Cork Craft Month 2020 runs this August with over 50 masterclasses and demonstrations, as well as virtual behind-the-scenes exhibitions and family-friendly activities. Celebrating contemporary Irish craft, here are the top 8 festival highlights that are not to be missed.
IT’S A SHOWCASE
This year Cork Craft and Design exhibition is dedicated to sustainability thinking. It’ll be held in Ballydehob for the first time at the Working Artist Studios on Main Street. Running from 31 July to the end of August, there are 19 makers’ pieces — all available for sale — that create a visual dialogue between craftspeople, makers and designers. The aim? To celebrate and encourage environmentally sustainable practices in the Irish craft sector.
EMERGING TALENT
Cork Craft Month continues its commitment to promoting the work of up and coming makers in 2020. Graduating students of CIT Crawford College, Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa and St Johns Central College will debut their work at an exhibition in The Gallery @ No.46 from 6 – 28 August. Emerge will celebrate the work of these graduating makers and embrace them as part of the Irish craft community. No booking required.
CRAFT ON A PLATTER
Fancy an afternoon learning how to make willow ‘tension trays’ or platters at Cork Craft Month 2020? The Woven Willow Platters class on 21 August in Ballydehob is a great introduction to willow basketry. Play around with the natural colours of the willow and learn some basic traditional techniques in the Catalonia style. Children 15 and older welcome and more information is HERE.
MASK IT
The Sanctuary Masks initiative is to empower skilled seamstresses to sew hygiene masks for people living in Direct Provision Centres. During this virtual demonstration for Cork Craft Month 2020, one of those skilled seamstresses will give a tutorial on how to sew a face mask. The online free event runs from 7 August to 31 August. Not to be missed.
40 YEARS CELEBRATION
The Society of Cork Potters celebrates its 40th anniversary this year! Yay them! The Lavit Gallery is to host an exhibition showcasing the variety of work made by this group. The Society will also be presenting their anniversary book, published to mark this momentous occasion. It runs from 7 August to 22 September.
INTO THE WEST
Poet, editor and essayist, Theo Dorgan launches the annual West Cork Creates exhibition virtually on 8 August at 1pm. Inspired by Dorgan’s Harvest Moon — which he dedicated to Seamus Heaney on the second anniversary of his death — the work by 37 artists and craftspeople has been created in response to the theme ‘Harvest’. The exhibition, a first for West Cork Creates virtually, runs until 14 September on westcorkcreates.com with all works available for sale.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
The Connections Project by Benchspace Creative Hub seeks to engage a community of makers embracing new methods of making. Members have come together to design and build a structure around themes of loss, achievement, and future connections. The project culminates with the assembly of the structure in the courtyard of Backwater Studio’s Courtyard on August 27. More details HERE.
GLASS ACT
The amazing glass artist Suzanne O’Sullivan gives a demonstration of her work on 29 August at the Blackwater Valley Makers Arts Centre. Social distancing will be observed with numbers limited. More information is available HERE.