designermakers21designermakers21 are delighted to invite Anglian Potters to take part in the first Anglian Potters’ Pop-Up Ceramics Event hosted here in Diss, on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th September, 2026, 10am – 5pm.
The Event will take place in our two new galleries on the ground floor (there is one step / a ramp into each area) and outside in the courtyard. With work for sale by East Anglian based potters and ceramicists.
Our summer open exhibition returns for it’s 6th consecutive year. Work by almost 60 East Anglian artists comes together to create a remarkable exhibition highlighting a cross section of diverse talents in our community.
We will be holding a celebration of this years ‘Summer Expo’ on Saturday 8th August, between 12-2pm, with drinks and nibbles, where you will be able to meet and chat with many of the artists.
Open Thursday, Friday and Saturdays 10am-5pm.
Location: dm21Gallery and the Elephant Room, ground floor, designermakers21
designermakers21 will be hosting our sixth Summer Open Exhibition from August 6th to 29th. This year, the exhibition will occupy two spaces on the ground floor; we are delighted that this will ensure the exhibition is accessible to all.
Submissions are invited from artists and makers 18+, professional or amateur, in any medium. This will be a friendly, fun and inclusive event celebrating local talent, so why not come and make an exhibition of yourself!
For Entry Requirements and how to submit an artwork, please click here or read below.
Please email the following details to joy@jhmosaics.co.uk and kateweltonceramics@gmail.com
We look forward to hearing from you!
designermakers21 welcomes back Diss High School A-level art students, with another fantastic showcase of work.
Come and visit the exhibition from 26th June – 11th July, open Thursdays to Saturdays 10am-5pm.
Join the students to celebrate at the private view on Friday 26th June from 4-6pm, all welcome.
An exciting exhibition, showcasing the work of our second cohort of Incubator Fixed Term Residency Artists.
Come along to see their work on display from 18th – 20th June, open 10am-5pm. Join the artists to celebrate the exhibition on Friday 19th June 5:30-7:30pm,
The exhibition brings together the work of Norfolk and Suffolk artists Steph Baker, Harmony Shaw and Poppy Jackson. Through painting, mixed media and contemporary art practice, the exhibition explores landscape, body, memory, texture and personal narrative through three distinct creative voices.
Opening times: 10am-5pm, Thursdays to Saturdays. Preview evening Friday 19th June 5:30-7:30pm, all welcome.
Location: dm21Gallery, ground floor at designermakers21
We are delighted to welcome three local artists in the Showcase for May, June & July.
You can visit the Showcase any Thursday to Saturday 10am-5pm upstairs in the main building at designermakers21. All works on display are for sale.
Displaying their work are Rob Rutterford, Emma Verity and Kirstie Steadman.
Rob Rutterford
Rob creates attractive, humorous and delightful stoneware for house and garden. many works are fired using the Raku technique.
Emma Verity
Emma is displaying her art paintings and prints, alongside her exquisite crystal and copper necklaces, talisman objects, herbal mists and herbal rescue remedies.
Kirstie Steadman
Kirstie is a talented bird and wildlife artist with a passion for the natural world. Her work is mostly oil on canvas, and she is displaying a range of originals and a selection of framed prints.
Opening times: 10am-5pm, Thursdays to Saturdays
Location: First floor Showcase Gallery at designermakers21
designermakers21 warmly invite you to CROSSHATCH, an exhibition celebrating the work of our first Incubator Studio Residency graduates. Hosted in our new dm21Gallery the exhibition open on Thursday 26th March, in the afternoon. We are extremely proud of the three talented artists. On Saturday March 28th at 2pm you can come and meet Poppy, Shelby and Sonia, enjoy a cup of tea to talk to them about their work, processes and ideas.
Shelby is an illustrator and ceramicist interested in diverting the mainstream and celebrating the unusual. Her work, featuring zines, ceramic pots and figurines are inspired by punk/alt music, retro objects, traditional tattoo art, folklore and the supernatural
Poppy Jackson makes work that explores the female body as an autonomous zone. Jackson’s practice spans live performance, painting, sculpture and printmaking, and often focuses on public space and architecture in relation to the body. Poppy is involved in developing CONVERGE: a performance art and Live Art platform providing connection and exchange between artists working with the body across Norfolk and Suffolk
Sonia Gomez’s Mixed Media Compositions are inspired by encounters with the natural world and the flora and fauna of her homes in Norfolk, Sri Lanka, and found on her travels. She uses colour, pattern and variety of materials to create gardens and seascapes, populated with surrealish birds and creatures, and playful details which reveal themselves upon closer viewing.
The Incubator Studio Residencies are sponsored and funded by the East Anglian Art Fund with additional funding by the Diss Arts Society
Opening times: 10am-5pm, Thursdays to Saturdays. PV Saturday 28th March 2pm, all welcome
Location: dm21Gallery, ground floor at designermakers21
Our members will be running fantastic drop-in activities between 11am-3pm. Unleash your inner creativity and have a go at…
No booking required, but at busy times you may be asked to wait before taking part in an activity. All ages welcome, children must be accompanied at all times.
Also, for FREE – Come and make a community banner – personalise your own fabric square in the colours of Women’s Suffrage. To be displayed in Oxfam’s window on International Women’s Day, March 8th.
Opening times: 11am-3pm
Cost: adults £5, under18s £2.50 to participate in as many activities as you like. All proceeds going to designermakersCIO fundraising.
Location: ground and first floor studios at designermakers21
We are delighted to welcome three local artists in the Showcase for November, December & January.
Displaying their work are Lesley Wickham, Melodie Cook and Sarah Woodcock.
Cwmchwefru Wool – Lesley Wickham
Lesley moved on from ‘bought in wool’ to growing her own. Over thirty years later and she has bred sheep in many shades. The wool is spun by a mill local to Lesley, and is left un-dyed, designed and knitted by Lesley, close to her sheep.
The Cabinet of Curious Pots & Creatures – Melodie Cook
Ceramic sculpture is now an established part of Melodie’s artistic practice. Added to her extraordinary still life work using pastels and charcoal.
Hopton Leather – Sarah Woodcock
“I aim to make pieces in my leatherwork which are both beautiful and useful. Using the highest-quality natural materials and traditional craftsmanship, I want each piece to last and be loved, passing on through generations, and becoming more beautiful through time and use as they age”.
You can visit the Showcase any Thursday to Saturday 10am-5pm upstairs in the main building at designermakers21. All works on display are for sale.
Opening times: 10am-5pm, Thursdays to Saturdays
Location: First floor Showcase Gallery at designermakers21
Artist Stalls:
Mark Papworth – Leatherwork
Becky Whatley – Painting & Needle Felted Creatures
James Collier – Pargetting
Heather Richards – Ceramics
Roz Barnet – Textiles
Teresa Frampton – Painting & Book Binding
Kate Heath – Jewellery
Sue Hulme – Felting
Suzanne Campbell – Fused Glass
Matt Brewer – Jewellery
Opening Times: 10am-4pm, Free Entry
Location: downstairs at designermakers21, Diss
