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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 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

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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

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

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

April

Incubator Fixed Term Residency Exhibition, until 2nd April

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

May

June

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

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

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

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

November

SAORI Weaving Exhibition 5th – 26th November

Winter Artisan Fair Saturday 28th November

December

Incubator Fixed Term Residency Exhibition 17th – 23rd December

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Events Archive

Showcase Exhibition | August – October 2025

We are delighted to welcome three local artists in the Showcase for August, September and October.

Displaying their work are Heather Richards, Becky Morgan and Sally-Ann Utting.

Heather Richards – ‘I produce an expansive range of whimsical ceramics. Mugs, jugs, vases, MUSHROOMS, hearts, beautiful up-facing flowers that catch the rain for bees to drink and a great deal more’

Becky Morgan (The Tulip House) – I am a textile artist and create a range of wildlife cushions and art works which incorporate repurposed fabrics. I use natural fibres such a wool, cotton and linens and try to champion UK produced textiles. My work is scanned to produce a range of prints and cards. My focus on repurposing textiles has also led me to create a range of gloves and scarves using repurposed second hand cashmere.’

Sally-Ann Utting – ‘I produce recycled art, inspired by surface, pattern, texture and order. Reused aluminium beer cans as a material has been a significant component of my work. my process has led to a cycle of collecting, selecting, cutting, weaving, manipulating and placing materials, producing collage and sculptural effects.’

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.

Categories
Events Archive

Call For Submissions | Summer Exhibition 2025

Submissions are now closed for 2025

Exhibition Entry details:

  • 1 item per entrant (at the Curators’ discretion)
  • First come first served, until we are full
  • Work is submitted at the artist’s own risk
  • Work must be delivered to designermakers21 between 31st July and 2nd August and collected after the exhibition on the 30th August from 4pm and before 6th September
  • All items will need to be clearly marked with the artist’s name or initials
  • A note must be included with your name, title or description of your work and your contact details so that your piece can be identified when you want it back!
  • We will sell the work for you if you wish. Payment for sales will be by bank transfer, less 20% commission (plus 2% for card sales)
  • Items for sale must be declared when delivered, with price and bank details included on your note
  • We aim to be as inclusive as possible but retain the right to not exhibit a piece that might be dangerous, offensive or simply not fit up the stairs!!