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art & craft exhibitions painting

An exhibition of paintings by artist Andriy Nekrasov | 24th April – 7th May 2026

English-Ukrainian artist Andriy Nekrasov. Member of the Ipswich Art Society and the Ukrainian Union of Artists, Honored Artist of Ukraine and Artist-in-Residence at Fuller’s Mill Garden. 

I’ve been painting for 50 years. My sketchbook and canvases are always in my car. I live in Suffolk and have noticed that the rural landscapes are very similar to those in Ukraine!
The same endless wheat fields, forests, rivers, thatched-roof houses, and a sea with sandy beaches and clay cliffs as in Odessa on the Black Sea. In England, the skies are calm, and I can create – it’s creative bliss!

During my three years in the UK, I created about 300 paintings and sketches and held eight solo exhibitions in London and Suffolk. I participated in 15 joint exhibitions of English and Ukrainian artists. 
The nature of the United Kingdom and its historic cities inspire me, and I work with paint every day. I love the English landscape, the majestic, historic architecture, cathedrals, beautiful bridges, seaside coastlines, and picturesque Suffolk!

My family and I are very grateful to the English people for their support, for the opportunity to escape the war, and for the opportunity to paint! I always say that colour is life!

Exhibitions in Suffolk:
Ipswich Art Society-
Ipswich, Woodbridge. Diss – Corn Hall.
Wingfield Barns. Dennington Hall. Fullers Mill Garden. Stradbroke. Debenham.
Botesdale. Bury St. Edmunds.

Opening times: 10am-5pm, Thursdays to Saturdays. Private View Saturday 25th April 2pm, all welcome.

Location: dm21Gallery, ground floor at designermakers21

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art & craft exhibitions showcase

Showcase Exhibition | February -April 2026

We are delighted to welcome three local artists in the Showcase for February, March & April.

Displaying their work are Kim Croysdill, Cathie Fiddling and Helen Maxfield.

Kim Croysdill

Kim Croysdill makes beautiful calm ceramics, including vases and mugs, all finished with her own glazes. Kim also enjoys raku and pit firing creating simple, desirable pieces.

Cathie Fiddling

Cathie Fiddling creates effective mosaics from broken ceramics, often incorporating special pieces of interest and text to form her work.

Helen Maxfield

Helen Maxfield creates limited edition linocuts. Her inspiration comes from sketching trips in the Suffolk countryside and along the coastline. Designs start with observational sketchbook studies and evolve through the printmaking process back in the studio. In her work Helen aims to achieve images that celebrate both the beauty of the place and the natural qualities of linocut.

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

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Events

designermakers21 Events Programme 2026

February

‘Have a Go’ Craft Activities with our members Saturday 7th February 11am-3pm

March

Wire Workshop with Nicci Dedman, Saturday 7th March, 10am-4pm

Cross Hatch, Incubator Fixed Term Residency Exhibition, 26th March – 2nd April

Hand-building Pottery Workshop with Sharon Williams, Saturday 28th March, 10.30am-3pm

April

Cross Hatch, Incubator Fixed Term Residency Exhibition, until 2nd April

Mosaic Workshop with Joy Holden, Saturday 4th April, 10am-4pm

Wire Workshop with Nicci Dedman, Saturday 18th April, 10am-4pm

Exhibition of Paintings by artist Andriy Nekrasov, 24th April – 7th May

Exploring Drawing Workshop with Melodie Cook, Saturday 25th April, 10am-1pm

Cuttlebone Casting Workshop with Poppy Jackson, Thursday 30th April, 10:30am-2:30pm

May

Exhibition of Paintings by artist Andriy Nekrasov, until 7th May

Exploring Drawing Workshop with Melodie Cook, Saturday 9th May, 10am-1pm

Cuttlebone Casting Workshop with Poppy Jackson, Saturday 16th May 10:30am-2:30pm

June

Exploring Drawing Workshop with Melodie Cook, Saturday 6th June, 10am-1pm

Incubator Fixed Term Residency Exhibition, 18th – 25th June

Hand-building Pottery Workshop with Sharon Williams, Saturday 20th June, 10.30am-3pm

Diss High School A-Level Art Exhibition 26th June – 11th July

July

Diss High School A-Level Art Exhibition until 11th July

August

Summer Expo Open Exhibition  6th – 29th August

September

‘Secondhand September’ Mending Workshop, with Oxfam & dm21 Saturday 5th September

Heritage Open Days activities Saturday 19th September

Incubator Fixed Term Residency Exhibition 24th September – 1st October

October

Incubator Fixed Term Residency Exhibition until 1st October

Exploring Drawing Workshop with Melodie Cook, Saturday 10th October, 10am-1pm

‘Have a Go’ Craft Activities with our members Saturday 17th October 11am-3pm

November

SAORI Weaving Exhibition 5th – 26th November

Winter Fair Saturday 28th November

December

Incubator Fixed Term Residency Exhibition 17th – 23rd December

Categories
Events Archive

Cross Hatch Exhibition | 26th March – 2nd April 2026

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

Categories
Events Archive

‘Have a Go’ Day Saturday 7th February 11am-3pm

Come and try your hand at a variety of crafts practised at designermakers21. Explore our unique community, and learn a new skill.

Our members will be running fantastic drop-in activities between 11am-3pm. Unleash your inner creativity and have a go at…

  • Making a community mosaic
  • Printmaking
  • Weaving
  • Paper Sculptures
  • Making a Zine
  • Water-casting Silver
  • Decorate a clay bird

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

Categories
Events Archive

Showcase Exhibition | November 2025 – January 2026

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

Categories
Events Archive

Christmas Fayre | Saturday 29th November

Christmas Fayre at designermakers21, with 10 visiting artists stalls, alongside our studio members, and work by associates in the galleries.
Saturday 29th November 10am-4pm, with wonderful handmade gifts, festive drinks and nibbles!

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

Pyrography and oil painting by Becky whatley with needle felted creatures
pargetted plaster lion by James Collier
Categories
Events Archive

Saori VII, Exhibition of Weaving | 6th – 27th November 2025

 SAORI VII

An exhibition showcasing work by
East Anglian SAORI weavers.

This collection provides an opportunity to experience some of the exciting and diverse range of work created by weavers throughout East Anglia.

All the artists practise SAORI weaving as part of their process. All pieces, like their makers, are truly unique. Most work is for sale and makes great presents!

We look forward to seeing you in November.

The exhibition runs from Thursday 6th – Thursday 27th November 2025.

Opening Times: Thursday-Saturday, 10am-5pm

Location: Upstairs Exhibition Space at designermakers21, Diss

Categories
Events Archive

‘Have a Go’ Day Saturday 25th October 11am-3pm

Come and try your hand at a variety of crafts practised at designermakers21. Explore our unique community, and learn a new skill.

Our members will be running fantastic drop-in activities between 11am-3pm. Unleash your inner creativity and have a go at…

  • Making a lino printed card
  • Pronto plate printing
  • Creating a community mosaic
  • Expressive mark-making

and, just in time for Halloween, get all spooky

  • Creating clay ‘beasts’
  • Designing Halloween inspired tetrapac prints
  • Making Besoms (think witch’s broom!)

£5 per activity, with all proceeds going to designermakersCIO fundraising.

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.

Opening times: 11am-3pm

Location: ground and first floor studios at designermakers21

Categories
Events Archive

Heritage Open Days | 18th -20th September

Celebrate Heritage Making at designermakers21 as part of the national Heritage Open Days

21 St. Nicholas Street, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4LB

An Exhibition of Heritage Crafts in the heart of the Heritage Triangle in Diss. Showcasing brush making, paper making, lithographic printing all within the former ironmongers at 21 St Nicholas Street. Free workshops and demonstrations.

Diss, as an important market town, has always been the centre of both local commerce and manufacturing. We tend to forget how self-contained a town like Diss was- supported by specialist crops and industries- to supply the needs of local people.

The pattern of the streets, still evident today, show how livestock was brought to auction, sold and processed for meat and leather, all within walking distance of the town centre.

Crops were grown to serve specialist manufacturing needs and brought in from the neighbouring fens supported by institutions such as the Corn Hall and factories like the Diss Brush Company. But there were a host of small businesses supplying everyday needs from a new hearth for the fireplace to a new broom for the yard; from paper to formally printed documents.

At 21 St Nicholas Street, in the building that was for many years the location of Albrights the ironmongers, there will be an exhibition of the history of the building and demonstrations of bisom (brush) making using materials cropped from the nearby heaths, and of paper making with samples of stone lithography used to print commercial documents. Come and have a go at making and seeing how the local economy was largely self-sufficient not that long ago.

What’s On & Timings

Thursday 18 September: 1000 – 1700 Exhibition, Papermaking demonstrations& ‘have a go’ 1030-1430

Friday 19 September: 1000 – 1700 Exhibition, 1400 – 1600 Lithographic printing demonstration

Saturday 20 September:1000 – 1700 Exhibition, 1030-12.30 & 1300-1500 Besom (brush) making demonstrations and ‘have a go’, 1100, 1300 & 1500 Lithographic Printing demos.

All activities are FREE, pre-booking preferred. Please contact Paul Sharrock https://www.delaltprint.com/bookings