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.
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
Thursday 4th July to Saturday 27th July
Open Thursday-Saturday 10am to 5pm in the Upstairs Gallery at designermakers21
Design Nation is the leading membership portfolio for contemporary craft and design in the UK. The East Anglian group hub was formed in 2020, and connects makers working from their studios in Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk. Having met frequently over zoom for the past four years, six members have come together to exhibit their work. ‘Nurture’ encapsulates an exploration of each maker’s connections with their local environment.
Working across disciplines including Weave, Embroidery, Ceramics, French Beading and Mixed Media, the conversations, and connections, between makers’ practices centre around becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.
Makers draw upon a variety of backgrounds and experiences, from working in the fashion and textile industry, to an increasing awareness of the amount of plastic in everyday life. The impact of human activity and climate change on the East Anglian landscape, serve as a catalyst for all six makers to strive to reduce the environmental impact of their work. Many utilise waste materials; transforming single use plastic, paper pulp and nylon offcuts into highly tactile, contemporary art works, and repurposing textile industry surplus yarns to create handwoven interior pieces.
Where materials cannot be repurposed, artists make conscious decisions about sourcing sustainable materials, minimising waste and energy consumption. All seek to achieve balance and harmony with the natural environment.
Featuring Work by:
Caroline Hyde-Brown
Holly Parr
Pamela Print
Lucie Summers
Kate Welton
Karen Whiterod
‘Spring into Action’ Grand Draw is raising funds for essential building repairs & improvements to 21 St Nicholas Street.
ONE lucky ticket holder will win this bundle of Craft, handmade by our members! Tickets are £5, and available from designermakers21 Thursday-Saturday between 10am and 5pm until Friday 3rd May.
The single winning ticket will be drawn at our Ceilidh night at Roydon Village Hall on Friday 3rd May. The prize winner will be notified by phone.
Explore the textiles on display in both the Corn Hall and designermakers21. Come and join us to try your hand at a range of surface processes and watch artists at work!
Demonstrations of Surface Textiles processes with visiting artists:
Batik Demonstration with Helen Dougall
Machine Embroidery demonstration with Jean Fryer
‘Have a Go’ drop in sessions with our members:
Natural Dyeing with Caroline Hyde-Brown
SAORI Weaving with Kim Morgan
Sashiko inspired visible mending with Marie Mallen
In collaboration with designermakers21, this year’s exhibition will feature a selection of textile artists who utilise the surface of textiles to showcase their practice, encompassing a myriad of processes including: batik, natural dye, agri-textiles, fabric manipulation, embroidery and collage. The exhibitors will include designermakers21 residents, as well as eminent textile artists.
The exhibition will be held at The Corn Hall, Diss, open Monday to Saturday 10am-4pm.
The next Showcase will run throughout November, December and January. We are excited to welcome two local artists and a local charity to the showcase exhibition space, which is located on the first floor at designermakers21.
Delicate textile embroidery by Yvonne Pratt, brilliant range of leather work by Mark Papworth, and wonderful Bird, Hedgehog and Owl boxes by Street Forge.
Visit the Showcase from the 3rd November during our opening hours Thursday to Saturday 10am-5pm.
