Manchester’s Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair takes place from 8th – 11th October at Old Granada Studios in Manchester.
The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (GNCCF), winner of Best Small Event of the Year 2014 at Manchester Tourism Awards, opens its doors from 8 to 11 October at Old Granada Studios in Manchester. This year there will be many new experiences for visitors as pop-up studios, craft workshops, an Artist in Residence and an Installation Artist making exclusive work will be added to this vibrant and dynamic annual celebration of cutting-edge craft and design.
The GNCCF will once again be bustling with creative talent, shoppers and collectors looking to buy or commission the beautiful and unique direct from over 175 of the UK’s most talented designer-makers. Selected by an independent panel for their excellence, the designer-makers will showcase work from a variety of disciplines including interior and fashion textiles, glass, jewellery, ceramics, metalwork, furniture, print-making and more. Visitors can learn about the inspiration, materials, making process and stories behind the work.
This year sees more opportunities for visitors to engage with makers and see their craftsmanship in action with the addition of a pop up studio area. Leading makers will host craft demonstrations using a variety of techniques and materials. For the first time, the GNCCF has commissioned an Artist in Residence and an Installation Artist to each create an exclusive body of work. Ceramicist Stephen David Graham will create an installation ahead of the event whilst emerging mixed media artist Harriet Lawton will interact with visitors to produce a piece of work inspired by the GNCCF itself.
The GNCCF champions contemporary craft and makers at all levels from the emerging design talent in the curated Great Northern Graduates showcase to the highly collectible and critically-acclaimed artists in the Ornament exhibition. Ornamentshowcases exceptional museum quality collectible craft from a selection of the UK’s most prestigious makers. The firstOrnament exhibition, which premiered at the GNCCF 2014, featured work from leading artists including metalsmith Junko Mori, ceramicists Kate Malone and Walter Keeler, glassmaker Bob Crooks and textile artists Alice Kettle, Michael Brennand-Wood and Caroline Broadhead.
This selling exhibition, curated by Victoria Scholes in partnership with curators of contemporary craft collections in museums and galleries across the North, will feature exceptional and extraordinary work to inspire, engage and tempt the increasing number of collectors and customers taking an interest the growing market for contemporary craft.
Angela Mann and Ann-Marie Franey founded the GNCCF in 2008. Ann-Marie said: “There is a growing fascination with how items are made and a desire to own pieces with their own story and provenance and craft is enjoying a resurgence as a result. The GNCCF is an enjoyable and inspiring experience and we’re looking forward to another successful event.”
Angela Mann said: “Going forward, we aim to make the GNCCF a destination event for a national audience and ‘bring craft alive’ through the introduction of pop up studios, the Artist in Residence and Installation Artist; and other opportunities for audience engagement and interaction.”
The GNCCF will commence with a special preview evening on Thursday 8 October from 6pm-9.30pm. It will then be open from 10am on Friday 9 October to Sunday 11 October.
For further information on the show, visit www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk , Facebook www.facebook.com/GNCCF and Twitter@GNCCF