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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.
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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PRESS RELEASE: Galway-based Katarina Hruskova is determined to give more value to Irish farmers by processing their sheep’s wool. After opening Woolstore, a wool-washing and processing business, in 2024, Katarina is now looking to increase her mill’s capacity and start spinning wool into yarn.
With shearing season fast approaching, it’s common to hear sheep farmers all around the island commenting on how this is a loss-making exercise because the wool they produce is deemed worthless. As sheds around the country are bursting with tonne bags full of rotting wool, a recently released report has highlighted the lack of washing and small-scale processing facilities as the main bottleneck preventing the development of innovative uses for the national clip. Meanwhile, Woolstore’s small but efficient operation has proven successful in washing, picking, and carding wool for local farmers and textile crafters. Indeed, 200kg of Galway wool processed by WoolstoreIE made it all the way to Texas last year, where it was spun by a local mill and is being sold as a specialty yarn. An installation made from Irish-grown wool processed by Woolstore can currently be seen at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, as part of Cecilia Vicuña’s exhibition Reverse Migration.
As the only mill in Ireland that accepts flexible batches of wool to be washed and carded, Katarina Hruskova’s business provides direct access to an opportunity that farmers and independent designers would not be able to access otherwise. She remarks, “One of the biggest drivers for me is showing people how good Irish wool is. I love seeing the look on farmers’ faces when they get their wool back after being processed, seeing the difference, and starting to understand the quality of what they actually have!”
It is this passion for demonstrating the potential of Irish wool that has led Katarina to pursue the next milestone in her business: increasing scouring capacity and acquiring Woolstore’s own semi-worsted spinning machine. The ambition is enthusiastically welcomed by farmers and textile practitioners who have been calling for viable avenues to utilise this renewable and highly versatile material.
Malú Colorín, co-founder of social enterprise Fibreshed Ireland sums up the excitement: “This mill is part of the solution to stop relying on imported wool, reduce Ireland’s textile carbon miles, and add value to our homegrown biofibre.”
To achieve this ambitious goal that will benefit both the farming and the textile sectors, Katarina Hruskova has launched a crowdfunder campaign to raise half of the funds needed to purchase the washing and spinning machines. The rest of the funds will be sought through LEADER funding. Backers of the campaign can expect perks such as farm tours, processed fibre, discounts on services, and classes on wool processing and natural dyeing.
The crowdfunder runs until 12 April.
Katarina is optimistic, but not naive. While she knows that her small mill will not be the ultimate solution to Ireland’s wool problem, she is keen to prove that a business like this can be viable enough to be replicated in different regions of the island. If her crowdfunding campaign is successful, we will soon find out.
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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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 memberDr 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.
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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Guild member Sharon Wells will be on the television programme Ireland: AM on the 1st of March, Sunday at 10 AM. She will talk about European Wool Day 2026, which Ireland is hosting on the 28th of March in Tralee, Co Kerry.
She will also share her artwork and demonstrate needlefelting.
Sharon is one of the organisers of the European Wool Day conference, which will also have a joint exhibition of work from members of Feltmakers Ireland, the International Feltmakers Association, and the Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers. All of the artwork will incorporate Irish raised wool. There will also be a room with Interactive Wool Crafts.
Both the exhibition and the crafts are free to enter, and all ages 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.
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Helena also recalls her ‘Crolly Doll’ at the exhibition‘Changing Ireland: Changing Stories’ at the Decorative Arts & Military History Museum of the National Museum of Ireland.
Sharon Wells has sculpture, wall art, and wearable art in Made in Wicklow’s ‘Head, Heart & Hands’ group exhibition, which has the work of 41 members of the organisation.
Free entry to the show. 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
When: the 31st of January through the 8th of February.
If you are a current member of Feltmakers Ireland and you have an upcoming exhibition or workshop, please get in touch with us at feltmakersIE@gmail.com
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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.
From the Showcase Ireland website: Each year, over 3,350 buyers from Ireland, the UK, the USA, Mainland Europe, and Asia attend the three-day to-the-trade event, which generates sales orders exceeding €25.6 million.
In previous years, several members of Feltmakers Ireland have participated in the annual trade fair.
This year, member Emily A. Thompson will be exhibiting her needle-felted work at Showcase Ireland in the Local Enterprise Office Hall. She will be at stand number L9.
“Emily Thompson is a needle felting artist whose aim is to create unique artworks that connect people to the beauty of the world around them. Using locally sourced Irish wool, washed and dyed with natural materials, Emily meticulously layers the dyed wool to create images of the beautiful Irish landscape.”
When: Showcase Ireland runs from the 18th to the 20th of January, 2026.
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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Textile groupElement15‘s ‘ROOTS: An Exhibition of Textile Art and Poetry’ is now showing at Green Acres Gallery, Co Wexford.
The show features the group’s artwork and the poetry of Jane Clarke.
Element15 is a collective based in Co Kildare. Individual artists develop their own practice in tandem with each other, distinct but connected. Element15’s exhibition, ‘ROOTS‘, is inspired by the work of Co Wicklow-based poet Jane Clarke.
Elaine Peden and Marie Dunne, members of the Feltmakers Ireland guild, are part of the Element15 and have pieces in the exhibition.
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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Poster for the exhibitionDlr An Cathaoirleach, Councillor Jim Gildea and artist Deirdre Crofts
Feltmakers Ireland guild member Deirdre Crofts has a piece in ‘Lucid Dreaming’, a group exhibition at the DLR Lexicon Library in Dún Laoghaire, selected and curated by Davey Moor, Curator at the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA).
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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Cecilia Vicuña‘s solo exhibition, ‘Reverse Migration: A Poetic Journey’, is the first show in Ireland by the renowned artist, poet and activist. For this exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Vicuña delves into themes of ancestry, ecological urgency, and the interconnectedness of humanity, inspired by the discovery of her ancient ties to Ireland.
Feltmakers Ireland guild member Katarina Hruskova, of WoolStore Ireland, assisted the artist in preparing the wool used in the creation of the installation, titled ‘Aran Quipu’.
Placard from the gallery wall.
Photos of the Piece, ‘Aran Quipu’
In her Co Galway workshop, Katarina washed and carded 50 kilograms of wool, which she purchased from the Galway Wool Co-op at their annual Meitheal. Then she needle-felted the clean fibre by hand into 50 strips, each 5.5 metres long. As Cecilia Vicuña wanted the strips to be very fluffy, hand needle felting was the method. Altogether, it came to 275 metres of Galway wool. The entire process from start (washing) to finish took Katarina 6-7 weeks to complete.
The Galway Wool, after being cleaned and carded
Needle Felting
The wool fibres were then needle felted.Further along, with more fibres added in.Loading the trailer with the felted wool.More wool.Unloading at IMMA
At IMMA, the long strips were then mounted, with assistance from other Irish artists, in a large hall.
Katarina Hruskova and artist Cecilia Vicuña at the openingKatarina and her partner Keith
Katarina said that at the opening, visitors were encouraged to walk between the strips. Editor’s Note: On a recent visit, a museum attendant encouraged attendees to touch a sample of needle-felted Galway Wool.
In addition to the installation incorporating Irish wool, the exhibition includes other installations featuring natural materials such as plants and shells, along with paintings, drawings, and sound art by Vicuña.
