Exhibitions: 2 Sheila Hicks shows – Paris & San Francisco

There are two exhibitions of Sheila Hicks‘ work right now.

In Paris

The Quai Branly Museum brings together the work of American-born/Paris-based artist Sheila Hicks and the scholarship of Monique Lévi-Strauss through their 60-year friendship and shared passion for textiles.

The exhibition juxtaposes 20 historical textile pieces from the museum’s collection with 30 contemporary works by Sheila Hicks. Drawing inspiration from ancient Andean weaving, Hicks reinterprets fundamental textile gestures: knotting, weaving, braiding, coiling, and tying, revealing their enduring expressive power. There is also a large installation by Hicks at the entrance to the collections.

Where: The Quai Branly Museum, 37 Quai Jacques Chirac, 75007 Paris, France

The show runs until the 8th of March, 2026.

For more information, visit the Museum’s website – https://www.quaibranly.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/at-the-museum/exhibitions/event-details/e/le-fil-voyageur

In San Francisco

Concurrently, but slightly farther away, there is also a solo exhibition of Hicks’ work at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).

The SFMOMA presentation features the artist’s comet-like works, marked by vivid, intersecting, and layered lines, alongside an intimate selection of small-scale pieces that reveal her ongoing daily explorations of new materials and structural possibilities. At the centre stands a monumental phare (Lighthouse): a soaring installation of suspended, twisting cords that serves as the exhibition’s visual and conceptual anchor. Reimagined installations of Hicks’s signature wrapped bâtons, along with large, brightly coloured fibre mounds, demonstrate her continual reinvention of materials and forms—a forward-looking practice she describes as “walking the tightrope into the future.”

The exhibition extends beyond the gallery with a large-scale outdoor commission in the museum’s fifth-floor sculpture garden.

This show runs until Autumn 2026.

Where: SFMOMA, 151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.

For more information, visit the museum’s website – https://www.sfmoma.org/exhibition/new-work-sheila-hicks/

Interview with Hicks

Note: There is a VERY inspiring interview with Sheila Hicks on the Louisiana Channel, an organisation which focuses on creating interviews with artists – https://channel.louisiana.dk/video/sheila-hickswere-crying-for-softness

Instagram links

Quai Branly Museum @quaibranly

SFMOMA @sfmoma

The artist’s Instagram @ateliersheilahicks

Of Interest: Huge 3D Textile Map of Ireland Seeks Home

Via RTE News: A huge wool map of Ireland, which took four years of knitting and crocheting to complete, is in search of a new home to go on public display.

A group of up to 18 women in Co. Wicklow, comprising skilled knitters, sewers, and crocheters, met every Wednesday at the Carnew Community Care Centre, where they developed ideas for landmarks and historical sites across the island of Ireland that they could create together through sewing and knitting.

The woollen map features prominent landmarks and sites across the island, including Glendalough, Croagh Patrick, Phoenix Park, Giant’s Causeway and Fungie the Dolphin.

To learn more and see additional photos, visit the RTE website – https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0715/1523594-knitted-map-ireland/

The Instagram – @rtenews


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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Open Call: Textile Artist Residencies – Norway

AiR Green - Tiltile Artist in Residency

Open Call 2026

AiR Green offers a residency program tailored for artists working with textile media at Søndre Green Farm, situated at the foot of the Norefjell mountain range in Krødsherad Municipality in Norway.

Through the program, AiR Green aims to provide space for focused work, support the development and dissemination of textile art, and foster connections between artists from around the world.

Air Green offers two residency formats: one for four artists for one month and Studio AiR Green, which is for a single artist for two months.

Residency periods for AiR Green 2026

Spring
AiR Green: April 15th – May 13th 2026
AiR Green Studio: April 15th – June 7th 2026

Fall
AiR Green: August 12th – September 9th 2026
AiR Green Studio: August 18th – October 7th 2026

Deadline: 1st of August, 2025.

For more information- https://www.norsketekstilkunstnere.no/air-green-kunstneropphold-pa-sondre-green/

Their Instagram – @airgreen3536

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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Recap: Clodagh Mac Donagh – April Sunday Session

Clodagh wearing her colourful, hand-felted vest pictured next to a photo from her teaching years.

On Sunday, April 13th, long-time Feltmakers Ireland guild member Clodagh Mac Donagh shared her Textile Journey. Her colourful adventures in three locations—London, Paris, and Skerries, IRELAND —where she has lived, been educated, worked, and raised her family, enchanted us.

Like many guild members, Clodagh trained in fine art (in Ireland) and textiles (Goldsmiths in the UK). She worked in education. She taught textiles in multiple settings: to young people via schools, large-scale community projects funded by her local Fingal County Council, and even a textile education centre she opened in Balbriggan. Most recently, she taught a ten-week course on Wet Felting to adults at Castleknock College. Although now retired, she continues to teach Shibori Dyeing and other textile-related classes through Mel Bradley Silks Studio in Drogheda.

Teaching Felting

Besides working as an educator, Clodagh also worked as a dyer for high-end textile designer Sabina Fay Braxton.

She has also traveled extensively and shared some of her Japanese textile collection, which she collected during her visit there six years ago. When she was there, she visited Aramatsu – the town that creates famous Shibori!

Some Photographs of Felted and Shibori Dyed Textiles

On Shibori

Clodagh explained that the term ‘Shibori ‘ means in Japanese “to wring out or compress so that the dye does not reach”. The technique dates back to the 8th century in Japan. Traditionally, it was done on silk or hemp fabrics and was worn by the samurai and aristocracy. 

Clodagh generously shared six Shibori-dyeing resist techniques with the guild. She explained that what we do now is not traditional.

  • Kamoko – a pattern with all-over circles or bullseyes on it.
  • Arashi, which means ‘Driving Rain’ in Japanese, is an accordion fold (like a fan) tied around a pole or pipe. It looks sophisticated, but not difficult to produce.
  • Itajame – an accordion fold with resists.
  • Nui Shibori – stitched with pleats.
  • Kumo – repeat in the fabric with a series of ties concentrically arranged.
  • Muira—The example she showed was a long robe made of panels. It was created using a special stand with a hook that catches fabric and stitched with a continuous thread.

Example of Arashi

Video from Sunday

A huge thank you to Clodagh for sharing your Textile Journey with us! We appreciate all the work she put in to share with us.

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.

Reminder: Clodagh Mac Donagh’s Textile Journey -This Sunday Session

Sunday Session - the 13th - Clodagh Mac Donagh - Adventures in Indigo

This Sunday, the 13th of April, longtime Feltmakers Ireland member, artist and educator, Clodagh Mac Donagh will share her travel and textile experiences with feltmaking and indigo dyeing for our Sunday Session. She has traveled to Japan to study dyeing and will bring her fantastic collection of textiles. Additionally, she will demonstrate various techniques of achieving patterns through Shibori methods.

Due to health and safety, our Sunday Session will ~not~ be a hands-on Indigo Dyeing demonstration or workshop, but Clodagh will demonstrate shibori techniques.

Please bring the following items:

  • 10 baby wipes
  • 10 A4 sheets of paper, preferably white/plain (These will be used for demonstration purposes)
  • some small rubber bands
  • a few short lengths of strings (different thicknesses)
  • a few beads or glass pebbles
  • a ruler
  • pen or pencil, and a small bag to bring items home.

Note: These items are for demonstrating purposes only, not for dyeing.


Additional Details

Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace disposable paper cups.

As a member perk for 2025, we no longer charge 5 euros per session. (If you still need to renew your Annual Membership for 2025, you can now pay online here – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/ )

This Sunday’s Session will ~not~ have a Zoom link. We apologise for this, but we will use a projector to share some of Clodagh’s photographs of her projects and travels. There is only so much technology we can juggle during a single session.

As this is the season of coughs and sneezes, we prefer you not to share these. Please do not attend if you may be unwell. We will have a photo-filled recap on the blog in the coming week!

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.

Sunday Session: Clodagh Mac Donagh’s Textile Journey – Adventures in Indigo – 13th of April

On April 13th, longtime Feltmakers Ireland member, artist and educator, Clodagh Mac Donagh, will share her travel and textile experiences with Indigo Dyeing for our Sunday Session. She has traveled to Japan to study this subject and will bring her fantastic collection of textiles. She will also demonstrate various techniques of achieving patterns through Shibori methods.

Due to health and safety, our Sunday Session will ~not~ be a hands-on Indigo Dyeing demonstration or workshop, but Clodagh will demonstrate shibori techniques.

Please bring the following items:

  • 10 baby wipes
  • 10 A4 sheets of paper, preferably white/plain (These will be used for demonstration purposes)
  • some small rubber bands
  • a few short lengths of strings (different thicknesses)
  • a few beads or glass pebbles
  • a ruler
  • pen or pencil, and a small bag to bring them home again.

Note: these items are for demonstrating purposes only, not for dyeing.

From an Indigo / Shibori Dyeing Workshop in 2024

The photos above are from a workshop taught by Clodagh and Mel Bradley, which was held at Mel Bradley Silks, in the Millmount Craft Quarter, Drogheda, in the Spring of 2024.

Additional Details

Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace disposable paper cups.

As a member perk for 2025, we will no longer charge 5 euros per session. (If you still need to renew your Annual Membership for 2025, you can now pay online here – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/ )

This Sunday’s Session will ~not~ have a Zoom link. We apologise for this, but we will use a projector to share some of Clodagh’s photographs of her travels. There is only so much technology we can juggle during a single session.

As this is the season of coughs and sneezes, we prefer you not to share these. Please do not attend if you may be unwell.

Here is a fun video from the workshop in Drogheda!

Students are airing the indigo-dyed fabric and having a little dance, too!

The recap of this Sunday Session is HERE – https://feltmakersireland.com/2025/04/15/recap-clodagh-mac-donagh-april-sunday-session/

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.

Recap: Dee Crofts’ Sunday Session

Deirdre Crofts shared her work at our recent Sunday Session

Written by Committee Member Loli Cox

Feltmakers Ireland was honoured to host Deirdre “Dee” Crofts on Sunday, the 9th of February. Dee shared her Felting and Art journey with 30 visitors and members of Feltmakers Ireland.

Dee, with some of her sculptures

Dee, a long-time member of Feltmakers and until recently on the Feltmakers Ireland Committee, is a woman with many talents. In addition to feltmaking, Dee works in ceramics, weaving, metalwork, printmaking, plaster castings, knitting and horticulture. Her focus now is on automata – creating sculptures that can move.

So Much to See

Dee brought many art pieces along with her to display and explained the process of creating each piece with passion and precision. A few ‘stand out’ pieces included a ceramic likeness of St. Brigid, which she exhibited with the Liberties Weavers; Dee incorporated felting and weaving into the work. Another was her automata piece of ‘The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly’; here, she created a wind-up toy with gears, causing the old woman to swallow the various characters named in the well-known poem. Finally, her wet felted seagulls illustrated ‘the magic’ of wool; Dee said, “It’s an amazing thing to use sheep fur to create felted art”.

Feltmakers Ireland can’t wait to see what Dee will do next!

“Try out everything because it’s fun … and you have something in the end” – one of the many encouraging words from Dee.

More Work

Some of Dee’s sculptures can be found at the Kildare Gallery – https://thekildaregallery.ie/product-category/sculpture/deirdre-crofts/

Additionally, she exhibits each year at the sculpture installation at Bloom in Phoenix Park- https://www.bordbiabloom.com/sculpture-in-the-park/

In previous years, she exhibited at Sculpture in Context at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. (It is currently on hiatus but will hopefully return this year). https://sculptureincontext.ie/

Video of Dee’s Talk

Lastly, an unedited video of Deirdre Crofts’ talk with us is on our YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/@feltmakersireland

Sincere apologies in advance for the dodgy camerawork and sound. https://youtu.be/N0S3FjGK2Io


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: ‘Symbols of Ireland’ – Annual Feltmakers Ireland Show – Phoenix Park Visitor Centre

Poster for Feltmakers Ireland's annual exhibition - 2025 - 'Symbols of Ireland' at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre. Sabina Higgins will launch show on the 2nd of March at 3 PM. The SHow runs Wednesdays through Sundays, from the 5th to the 30th of March.
The Poster for Feltmakers Ireland’s group exhibition in March.

Feltmakers Ireland is delighted to present ‘Symbols of Ireland’, a group exhibition celebrating the country’s rich cultural heritage through the art of felt. Sabina Higgins will officially launch* the exhibition on Sunday, the 2nd of March, at 3 PM.

This showcase explores Ireland’s iconic imagery and deep-rooted traditions through the versatile medium of wool—ranging from imported Merino fibre to locally raised Irish wool. Featuring an array of techniques, including wet felting and needle felting, members of Feltmakers Ireland have created striking three-dimensional sculptures, wall art, and wearable pieces, each offering a unique interpretation of Irish symbolism.

The exhibition runs from Wednesday, the 5th of March, to Sunday, the 30th of March 30th, 2025, at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre Gallery. Please note: the Centre is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. (This may change if there is an increase in staffing. We will know more by the middle of the month).

The gallery is conveniently accessible by Dublin Bus number 99 and is located within the historic Phoenix Park. For further details, including maps and directions to the park, visit https://www.phoenixpark.ie/directions.

The artwork featured on the exhibition poster is ‘Brigid’s Legacy’ by Jane Fox.

*Provisional upon her schedule.

Feltmakers Ireland is a guild member of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI).

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.

Sunday Session: Deirdre Crofts Creative Journey this Sunday

Deirdre Crofts - Sunday Session, the 9th of February
Photo of Deirdre Crofts at the January Sunday Session- Leiko Uchiyama’s Pine Needle Felt Workshop. (Apologies to Jane Fox and Fiona Leech, who have been cropped out of the picture).

On Sunday, the 9th of February, Feltmakers Ireland guild member Deirdre Crofts will share her creative journey with us during our Sunday Session. In addition to feltmaking, Dee works in ceramics, weaving, and horticulture. She is particularly interested in automata – creating sculptures that can move!

There is a ‘Meet the Maker’ interview with Deirdre from 2020 – https://feltmakersireland.com/2020/08/30/meet-the-maker-deirdre-crofts/

Deirdre Crofts piece from the Endangered Exhibition
Deirdre’s piece from the ‘Endangered’ exhibition in 2020

Additional Details

Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace the use of disposable paper cups.

As a member perk for 2025, we will no longer charge 5 euros per session. (If you still need to renew your Annual Membership for 2025, you can now pay online here – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/ )

This Sunday’s Session will have a Zoom link, and we hope to record Deirdre’s presentation. The Zoom link will be mailed to members today, Friday, the 7th of February.

As this is the season of coughs and sneezes, we would prefer if you do not share these. Please do not attend if you may be unwell.


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.

Sunday Session: Creative Journey of Deirdre Crofts – the 9th of February

Photo of Deirdre Crofts at the January Sunday Session- Leiko Uchiyama’s Pine Needle Felt Workshop. (Apologies to Jane Fox and Fiona Leech, who have been cropped out of the picture).

On Sunday, the 9th of February, Feltmakers Ireland guild member Deirdre Crofts will share her creative journey with us during our Sunday Session. In addition to feltmaking, Dee works in ceramics, weaving, and horticulture. She is particularly interested in automata – creating sculptures that can move!

  • When: 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

There is a ‘Meet the Maker’ interview with Deirdre from 2020 – https://feltmakersireland.com/2020/08/30/meet-the-maker-deirdre-crofts/

Additional Details

Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace the use of disposable paper cups.

As a member perk for 2025, we will no longer charge 5 euros per session. (If you still need to renew your Annual Membership for 2025, you can now pay online here – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/ )

This Sunday’s Session will have a Zoom link, and we hope to record Deirdre’s presentation. The Zoom link will be mailed to members on the Friday preceding the event.

As this is the season of coughs and sneezes, we would prefer if you do not share these. Please do not attend if you may be unwell.

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.