designermakers21Join us on Saturday 21st June, for the Summer Artisan Fair at designermakers21.
Entry: FREE
Times: 10am-4pm
16 invited artist/makers will be showcasing their work, all with a tantalizing selection of high quality handmade items for sale.
designermakers21 will be open 10am-5pm, with access as normal to our members’ studios, galleries and Showcase exhibition.
£10.00 pp
Saturday 24th May 11:00am-1:00pm
Spend a relaxing 2hrs creating a clay mug, using the ‘pinch pot’ technique. Learn how to form your mug, and add a handle. Add decoration to your mug using stamps and coloured decorating slips (liquid clay and a ceramic pigment)
Your mug will be fired, and glazed by Kate, ready to collect from designermakers21 approximately 3 weeks after the workshop.
£15.00 pp
Saturday 24th May 11:00am-1:30pm
A creative session playing with words and collage to explore how colours can reflect and prompt emotion. Participants will be able to freely create through this process of exploration without the pressure to produce a final piece. Any work can be taken home to develop further. A selection of materials will be provided – including pens/pastels/paint for mark making, plain paper, fabric, scissors, glue. Please feel free to bring your own materials for personal use or to share with others in the group. It would be great if participants brought with them an object or item of clothing (or wear one!)in their favourite colour.
£10.00 pp
Saturday 24th May 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Come along and create your own hand-made concertina sketchbook. Experiment with mark- making and collage on different papers including watercolour, tissue, textured and vintage papers. Go home with a new sketchbook to start a personal creative journey.
£25.00 pp
Saturday 24th May 10:30am – 12:30pm
Saturday 24th May 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Under the guidance of an experienced mosaic artist, using preformed glass shapes and your imagination, you will create a colourful, mosaic mandala. Grouting of your design will be carried out by the artist after the workshop for you to collect once it has set.
Booking Information: Spaces are limited, so early booking is highly recommended to secure your place! Please click here for FAQs and Booking Terms.
Accessibility: If you have access requirements, please contact workshops@designermakersCIO.org.uk with any queries.
We are delighted to welcome three local artists in the Showcase for May, June and July.
Displaying their work are Sue Welfare, Fay Jones and Sarah Finley.
Fay Jones with works across a variety of mediums including wood, textiles and photography. Influenced by the natural world, Fay sources local wood for her exquisite carved spoons, crochet hooks and buttons, and forages plants to hand dye hand spun wool. Be sure to pop out into the courtyard where Fay’s marvellous willow sculpture ‘Pearl’ is residing!
Sarah Finley is a weaver and spinner, and has on display a sumptuous collection of scarves and cushion colours made using Shetland Wool. Sarah’s woven work is hand-dyed in beautiful rich, earthy colours, and beautifully finished with hand tied tassels.
Sue Welfare with a gorgeous range of bold lino prints. Sue takes inspiration from nature to create her intricate lino cuts, many of which feature birds found at the coast, and in the garden. Alongside her original framed prints, Sue has a great range of greetings cards.
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.
Would you like to explore a new medium, reanimate a skill, or immerse yourself in creating for a day?
Have a look at the programme of artist-led workshops running alongside ‘Being Woman’ exhibition at The Corn Hall in Diss. All workshops will take place at designermakers21. For more information, and to book a place on any of the workshops please visit the Being woman 2025 Eventbrite.
Workshops:
Saturday 22nd March – Unlock Your Creativity Day | 11am-3pm
Saturday 29th March – Moon Goddess Vessel | 11am-2pm
Saturday 29th March – Explore Self-Portraits | 11am-3pm
Saturday 29th March | Puppets, Petticoats & Paper | 10.30am-4.30pm
Three Day Egg Tempera Painting Course, Saturday 5th, 12th and 19th April | 10am-4.30pm
Saturday 5th April – Embroidered Illustration | 12.30-3.30pm
Saturday 5th April – Paint a Mythical Woman | 11am-4pm
Saturday 12th April – Nature & Conservation Ceramics | 10am-2pm
Saturday 12th April – Create a Clay Goddess | 10am-1pm
Saturday 19th April – Print a Mother Earth Linocut | 10.30am-4pm
Saturday 19th April – Cyanotype Goddess | 1-4pm
Saturday 26th April – Print a Female Inspired Lantern | 10.30am-2.30pm
Visit the exhibition in the Upstairs Gallery at designermakers21 24th April to 10th May, open Thursday-Saturday 10am-5pm.
“In the summer of 2023 I put a call out on Social Media asking if any of my UK followers were Punks in the late 1970’s or Psychobillys in the early 1980’s. This exhibition was inspired by the photographs that I was sent.
I left Diss High School in 1982 with an Art O’level. In 1995 I took evening classes in Norwich to gain an Art A’level qualification. That is as far as my formal art education went. Between leaving school in 1982 and the summer of 2018, aside from those A’level classes, I didn’t paint or draw at all.
In 2018 I decided to give painting a try and since then I’ve not stopped. I paint portraits, so far mostly of musicians and sports personalities.
I have handled commissions and have sold work around the UK, the USA, Australia & Europe.”
We are delighted to welcome three local artists in the Showcase for February, March and April.
Displaying their work are Becky Whatley, Cathie Fiddling and Keri Lowe (Fibre and Earth Studios).
Becky Whatley – Multi-talented, Becky is showing her fabulous pictures, which she creates with precision pyrography, and oil paint to finish. Becky also creates rather wonderful felted creatures.
Cathie Fiddling – Cathie makes attractive mosaics using broken crockery. Adding extra interest, and a little bit of humour with lettering in a very charming fashion.
Keri Lowe (Fibre and earth Studios) – Keri is a potter and sculptor. She hand builds with coils, slabs, and throws on the wheel. Her work is decorated using sgraffito. All are beautiful pieces of work, often functional, sometimes sculptural, with a focus on surface decoration.
Visit the Showcase upstairs at designermakers21 every Thursday to Saturday 10am-5pm.
Come and try your hand at a variety of Crafts practiced at designermakers21 for FREE.
Explore our unique community of makers and learn a new skill.
Activities include: making a community mosaic, printmaking, making a collaborative ‘clay-scape’, concertina sketchbooks, making a community quilt, metalwork and weaving.
No booking required, however at busy times you may be asked to wait before taking part in an activity.
FREE ‘Have a Go’ Craft Activities with our members Saturday 15th February 11am-3pm
‘Teenage Kicks’ – Exhibition by local artist Richard Scoulding 24th April-10th May
‘Teenage Kicks’ – Exhibition by local artist Richard Scoulding until 10th May
Summer Artisan Fair Saturday 21st June
Diss High School A-Level Art Exhibition 26th June – 12th July
Diss High School A-Level Art Exhibition until 12th July
Summer Open Exhibition 7th – 30th August
Heritage Open Days, history/heritage displays and workshops 11th – 21st September
Exhibition by local artists Fay Jones & Kally Davidson 4th -25th October
‘Have a Go’ Taster Craft Activities with our members Saturday 25th October 11am-3pm
SAORI Weaving Exhibition 6th – 28th November
Winter Artisan Fair Saturday 29th November
The exhibition showcases a collection of paintings, natural sculptures, screen-prints and mixed medias pieces, that reflect the artists’ deep connection to the natural world.
Visit the exhibition in the upstairs gallery at designermakers21 from the 5th -21st December, open Thursdays to Saturdays 10am-5pm.
We are delighted to welcome three local artists in the Showcase for November, December and January.
Displaying their work are Karen Bek, Proche – Maggie Gospel and Fehmi Gokes.
Karen Bek Willow – Karen is skilled in traditional and contemporary basketry. With exquisite baskets of all shapes and sizes, basket bags with leather handles and much much more including willow sculptures and Christmas decorations.
Proche – Maggie Gospel has a stunning display of ‘eco print’ sij scarves, shawls, cushions and cards. These are quite remarkable with rea variety and intensity of colour. Maggie also makes lovely framed textile artworks.
Fehmi Gokes Mosaics – Fehmi has shown with us before and is arriving next weekend. His mosaics are incredibly original and beautifully produced. Abstract tiles through to calm seaside scenes, something for everyone.
Visit the Showcase upstairs at designermakers21 every Thursday to Saturday 10am-5pm.
