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The Secret Garden ..............................Second Skin ..........................................Guildhall Summer Craft Fair ...........Pots Around Town ..............................

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The Secret Garden

The ‘Secret Garden’ outdoor exhibition in Derry’s Craft Village brings together the wonderful work of six local crafters, curated by Suzanne Woods. Look out for silk lanterns, a wire ‘wish tree’, flocks of birds flying under the canopy, blue brambles, large felt flowers as well as unexpected knitted creations.

Date From 1 June through the Summer

Location Craft Village, off Shipquay Street

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Admission Free

The Secret GardenSuzanne WoodsSuzanne is a textile artist using the wet-felting technique and luxury materials like silk and merino wool to design and make a range of accessories such as scarves, brooches and bags. She also makes work for exhibitions and by commission. Her inspiration comes from garden flora and antique textiles and it is her love of gardens that inspired the idea for this exhibition.

‘Foxgloves and Morning Glory’ Suzanne has early memories of picnicking in a field of foxgloves and loves their stately form and their secret interior spaces. In contrast, the Morning Glory is vibrant and bold, and winds its way through everything in its path. Both flowers have their place in a Secret Garden. Suzanne worked with dedicated workshop participants to create her floral installation.

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The Secret GardenKevin McGrellis Kevin McGrellis of The Stone Art Gallery produces simplistic and naive ‘moments in time’ using combinations of copper wire and paper or pebbles and driftwood, allowing the materials themselves to dictate the outcome. Kevin’s images raise smiles as they capture moments that connect with the viewer to tell their stories.

‘The Wire Tree’ The Stone Art Gallery has encased a dead roadside tree in copper wire to ‘revive’ it and transform what was an obsolete item into a sculptural piece that simmers with energy. The Wire Tree is animated and enriched by the addition of individually crafted pieces produced by workshop participants. Appropriate to the Secret Garden, the Wire Tree holds secrets entrusted to it by the individuals who helped bring it back to life.

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The Secret GardenBernie Murphy Bernie Murphy is a textile artist whose work includes sculptural wearable art and textile exhibition pieces. She likes to explore new approaches with unconventional materials in her practice.

‘Blue Bramble’ Bernie named her work ‘Blue Bramble’ as the bramble is probably one of the most familiar plants that we think of in a secret garden. In this work, materials have been manipulated to invite further investigation, using repetition and textures, to create a journey of discovery.

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The Secret GardenNaomi Fleury Originally from Japan, Naomi has been living in Donegal for the last thirteen years. She has been practicing the art of origami (paper folding) since she was three, having been taught by her grandparents. She creates mobiles and jewellery from hand-printed Japanese papers.

‘Birds in Flight’ Naomi’s exhibition piece plots the undulating flight path and motion of flying cranes. She hopes to create a gentle and relaxing experience for the observer.

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The Secret GardenEdel MacBride An established designer and knitter, Edel MacBride brings a love of textile, craft and a deep connection to cultural tradition to her collections. Sold internationally, Edel’s unique knitwear is created in the North West by herself and a family-led creative team.

‘My Linen Green’ Edel’s love of working with Irish linen is encapsulated in her knit and crochet clothesline of tea towels. Also look out for her knitted bicycle - cycle along the country lane of Edel’s life and find the secret addresses where she has lived, dreamed her designs and hung out her laundry!

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The Secret GardenKaren O’Kane Karen O’Kane is a textile artist, hand-painting silk with a cold resist technique and using the silk to make a range of home furnishings including lampshades and a unique range of fashion garments and accessories.

Karen’s designs are bold and vibrant and are inspired by love of her natural environment, the unpredictability and texture of the medium as well as previous experience of glass art.

‘Hedgerow Lanterns’ In recent years Karen has been using her silk paintings to make lighting pieces. In the ‘Secret Garden’ she goes one step further and, after painting eleven large silk canvases, used them to light up the nooks and crannies of the Craft Village, bringing a little bit of floral colour from the hedgerows into the city.

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Admission

Second Skin

‘Second Skin’ is one of the core touring exhibitions developed for the Year of Irish Design 2015 by the Design and Craft Council of Ireland. To date the exhibition has toured to the National Craft Gallery in Kilkenny and to City Hall in London.

Second Skin posed a challenge to four Irish fashion labels – Jennifer Rothwell, Joanne Hynes, NatalieBColemaN and lennon Courtney – to design, source and produce a garment or range of clothing on the island of Ireland and to document the opportunities and challenges in doing so.

In the realisation of these garments, designers collaborated with and were supported by a range of organisations and producers in Dublin, Donegal, Derry, Kilkenny and Wicklow.

Date 8 June to 16 July, Mon - Sat 9.30am - 5.30pm

Location Playhouse Theatre, 6 - 7 Artillery Street

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Free

Irish fashion designer Jennifer Rothwell, a previous guest judge on Norway’s ‘Next Top Model’, collaborated with the North West Regional College in Derry – making use of their digital print facility – to help create a stunning range inspired by Harry Clarke’s iconic stained glass windows and artwork.

For further information on the exhibition go to www.nationalcraftgallery.ie/exhibitions/second-skin.

About Irish Design 2015ID2015 is a programme of events and activities to support, promote and celebrate Irish design and designers throughout the island of Ireland and in international capitals of design and commerce (including London, Paris, New York, Milan and Tokyo). ID2015 is being convened by the Design and Craft Council of Ireland (DCCoI) in collaboration with partner organisations.

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Admission

Guildhall Summer Craft Fair

The Summer Craft Fair will feature our established designermakers as well as showcase newcomers who have not previously participated in the prestigious Guildhall Craft Fair which has taken place in November for the last 20 years. Over 30 exhibitors will sell a range of hand-made crafts including ceramics, textiles, knitwear, wood, glass, prints as well as artisan food products. Enjoy live music, craft workshops, demonstrations and ‘crafternoon’ teas.

• Children’s Craft Workshops: Margaret Crabtree of ‘Keep Her Knit’ will help children make beautiful Japanese paper flower lilies as well as felt brooches from 1pm - 4pm on both days.

• Craft Demonstrations: Look out for live demonstrations by exhibitors Elsie Tweed, Fiona Doney, Audrey Doherty Millinery and Flossie’s Fudge.

• Crafternoon Teas: Special afternoon teas will be served in the Lower Gallery of the Main Hall by the Guild Café.

Date Sat 20th June, 12noon - 7pm & Sun 21st June, 11am - 6pm

Location Guildhall, Guildhall Street

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£1, under 16s free

Craft Fair Exhibitors Alpha Stained Glass Stained Glass

Angel Wood Candles Candles

Arroo Designs Textiles - felting

Audrey Doherty Millinery Millinery

Ballynagran Crafts Wood

Claire Thames & Co Handmade skincare

Crafty Corner Various

Dathanna Painted Glass

Derry Print Workshop Prints

Edel McBride Knitwear

Elsie Tweed Textiles - tweed

Fiona Bell Painting

Flossies Fudge * Artisan food - fudge

Glendowen Craft Studio Textiles - tweed

Handmade by Fiona Doney Baskets & textiles

Keep Her Knit Knitwear

Kildoag Pottery Ceramics

Knits 'n' Pieces Textiles

Leona Devine Ceramics

Mallow Mia Artisan food - marshmallows

Mary Crowley Artist Silk painting/watercolours

MICHI (Michelle McCarroll) Textiles/Knitwear

Natasha Duddy Glass Designs Jewellery/pictures

Niamh Fahy Ceramics

Nicole McLaughlin Designs Textiles

Peninsula Pottery Ceramics

Piecemakers Wood

ReawaKe' by Rebecca Cregan Textiles

Studio 43 Mixed Media

Tamnagh Foods Artisan food

The Stone Art Gallery Mixed Media

Velveteen Textiles

Vivienne Rowe Knitwear

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* Exhibiting on Saturday only

Pots Around Town

‘Pots Around Town’ is a trail of eight large ceramic pots located in various locations around the Walled City. The exhibition is being co-ordinated by Deirdre O’Callaghan of Docpot Studios and involves the work of Deirdre as well as seven other ceramic artists - Tom Agnew, Judy Logue, Adam Frew, Christy Keeney, Maria Connolly, Brian McGee and Neil Boyle.

The trail is inspired by the Swedish ‘Krukor pa stan’ (translated as ‘pots on the town’) outdoor exhibition which involved seven Scandanavian ceramicists creating large pots for display in outdoor locations in Stockholm in 1998.

Look out for pots beginning to appear from 20th June up until early July with the exhibition remaining in place throughout the summer. Locations will include the Craft Village, the Guildhall, Millennium Forum, Playhouse Theatre, St Columb’s Cathedral, Verbal Arts Centre, Áras Colmcille and St Augustine’s Church.

Date From 20th June through the summer

Location Venues around the Walls

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Admission Free

Pots Around TownDeirdre O’CallaghanDeirdre set up ‘Docpot Studios’ in the city`s Pump Street in 2001 where she has gained a loyal following for her signature willow-blue ceramics. On completion of a degree in ceramics and glass, Deirdre furthered her studies with the Design and Crafts Council Ireland Pottery Skills course, training under the wing of ceramicist Michael Kennedy.

Over the past 13 years she has supplied her designs to shops and galleries throughout Ireland and England and has won many awards and commissions. Curating the ‘Pots Around Town’ ceramic exhibition has been a long-time dream of Deirdre’s since visiting Stockholm in 1998.

The Pot: This piece measuring 2 metres in height is created using a heavy white architectural clay which has been rolled out into slaps and then leather hard shaped and attached together. The rim of the pot is thrown on the potter’s wheel. The work is created in three separate parts in order to fit into the kiln and once fired, placed together to create the finished pot. It is decorated in the artist’s `Gavin and Deirdre` pattern using black slips and masking techniques. Look out for the printed `Krudor pa stan` tile on this pot, a subtle nod to the original Swedish `Pots Around Town` exhibition in Stockholm.

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Pots Around TownTom AgnewTom studied Ceramics at Belfast College of Art and Design before setting up Mill Pottery in a former flax mill in Donemana, Co Tyrone 40 years ago. As well as having been a visiting lecturer at various colleges, Tom is also a founding member of Space Craft Gallery, Belfast and North West Woodfirers and is a member of the Design and Crafts Council Ireland.

His work has been presented to dignitaries such as President Mary McAleese, several Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland and various government ministers, as well as being part of a variety of public art projects.

The Pot: Tom’s pieces are based on architecture, a subject he has been interested in for a long time. He hopes they will provoke an interested response from the public who will see them in the context of one of the city’s oldest buildings.

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Pots Around TownJudy LogueJudy graduated from Craftworks Pottery Skills School in 1999. Since then she has exhibited in a number of group exhibitions in Derry, Donegal and Belfast. She teaches Ceramics in Eden Place Arts Centre and has worked on a large number of community ceramics projects with many wide ranging groups over the last 15 years.

The Pot: Judy’s recent work is inspired by the sea and the forms that it leaves on the shores around the coast of Donegal. This large scale coil pot has been created from terracotta crank, chosen for its rich earthy red colour.

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Pots Around TownAdam FrewAdam is a potter based in the Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart. He works predominantly in porcelain, making his unique large pots and functional items. Whether it’s a mug, bowl or a large pot, Adam’s love of colour and mark making shines through. He regularly exhibits throughout Ireland and the UK.

The Pot: The exuberant action of throwing, the various energetic yet subtle motions required to create a pot, is central to his inspiration and motivation in creating these large pots. Decoration is a reflection of the immediacy of throwing, approaching ‘mark making’ as an intuitive process. Spontaneity, whether it’s in the throwing, decorating or glazing, is key to his personal expression.

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Pots Around TownChristy Keeney Christy is a ceramic sculptor who graduated from the Royal College of Art in London in 1987. He returned to his native Donegal in 2001 where he now lives and works.

Christy’s sculpted slab built heads and figures demonstrate a wonderful sense of draughtmanship as details are drawn into the wet clay surface. He has exhibited his ceramics widely throughout the UK, France and the U.S.

The Pot: The sculpture is a figurative piece. It is 5ft 8in tall and represents a diver - diving into the ground. The clay used to build the piece is a ‘crank’ stoneware body and is painted with ceramic stains and oxides.

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Pots Around TownMaria Connolly Maria is a Donegal- based ceramic artist, whose work is influenced by industrial and utilitarian artefacts. Living amongst a rich farming community she is drawn to the visual landscape that surrounds her in everyday life as well as referencing to personal memory.

The Pot: Bottles as vessels are objects that we use and engage with on many different levels. They are primarily functional but are also objects that we use to communicate and connect with socially, often making reference to status and personal achievement.

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Pots Around TownBrian McGee Brian is a Derry-born ceramic artist and potter with over 35 years devoted to making in clay as well as a part time lecturer in ceramics and 3D design at the North West Regional College in Derry.

From his workshop in rural Donegal, Brian has worked in a wide range of creative output from tabletop design, public art commissions and sculpture as well as teaching. Brian’s inspiration comes from his love of Donegal’s natural heritage, landscape and fauna, but also from his deep concern for humanity, justice and the relationships we make with one another.

The Pot: As a child I was fascinated by the illustrations of Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party with the Dormouse ending up in the teapot. The fantastic anarchic humour has always appealed to me. The presentation of every-day objects in an out-sized scale is a popular tradition in sculpture but the idea of up-scaling a teapot I have been making for years as a thrower of tableware is a lot of fun and an interesting challenge. The pot is made from coarse local earthernware clay from Tyrone and fired to 1150° C.

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Pots Around TownNeil BoyleNeil graduated in 1998 with a BA Hons degree in Fine and Applied Arts from the University of Ulster where he specialised in ceramics. After graduating, Neil spent a year at Craftworks Pottery School in Derry before moving to Dublin to work as a production thrower for Colm De Ris Pottery. He was then successful in gaining a place on the prestigious Design and Crafts Council of Ireland Pottery Skills course in Co. Kilkenny. Since returning to Derry in 2003 Neil has continued to develop his own sculptural ceramic work in the studio and is also Associate Lecturer at the North West Regional College, teaching art and design.

The Pot: The idea behind making this big pot was the metaphor “The Melting Pot” in the 18th and 19th centuries. The metaphor of a melting pot was used to describe the fusion of different nationalities, ethnicities and cultures. On a play on the words in the metaphor, Neil set out to build a large-scale ceramic pot using traditional coil building techniques which he then decorated using a fusion of functional glazes as well as glazes that some would consider to be not functional or flawed - and in doing so was trying to show that the diversity of different elements can melt together into a harmonious whole.

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About the Craft Development ProgrammeThe Craft Development Programme has supported the development and growth of the craft sector in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area from June 2014 to June 2015. This has included a range of initiatives covering craft events and marketing, exhibitions, awards and fashion shows, craft trail, as well as two business support programmes.

For further information contact Deirdre Harte, Craft Development Officer or Hazel Best at Derry City and Strabane District Council by email to deirdre.harte@derrycityandstrabanedistrict.com or telephone 02871 253 253 Ext: 6948.

This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland.