Rapid Update: Hothouse, GNCCF, Shipley Art Gallery, Made By Hand

Crafts Council UK Hothouse 2011 was officially launched back in September.  It has been amazing so far and the other makers are incredibily talented.  I feel very fortunate to be part of this programme - a feeling which grows more and more with every session I attend.  I cannot recommend enough to other makers, to apply in the future if they get the chance.

Sound Wear Red Hat by Hanna Nielsen - Hothouse North Cohort

In October I exhibited at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2011 (GNCCF) at Spinningfields, Manchester.  It was at a new venue this year at Quay House - the best aspect of this being the fabulous display in the reception area showcasing the Great Northern Graduate and One Year On makers.  This space was sponsored by Manchester based interior and design specialists Ferrious, curated by Kelda Savage (Ferrious), and it looked fantastic.

GNCCF 2011 - Great Northern Graduates and Ferrious

The GNCCF was a great chance to meet a new audience and talk with galleries and makers.  I was mighty pleased to be awarded a prize for Best Innovative Maker (sponsored by The Plantation Rug Company), which I will gaze at fondly when weeks worth of experiments have  all gone pear shaped.

Jane Dzisiewski - Best Innovative Maker

My work was also selected for the new Shipley Art Gallery exhibition 'Christmas Present', which showcases work from 11 artists, who were all nominated by craft experts from across the UK.  Therefore a big thank you goes to Kate Day, Director at Manchester Craft & Design Centre, for putting my name forward for this opportunity.  The show runs from now until 24th December 2011.

Jane Dzisiewski - Christmas Present / The Shipley Art Gallery 2011

Finally, this week I am off to South Wales for Made By Hand 2011 at Tredegar House, Newport and I will be one of 150 selected makers exhibiting.  The Fair runs from Friday 2nd December until Sunday 4th December.

Hothouse 2011 Crafts Council UK - via the Design Initiative

Design Initiative

It is now official, (see above), as opposed to when I blurted out the news at the end of the June - (please read here).

I am extremely grateful to have been offered this amazing opportunity, and very much looking forward to the induction day in London next week.

I have been selected for the Hothouse 2011 North cohort, but there is also a South West Textiles and a Goldsmiths' Institute Cohort.

Jane Dzisiewski - Crafts Council Hothouse 2011 North Cohort

Full list of all the Crafts Council UK Hohouse 2011 participants with links where applicable:

Amy Bear, Aimee Betts, Eleanor Bolton, Emma Bradbury, Kevin Brook, Hannah Felicity Dennis, Jane Dzisiewski, Amelia Fever, Lucy Jane Foakes, Helen Foot, Jasmin Giles, Anna Glasbrook, Mahtab Hanna, Zehava Hashai-Spellman, Tortie Hoare, Anna Collette Hunt, Zoe Lloyd, Hanna Nielsen, Elizabeth Peers, Carly Petit-Taylor, Helen Smith, Rhian Solomon, Thorody, Ellen Thomas, Victoria Walker, Sarah Warsop and Janice Zethraeus.
 

Crafts Council UK - Hothouse Programme 2011

It appears that the craft gods are smiling on me this week. I have been hovering around my inbox for days, and happily for me, when that email came from Crafts Council UK yesterday, it was one containing good news. Therefore I can announce, (and with considerable excitement I might add), from September 2011 until March 2012, I will be taking part in the Hothouse 2011 programme.

In its second year, Hothouse is an initiative run by Crafts Council UK, (with selected partners), which aims to support emerging makers. Last years collective were a very impressive bunch, so I feel extremely honoured to have been chosen. They are all presently working on a joint exhibition of their work, which will take place at Pitzhanger Manor House, Ealing - Portraits in the making (21st Sep - 12th Nov 2011), curated by Greg Parsons. There are seventeen makers in total from different disciplines, all exploring the process of making, in response to Pitzhanger Manor. They are recording their respective journeys on a blog, and you can also follow Hothouse 2010 on Facebook and Twitter.