Ruthin Craft Centre
The Centre for the Applied Arts

Talks, Events & Workshops

We provide a host of talks, events & workshops to accompany our gallery exhibitions. Click through the arrows to view What’s on.

‘Taste of Craft’ Programme for people aged 60+

Come and join us for a couple of hours on a Friday afternoon (1.00pm – 3.00pm) throughout May and June. 

£12.50 per session (all materials provided) or book the whole course (5 sessions in total) with a discount at £50.00

Offering a wide range of hands on craft making activities with different makers, helped along with a nice cup of tea or coffee (and some biscuits!). This year the sessions will be inspired by our Craft Counts programme celebrating 10 years since the re-launch of Ruthin Craft Centre. Exploring the first ten traditional materials/themes associated with anniversaries – from paper, through cotton and copper to tin. These are age friendly sessions and no previous experience in the arts is necessary – just a willingness to take part! Meet new people and learn new skills. Join us for one, or as many sessions as you like.

NEW MENU FOR 2018:

11 May – Maker: Mandy Coates Willow: ‘Bulrushes and Seed Heads with Leaves’. Learn the figure of eight and ‘corn-dolly’ weaving techniques to create your own garden ornaments.

18 May – Maker: Hannah Coates Copper: Make a piece of jewellery of your choice and/or an ornamental decorative panel from recycled materials.

25 May – Maker: Andy Hazell Tin: Turn your old biscuit tin into something less useful but far prettier using pliers, snips and a little bit of imagination – get creative with re-cycling!

8 June – Maker: Kate Barlow Cotton: An introduction to crewel work embroidery. This traditional technique is at least a thousand years old, you will cover a handful of commonly used stitches, including chain stitch, French knots, stem stitch and trellis work. This workshop is perfect if you are new to hand embroidery or just a little rusty.

15 June – Maker: Kate Jordan Fruit and Flowers: A nature inspired floral arrangement using master florist techniques.

Craft Counts: Messy Play with

Come along with your toddler to an assisted viewing of our current exhibitions followed by a messy play session in the education room.

Recreate your own creative sculpture inspired by the work of Angus Suttie, on display in the gallery exhibition.

‘Flamboyant Recycling’

Inspired by the elaborate work of Andrew Logan, join TIN artist Andy Hazell at this FREE drop in workshop. With flair, fantasy, snips and a little imagination transform your unused tin cans and biscuit tins into a piece of art work to treasure.

Morning talk with Dr Elizabeth Goring

Jewellery was a powerful weapon in the campaigning armoury of British women fighting for the vote in the early part of the 20th century, and suffrage campaigners were
sophisticated in the ways they used it for political expression. Most of this jewellery was created as part of a sustained marketing exercise devised and implemented by the Women’s Social and Political Union – the WSPU – in the years from 1908 to 1914. Elizabeth will explore the story of suffrage jewellery through some of the personal narratives behind the jewels and the formidable women who made and wore them. She will also discuss some of the popular myths and misunderstandings that have grown up around suffragette jewellery.

Creative drop-in workshop with Lisa Carter

This workshop will focus on text and textiles. As part of this workshop we would like you to bring along a piece of scrap fabric or an old pillowcase to make your own banner and take away on the day or help make our large banner for the Processions March on Sunday 10 June to mark the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which gave the first British women the right to vote.

There will be basic materials available such as fabric, templates for font and image, glue and sewing kits. Please feel free to bring along your own to make them personal, this could be recycled fabric, old clothes, felt or bedlinen.

Sewing and textile skills would be helpful but not necessary.

Craft Club with artist Francesca Neal

‘Everyday Transformation’ in relation to the work of Justine Allison and Angus Suttie.

Taking inspiration from both ceramicists who take a simple vessel and through the use of decoration and pattern or surreal forms and colour, transform them into something wonderful.

We will be transforming our own everyday object into something exciting. Everyone will be given an ordinary PAPER cup to transform; exploring the use of pattern, colour, found objects, collage, typography and their imagination!

Feel free to bring in your own found materials to use e.g. comics, photos, stickers, buttons, old toys.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Talk and Demonstration with Justine Allison

To book your place please call 01824 704774

Come and learn at Ruthin Craft Centre with wonderful, knowledgeable tutors in a relaxed learning atmosphere.
With lunches available from Café R with courtyard terrace and plenty of free on-site parking – it really is a wonderful environment to meet like-minded people and study. Courses are non-residential however excellent accommodation abounds in Ruthin and nearby. View the Visit Wales website for details. www.visitwales.co.uk

Unless otherwise stated, all talks, events and workshops must be 
booked in advance. Fees are required to be paid in full at the time
 of booking. Cancellation of a place by a course member does not
 automatically qualify for a refund. Some courses may be altered
or cancelled if there are insufficient enrolments.