Tamzen Lundy Designs.
Tamzen promoting wet feltmaking. (See below)
Tamzen demonstrating
Tamzen chatting with the public – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Marian Fagan demonstrated needle felting and how she makes puppets of the various characters in children’s books for her granddaughter as they share the joy of reading. (See photo below).
Marian demonstrating feltmaking – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Loli Cox, Marian, and Annika were busy demonstrating.
Loli, Marian, and Annika talking with the public – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
In the afternoon, Joanne Foley (in the yellow dress) demonstrated the process of creating her animal portraits. (See photograph below).
More sharing of feltmaking at Bloom – Joanne Foley, Lorna Cady, Margaret Ryan Collings, and Annika Berglund – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Guild member Caoimhe Tuthill of Boann Irish Felt exhibited her beautiful work in the main pavilion with MeathMade. (See below).
Caoimhe Tuthill at the MeathMade Booth – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Day 2
Saturday was busy, and Hélène Dooley started us off by demonstrating wet felting flowers and displaying her felted vessels. The red-coloured, hanging felted spiral is from an online class she teaches at the Felting and Fiber Studio. (See photo below).
Helene demonstrating – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Hélène demonstrated and answered curious questions.
Hélène, Lory Cotti Cottini, and Annika demonstrating, below. Annika promoted Feltmakers Ireland and encouraged the interested public to become members of the guild.
Helene, Lory, and Annika sharing the wonders of feltmaking – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Siobhan Ryan, Sam Fagan, Elaine Peden, and Annika at Bloom.
Siobhan, Sam, Elaine, and Annika demonstrating – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Elain Peden demonstrating – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Elaine and Annika share feltmaking with the public. (Below).
Elaine and Annika – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Siobhan demonstrates her unique artwork.
Siobhan demonstrating – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Valerie Nowak O’Ceallaigh shared her needle-felted horse portrait.
Photo by Valerie
Conclusion
Many thanks to Maria Mc Garry and Annika Berglund for coordinating this year’s Feltmakers Ireland booth at Bloom! Also, thanks to all the members, who also volunteered their time during the busy bank holiday weekend.
Elaine, Annika, and Maria pictured – Photo by Sam Fagan
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.
This year, Feltmakers Ireland’s annual art exhibition at the Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre is curated around the theme of ‘Opposites Attract’. Within the gallery, wall placards explain each piece’s inspiration. For those who cannot make it to the show, here are the inspiration and photographs of some more of our members’ artwork.
The Series
The complete series of posts on our Members’ Inspiration can be found here:
Heather Byrne – ‘Don’t get your tentacles in a tangle’
Two jellyfish gracefully dance amidst contrasting currents, embodying the timeless adage of ‘Opposites Attract’. Their ethereal forms, pulsating with contrasting vibrant hues, symbolise the harmony found in embracing differences. Through their delicate movements, the felting invites viewers to contemplate the beauty that emerges when opposing forces unite in a mesmerising display of elegance and synchronicity.
Tamzen Lundy
Tamzen Lundy – ‘Where the land meets the sea’
This piece was inspired by Tamzen’s “spiritual” home of Co. Donegal and a recent trip to a windswept cliff top, Horn Head, Dunfanaghy.
People often refer to Donegal as the county where “The land meets the sea”. The vistas are immense, and the sky is vast. However, there are also wonderful tiny landscapes in every rockpool, to be found, examined and explored. This piece is inspired by such a landscape.
By using colours from opposite sides of the colour wheel and fibres from both animal and insect, the artist has interpreted the land and sea and how these opposites attract.”
Bernie Hennessy
Bernie Hennessy – ‘Tabulata’
Coral’s skeletal structure is transparent; it gets its vibrant colour from an algae inhabitant called zooxanthellae, with which it exists in a symbiotic relationship. In my work ‘Tabulata’, I use merino fleece to express the vulnerability of the algae and porcelain to represent the structure of the coral. In doing so, I hope to convey how two opposing elements of nature, the delicate, colourful algae and the strong, transparent coral, neither of which can live independently, can be attracted to each other to form a symbiotic relationship, which results in such a wonder of nature.
Adrienne Dempsey
Adrienne Dempsey -‘Just the Two of Us’
My piece illustrates the concept of opposites attract within relationships and the lyrics of a classic love song, “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington Jr. with Bill Withers.
The opening lines of the song set the scene for the rest of the lyrics. “I see the crystal raindrops fall, and the beauty of it all is when the sun comes shining through.” These lyrics set up the idea that everything in life has its ups and downs, but the beauty of it all is when the sun shines through.
The meaning behind the song is ultimately about love and the importance of relationships. How differences can create a magnetic attraction between two people.
Joanne Turner
Joanne Turner – “A time to throw stones away and a time to gather stones together” Ecclesiastes 3:5
When I thought about the theme ‘Opposites Attract’, I was drawn to the antithetical parallelism of proverbs in the Bible. My piece illustrates the dynamic energy of opposites: earth & sky; blue & yellow; throwing away & gathering together. Could it be that the key to a happy life is as simple as knowing when to jettison our ‘stones’ and when to hold them close?
We hope that you enjoyed learning about what inspires these artists. This series on the exhibition will continue over the coming week. ‘Opposites Attract’ is at the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre until the 26th of May.
The gallery is open from 10 AM until 4 PM daily.
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.
Feltmakers Ireland 