GOOD WORK BY GOOD PEOPLE
THE NOTSWOLDS SUMMER MAKERS MARKET
Notswolds started as a way for us to document our life and work as a decorative artist and filmmaker across Rutland and the surrounding counties, bringing people closer to the makers shaping the region today. This summer, our first makers market opens in Stamford, with talks, workshops and gatherings for design lovers.
GOOD WORK BY GOOD PEOPLE_
THE NOTSWOLDS SUMMER MAKERS MARKET
This June, the showrooms of Claire Langley Antiques in Stamford will host Notswolds for a ten-day festival celebrating contemporary craft. The Summer Makers Market brings together a well edited market of independent makers and a programme of workshops and gatherings.
We founded Notswolds to document life and work across Rutland and the surrounding counties. As a decorative artist and filmmaker, we spend much of our time with the makers and places shaping the region today, producing film, collaborations, commissioned projects and curated events.
This market is the first of its kind for Notswolds. The immersive event unfolds over ten days, with a programme of workshops and curated experiences, alongside relaxed browsing and shopping, all shaped by Notswolds’ signature approach to storytelling.
A programme of workshops will include block printing with Haveli Diaries and letterpress with Green Machine Creative, alongside a selection of their work on display.
Makers will exhibit their work and share their craft, offering a closer understanding of process, material and skill. The market also includes a multi-arts exhibition by Hagstone Collective, an exciting new initiative working with under represented art forms and under represented artists across the Midlands.
“At its heart is good work by good people,” says John. “This is about bringing together the makers we know and admire, and sharing that with others who value how things are made and how they are lived with.”
Work by some of the finest makers from across the Notswolds region will be available to browse, including pieces by Jess Ellis Ceramics, Nadinoo, Charles Laurie London and Langtons Pottery.
Traditional British crafts, from rush weaving and basketry to leather and wool, sit alongside contemporary ceramics, sculpture, clothing and homewares. Each piece selected to reflect the Notswolds approach to design and making.
“We’ve invited makers whose work we’ve long followed, who represent the best in contemporary craft and design” says Laura.
Northamptonshire-based Sue Kirk will show contemporary baskets and sculptures woven from locally grown willow.
Hosted within Claire Langley’s showroom, a high-ceilinged space with an almost ecclesiastical atmosphere, the market unfolds across three rooms. Workshops, supper clubs and smaller gatherings running alongside the work on display, bringing people together around making, food, coffee and conversation.
“Stamford sits at the centre of the Notswolds,” Laura explains. “Claire Langley has an impeccable eye and has long supported independent makers. It felt like a natural collaboration.”
Hidden Food Tours will host an evening of food and storytelling, with a range of workshops including leather, pottery and family crafts running across the programme hosted at Claire Langley Antiques.
We believe in the value of making and in bringing people together around it, creating a sense of belonging through what is made and shared. We invite you to join us in a living, breathing, evolving creative space shaped by craft, place and people. Take part, spend time, stay a while.
Notswolds Summer Makers Market will open on the evening of Friday 19 June and run through to Sunday 28 June. Early access tickets for workshops and events will be released on 19 April for newsletter subscribers - sign up to be the first to hear.
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