Craft Festival Wales. Major new contemporary craft event comes to Cardigan.
6 - 8/9/24
The organiser of a highly successful portfolio of national contemporary craft events, Sarah James MBE, is launching a brand-new event in Cardigan. Craft Festival Wales will be held over three days at Cardigan Castle from 6 – 8 September 2024.
Small World Theatre will be taking part in the festival, running one of our favourite drop-in workshops for children aged 8+ on Friday 6 and Saturday 6 September in the grounds of the Castle. Find details of the workshop here.
Craft Festival Wales is funded by Arts Council of Wales, Ceredigion County Council and Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST). It will showcase an exceptional handpicked selection of approximately ninety makers from across Wales and the UK – including jewellery makers, potters, furniture makers, textile artists, glassmakers and many more.
Small World Theatre has been commissioned by QEST to create beautiful, hand crafted puppets with two groups of young people. Marionette making is an endangered craft according to Heritage Crafts (the national charity for heritage craft skills). Ann Shrosbree and Bill Hamblett, founding directors of Small World Theatre and master puppeteers, are delighted to be sharing their skills with the groups over the summer. Their work will be exhibited during the Festival.
Craft Festival Wales partners are: Cardigan Castle, Cered - Menter Iaith Ceredigion, Coleg Sir Gar, Discover Ceredigion, Llantarnam Grange, Make it in Wales, Mwldan, National Wool Museum, Oriel Myrddin Gallery (Carmarthen County Council), Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) and Sea & Slate,
Supporters are: Awen Teifi, Canfas, Cardigan Town Council, Cardigan Bay Brownies, Coleg Ceredigion, Crwst, Fforest and Small World Theatre.
Further details of Craft Festival’s Wales programme will be announced soon. For information, including details of exhibitors, visit Craft Festival Wales.
Puppet making at Small World Theatre
Ann and Bill are working with a lovely group of puppet makers. Puppetry is an art form that encompasses many creative skills in the making process: modelling, casting, creating the controls used to manipulate the puppet and the costume. Our students considered the puppet's character and their storyline, as well as learning the basics in puppet manipulation to inform the making process.
We’re delighted to share some photos of their work in progress. At the end of this process, the puppets will be exhibited as part of Craft Festival Wales in Cardigan Castle. More details to follow.
