Marches Makers Festival 2018 is a brand-new venture organised by the Marches Makers to showcase the wealth of talent we have in and around Kington. The remit is broad: from professional artists with international reputations to crafters reviving ancient practices, and community creativity that includes music, story-telling, textiles, jewellery, craft workshops, photography, painting, print-making and lots more.
The first Marches Makers Festival, showcasing art, craft and making in Kington will be held over the May Spring Bank Holiday 5 – 7 May 2018.
Venues and Galleries
Over the three days of the bank holiday the Festival will cover a variety of venues in Kington. These will be open from 10am to 4pm, although individual galleries may have their own opening times. Participating galleries include Made in the Marches, Studio 54 and Leg of Mutton. The Old Police Station will showcase work by up to a dozen makers, as will St Mary’s church, while Hergest Croft will host larger sculptural pieces in their famous gardens. The Border Bean Café will also have an exhibition of paintings.
Craft Market and Workshops
There will be the opportunity to see local makers at work in the Market Hall at the Craft Market, and Harmony Handmade will host a Craft Café where people can have a go at making something to take home. Kington Library will be holding a Making a Story event.
Marches Makers
Marches Makers is a group of artists, crafters and makers based in and around Kington. The town has become something of a focal point for makers of all kinds over the years, and we felt we should come together to support each other, promote the fruits of our labours and let the world know just how much lovely stuff there is here. For more information, or if you would like to be involved, contact: info@marchesmakers.co.uk and see www.marchesmakers.co.uk
The Marches Makers Festival is an exciting new project initiated by Kington Town Councillor Christine Forrester and organised by a team of local makers. There are many artists, crafters and makers in and around the town and the festival is intended to showcase this wealth of talent and increase exposure to a wider public. For more information contact press officer Annie Vickerstaff: 01544 239292 or email info@marchesmakers.co.uk
Marches Makers Festival – Mission Statement
Art or craft – which is it? How to define it? An old argument. All artists and craftspeople make something: sculpture, pictures and images, ceramics, film, jewellery, furniture, music, performance, textiles, poetry; the innate human creative drive to manifest a vision, to express an idea, to challenge attitudes, to bring forth beauty. Marches Makers Festival is the initiative of local creators who make their living doing this. We have come together to make something new: a festival to celebrate what we do, how and where we do it. Involving venues and galleries in and around Kington, public spaces and local attractions, the festival will embrace all forms of making, traditional and contemporary. Our ambition is to establish Kington as a focal point for high quality creative endeavour, to position the Marches Makers Festival in the calendar as a vibrant and exciting event that will attract people to our town and provide a showcase for local makers to exhibit and sell their work. Supported by Kington Town Council and Kington Chamber of Trade, the Marches Makers Festival will join the Walking Festival, Food Fairs, Agricultural Show and Spring Greens Fair as a sparkling addition to the gems in Kington’s crown.