17 July 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Cork Craft & Design to announce line-up of events for throughout August at opening Craft Fair in Cork’s Marina Market
Cork Craft & Design, Ireland’s largest social enterprise for Craftmakers has announced the launch of Cork Craft Month 2023, opening with a fantastic Craft Fair in the Marina Market, Cork, on Friday July 28th, with events taking place throughout the month of August.
Cork Craft Month will unveil its full 2023 programme at the opening Craft Fair in the Marina Market in Cork July 29th – 30th, showcasing some of the best in contemporary Irish craft.
With a diverse line-up of over 79 workshops and exhibitions, the programme of events will include master classes, artist talks, trails and demonstrations, all available to explore throughout the month of August, in coordination with August Craft Month.
The opening Craft Fair at the Marina Market will bookmark the beginning of this year’s craft month, celebrating with local artists, crafters and makers, introducing guests to the month ahead with insight into upcoming events to be held across three main locations; Benchspace studio in Cork City, Kilcoe Studio in Ballydehob, and Greywood Arts in Killeagh.
Cork Craft Month’s event calendar is set to incorporate both physical and virtual events, along with free ISL activities, presenting endless opportunities for people of all abilities to enjoy the best of Cork’s local artisan crafts.
Throughout August, a number of core events will be hosted across the county, including Interwoven, an exhibition displaying and celebrating the best of Cork Craft and Design members at the Old Mill Library in Kinsale. This exhibition speaks to the deep connections between Irish craft and design and the society in which they are created.
The Gallery @ No.46 on Grand Parade will host a returning exhibit called Emerge, centred around up-and-coming Cork crafters. This exhibition will include graduating students from MTU Crawford College of Art and Design, Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, St John’s Central College, Kinsale College and Skibbereen College of Commerce.
Cork Craft & Design’s member shop at St Patrick’s Mills in Douglas will also be open, where visitors can purchase handcrafted items ranging from woodwork and ceramics to glass and textiles, while Douglas Village Shopping Centre will be the setting for the celebration of works made by Cork-based makers committed to creating exceptional, functional items, central to home-life. In addition, the highly acclaimed ‘On the Pigs Back’ café, also at St Patrick’s Woollen Mills, will play host to a beautiful selection of local craft pieces, displayed in celebration of Cork Craft Month, and available for purchase.
The full programme of events will be available from July 24th on corkcraftanddesign.com.
Mairead McCorley, Operations Manager Cork Craft and Design, Ava Hayes, Cork Craft Month Director and Riki Matsuda, Cork Craft Month Coordinator behind Veronica O’Driscoll scarves at the launch of Cork Craft Month in the Cork Craft and Design store in the Douglas Wooden Mills.
Cork Craft Month 2023 officially launches announcing more than 79 family-friendly events throughout August celebrating the best in Irish craft-making.
Pic. Darragh Kane
Paul Murphy, the Mindful Maker, Orla O’Regan, Orla O Visual and Niamh Morrison HEN Jewellery at the launch of Cork Craft Month in the Cork Craft and Design store in the Douglas Wooden Mills.
Cork Craft Month 2023 officially launches announcing more than 79 family-friendly events throughout August celebrating the best in Irish craft-making.
Pic. Darragh Kane
Jacob, Jonah Ludick with their mother ceramicist Orla O’Regan, Orla O Visual at the launch of Cork Craft Month in the Cork Craft and Design store in the Douglas Wooden Mills.
Cork Craft Month 2023 officially launches announcing more than 79 family-friendly events throughout August celebrating the best in Irish craft-making.
Pic. Darragh Kane
Paul Murphy The Mindful Maker with his work at the launch of Cork Craft Month in the Cork Craft and Design store in the Douglas Wooden Mills.
Cork Craft Month 2023 officially launches announcing more than 79 family-friendly events throughout August celebrating the best in Irish craft-making.
Pic. Darragh Kane
Speaking on the 2023 Cork Craft Month programme launch, Ava Hayes, Cork Craft Month Director at Cork Craft & Design said, “We are very excited to launch Cork Craft Month 2023 with something for everyone to enjoy. Our opening event at the Marina Market promises a craft fair that is vibrant, welcoming and supportive of the local community. Our programme for 2023 focuses on accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability. Three things that are very important to the CCM team, which will be key components throughout the events, exhibitions and workshops that are available this year.”
“We wanted to build on the existing reputation of Cork Craft Month by elevating our selection of Makers to include people from all walks of life. Inclusivity is integral to the arts and culture community in Ireland, and we really wanted to showcase that through our programme of events.”
Greywood Arts is based in a historic Georgian house in the centre of Killeagh village, will host a series of weekly workshops, including Craft & Cuppa; an Open Community Studio every Wednesday, and a series of classes every Friday ranging from clay and tile making to lampshade construction. Greywood Arts will also host a final celebration event on August 31st, bringing Cork Craft Month to a close.
Ava added, “We are delighted to be working in collaboration with August Craft Month again to truly bring the island of Ireland to life with locally curated art and design throughout the month-long craft fair. We look forward to seeing all communities immerse themselves in the nationwide campaign, and to celebrate their local crafters by visiting exhibitions and supporting in any way they can.”
Cork Craft Month is supported by the Local Enterprise Office, Design & Crafts Council Ireland, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Cork Education and Training Board, Creative Ireland, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
