By Dan Thompson
Inspired by the UK red list of endangered crafts, this month’s First Friday at Marine Studios looks into the world of crafts.
There will be a chance to have a go at quilting, make a corn husk doll, print from plants, and handle studio pottery. And poet Connor Sansby will be looking at the ‘endangered list’ to see if anyone is inspired to pick up a forgotten craft.
Folk artist Conker will be helping people make corn husk dolls, and Jenny Duff will be printing from plants and flowers onto cloth using the Hapa Zome technique – it means ‘plant-dye’ in Japanese. Duff will also show her new collection of table mats and coasters made in collaboration with illustrator Rebecca Strickson.
Zoe Murphy’s quilting group, with Coventry artist Philippa Cross, will demonstrate quilting techniques, and let people have a go at stitching a banner which when completed will form part of the Marine Studios art collection.
A number of Marine Studios artists will also exhibit their work. Inspired by his late Grandmother, Ed Garvey-Long will be bringing his hand-stitched quilts. Ellie Dangerfield makes nature shrines celebrating local ecology. Amy Hey will exhibit her letterpress prints and demonstrate how they’re made.
Dan Thompson will open his studio, with work from his previous and ongoing projects that touch on ‘craft’, including the Lochnagar Quilt, inspired by the peace memorial on the Somme. He will also have a mini-exhibition of work from his studio pottery collection including pots by Brian Sutherland, Keith Brymer Jones, Svend Bayer, and Broadstairs Pottery.
Events will take place in Marine Studios meeting room, which looks out across Main Sands, and in Margate Writers’ Room next door. The room is a partnership between Co-relate, design firm HKD and Kent Poetry CIC. It provides desks for writers, and a programme focused on training, skills, and professional development. It has been supported by Art Council England.
First Friday happens on Friday 7th June at Marine Studios, Albert Terrace, Margate. Doors open at 6pm, and the event ends at 9pm. Admission is free.
For more information about Marine Studios and the Margate Writers’ Room, visit www.marinestudios.co.uk
