New Brewery Arts in Cirencester is hosting a summer of creativity, as Craftival comes to the Cotswolds from Thursday 6 July to Saturday 2 September 2023.
Welcoming the whole community, there's a wide variety of talks, workshops, demonstrations and fairs taking place throughout the summer, many of which are completely FREE to attend, with SoGlos rounding up the highlights...
Free events at Craftival 2023
Kicking off Craftival on Thursday 6 July 2023, Networking for Creatives invites local artisans, makers and creative professionals to a speed dating-style event where they can meet a host of industry experts, from marketing consultants to representatives from Arts Council England. This event is free, but spaces are limited so booking is essential.
Bloom with Becky Kimberley gives keen crafters a chance to try their hand at making a mixed media collage, with drop-in sessions on Wednesday 12 and Wednesday 19 July 2023; Paper Craft Day on Tuesday 1 August 2023 invites people to drop into the gallery between 11am and 3pm to have a go at making paper decorations, paper lettering and paper weaving; the Big Weave with Chandos Atelier on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 August 2023 invites visitors to contribute to a large-scale community artwork; while Collective Badgemaking lets people drop in and have a go from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 2 September 2022.
The Craftival Book Fair with Chrome Yellow Books takes place on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 July 2023, filling the gallery with publications and hand-made books to browse and buy; the Craft Fair on Thursday 3, Friday 4 and Saturday 5 August 2023 brings some of the UK's finest crafters and makers to the gallery to showcase their work; while the Print Fair on Thursday 24, Friday 25 and Saturday 26 August 2023 brings incredible printmakers from across the country together to demonstrate this ancient art form, with special guest Nick Hand from The Letterpress Collective visiting on the Friday.
Repair, Mend and Re-imagine is a drop-in event on Saturday 15 July 2023, where Lucy Barraclough and Rebel Patch teach five key mending methods and show participants how to upcycle and customise clothes with patches; the Cirencester Repair Cafe taster sessions on Saturday 29 and Monday 31 July 2023 let visitors bring along their broken electricals, bikes and textiles to be repaired by skilled volunteers, with a clothes swap taking place too; then Crafty Bundles on Saturday 19 August 2023 invites crafters to bring along and swap their surplus and unwanted craft materials, from fabric, wool and buttons to inks, paints and pencils.
The Churn Project also hosts a series of free events aimed at reducing loneliness and isolation in the local community, with women's only Time For You on Tuesday 25; Stitch, Knit and Natter on Wednesday 26; Family Making on Thursday 27; and Chat and Connect on Friday 28 July 2023.
Workshops and masterclasses at Craftival 2023
Patricia van den Akker from The Design Trust hosts an in-depth one-day workshop on How To Get More Sales, Orders and Commissions on Friday 7 July 2023, covering everything from how to improve your website, branding and photography; how to build your profile and earn the trust of consumers; how to write better product descriptions; how to use email marketing; and how to turn visitors into paying customers, with tickets costing £65 each.
Product photographer and Squarespace specialist, Yeshen Venema, hosts two workshops at Craftival where he shares his expert advice and insider tips, with Product Photography For Craftspeople and Squarespace Masterclass both taking place on Saturday 8 July 2023 with tickets costing £45 each.
Then Makers and Menders on Tuesday 15 August 2023 invites people to pay what they like to attend an informal skill share session with likeminded creatives who want to meet new people, collaborate on current projects and learn new techniques.
Talks at Craftival 2023
Hands On — An Introduction to Assemble takes place on Friday 14 July 2023, with speaker Holly Briggs introducing attendees to Assemble, a Turner Prize-winning multi-disciplinary collective of architects, designers and artists making creative spaces, with tickets costing £8 each.
Author of The Man Who Made Things Out Of Trees and Slow Rise: A Bread-Making Adventure, Rob Penn, discusses the act of making things in his talk on Thursday 20 July 2023.
Then on Saturday 12 August 2023, ceramic designer Jessica Thorn and terracotta artist Abi Leach talk about their own creative processes and how they make their beautiful pieces, as well as demonstrating the slip technique to add colour to their pottery, with tickets costing £25 for both demonstrations.
Family events at Craftival 2023
Families have loads of opportunities to get creative together at Craftival, with a dedicated programme of kid-friendly events taking place throughout the summer holidays.
Free Lets Make Art sessions take place on Thursday 10, Friday 11, Thursday 17 and Friday 18 August 2023, giving little ones the opportunity to make decorated paper capes and jackets; big masks; paper vases; and giant bugs, exploring a variety of techniques, shapes, colours and materials in these fun, family workshops.
There's also a Decorated Letters workshop with Emma Leyfield on Wednesday 23 August 2023 where creative kids aged six and up can design and decorate a letter to a friend, family member or pen pal, as well as learning some origami letter folding techniques, with tickets costing £35 per child and accompanying adult.
For more information, or to book places for talks, workshops and masterclasses at Craftival, visit newbreweryarts.org.uk/craftival.
