Following a successful run at the Geffrye Museum, London, Second Sitters are bringing ‘Upholstery: Evolution to Revolution’ to The National Centre for Craft and Design. 27 January – 15 April 2018

Visit Second Sitters for images and info of the show at the Geffrye Museum.

“The exhibition features work from UK based upholsterers who are redefining the traditional preconceived role of the upholsterer, combining traditional craft skills with contemporary thinking. Taking the form of a physical timeline the exhibition maps the changes and developments within the craft to include techniques, materials and upholsterers stories. Works are multi disciplinary, from furniture, to photography, to film, tackling activism, social commentary, materiality and the throwaway culture.”

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Works that explore the craft of upholstery. Works can be multi disciplinary, and collaborations across disciplines are welcomed. It can be already made or an idea that you would like to produce/explore (please send detailed process plans/drawings and some examples of previous work).

SUBMISSIONS
Please Send:
Bio (max 100 words)
Explanation of proposed works. Please include title(s), medium, sizes, materials/medium used, date of production. (250 words max)
Up to 5 photographs for each proposed submission.
Max 3 submissions per person

SUBMISSIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED IF THEY ARE SENT TO

THE FOLLOWING EMAIL ADDRESS:

KEY DATES
Submissions
Deadline for submissions Monday 16 October 2017 (midnight).
Successful exhibitors will be notified by Friday 20 October 2017

Successful applicants
Work to be delivered to either:
London, week beginning 8th January 2018
Sleaford, week beginning 15th January 2018

We are delighted to share Laura Ellen Bacon’s fantastic achievement in being nominated as a finalist in ‘The Woman’s Hour Craft Prize‘ at the the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A.)

Artist Laura Ellen Bacon who will be exhibiting with us at The National Centre for Craft and Design  creates beautiful huge handwoven willow structures. Laura was selected over the course of eight selection panels by 29 expert judges after being whittled down from 1,500 applicants.

Annie Warburton, Creative Director, Crafts Council, who was on the shortlist selection panel, said “The twelve Woman’s Hour Craft Prize finalists embody the vibrancy, energy and ingenuity of contemporary craft. “

If you would like to experience Bacon’s exciting and vibrant artwork then please do join us for Laura’ Solo exhibition at the National Craft and Design Centre !

21 Oct – 14 Jan

 

 

 

After a recent call out for artists to work with communities in the village of Waddington, Lincolnshire, as part of Ridges & Furrows Arts & Heritage trail project, two artists have now been chosen.

Simon Grennan and Chris Sperandio will be working collaboratively on the project between North Wales and Houston, Texas where the two are respectively based.

Read more about the artists and the project here.

Each year here at The National Centre for Craft & Design we proudly celebrate the creative talent of Lincolnshire students through an annual competition and exhibition.

Founded by St George’s Academy and The National Centre for Craft & Design, Lincolnshire Young Designer of the Year welcomes students to enter an art/design project which best shows their creativity, independent thinking and most innovative, high-quality concepts and designs.

After an opening awards evening on Fri 30 Jun the exhibition opened to the public over the weekend of Sat 1 and Sub 2 Jul. There was some incredible work on display and the judges struggled to pick a winner due to the high standard of work. Finally they announced the winners as:

Overall winner and Innovation Award: James Scott Murphy, 18

We’ve had an extremely busy week here at NCCD following the opening of our much-anticipated exhibition 3D Printing: The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful. We enjoyed our busiest opening weekend on record thanks to a great Private View event, demonstrations by artists Grace Du Prez and Richard Arm on Saturday and a free gallery tour on Sunday.

This week we’ve also been lucky enough to welcome BBC Look North to NCCD and on Tuesday we also played host to Melvyn Prior’s Melvyn in The Morning show on BBC Radio Lincolnshire!

You can listen again to the radio show here and see us on Look North later in the week.

Another excellent review of 3D Printing: The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful from Design Week. You can read the article here.

We’re delighted that The Creators Project previewed our latest Main Gallery exhibition 3D Printing: The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful.  The sister publication of Vice News were keen to explore the wider implications and questions that 3D printing poses and that we discuss in the exhibition. You can find the article here.

We’re delighted that our exhibition What Do I Need to Make it Okay? which is coming to the NCCD 18 Mar-14 May 2017 is featured in the Fall 2016 edition of Surface Design Journal.

We have a digital version of the review to read here.

We’re absolutely delighted to announce the 2016 winner of our Innovation Award is the incredibly talented Jen V Wright.

Our Exhibitions team selected Jen’s work from 13 Young Meteors, on show at Lustre at the Nottingham Lakeside Arts Centre this weekend. The Young Meteors are a collection of some of the finest young designer-makers in the country.

If you weren’t lucky enough to catch Jen’s work at Lustre, then we’ll be showcasing a collection of her work in The Project Space in 2017.

Lincolnshire Young Designer of the Year returned for a second year to celebrate the creative talent of young people across Lincolnshire. Founded by St George’s Academy and The National Centre for Craft & Design, Lincolnshire Young Designer of the Year requires students to present a strong design product which best shows their creativity, independent thinking and most innovative, high quality concepts and designs.

The competition was open from February – May 2016 to young people across Lincolnshire in KS2 – KS5. We received over 90 applications from 9 schools showing different disciplines in design technology. Shortlisting took place in May with an independent judging panel and 35 entries were selected to exhibit in our Roof Gallery and be with in a chance to win the awards.

Along with the coveted title of Lincolnshire Young Designer of the Year 2016, four awards are presented each year for innovation; artistic excellence; exceptional research and development; and most inspirational concept.

This year’s exhibition was kindly supported by Grantham-based QFC and Cathodic Protection Co. Ltd. CPCL Managing Director Rob Holden and Technical Manager Marcus Hardy were highly impressed with the standard of the students projects, commenting “Not only did many of the design elements of the products on display really stand out, but the quality of the workmanship was astounding”.

“Cathodic Protection Co Ltd prides itself in the quality of the design of its products, and we were delighted to support an event which showcases the incredible talent we have among young people in Lincolnshire.”

Anna Sippel, QFC’s Marketing Assistant enjoyed the awards evening on Fri 1 Jul, “it was a great event and amazing to see so many talented designs. We are looking forward to having Oliver here for the day.” Oliver has been offered work experience with QFC for a closer insight into the manufacturing industry.

We wish to formerly announce the winners:

Lincolnshire Young Designer of the Year 2016 award winner

OLIVER MEANS, The Priory Academy LSST, Lincoln

KS5 Project: Russian Birch rocking chair

Judges’ praised Oliver as the well-deserved outright winner for his beautifully designed and manufactured rocking chair. Oliver is soon to be starting a Product Design degree at University and we asked for a statement as the LYDOTY2016 winner:

“Having the chance to show work in the NCCD really was a great experience. After many months of physically demanding and creatively challenging work it all paid off! Having pushed myself out of my comfort zone with the size of the piece and the style that the chair took on, it was no easy ride from beginning to end. Quickly I learnt that structurally some of the more “quirky” ideas were not viable; thus giving me a the challenge of making a rocking chair that really stands out but is structurally sound. This being said though it was never difficult to find motivation to get the job done! I am off to university to study Product Design and hopefully chase a career being a professional designer. The award of Lincolnshire Young Designer 2016 is a great privilege and has fuelled my drive to continue to design and build more things even before my career has begun.”

 

Artistic Excellence award winner

AMY PHILLIPS, Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy

KS4 Project: Recycled party dress

Amy designed her dress experimenting with the fashion style ‘shabby chic’ and using a range of materials, including second-hand and recycled materials. The judges were impressed with Amy’s consideration for sustainability in the fashion industry with recycling existing materials and also found her execution very strong.

 

Innovation Award winner

JACK BOND, The Priory Academy LSST, Lincoln

KS 5 Project: Downhill racer

Jack’s design for a contemporary downhill racer was a favourite with the judges as his research and knowledge of the market showed great understanding. His downhill racer has improved level of control and adrenalin, utilising both the ability to steer and tilt under the racer’s bodyweight. The judges praised elements of the design which would optimise the racers function and success, particularly the suspension system.

 

Exceptional Research and Development award winner

OLIVIA ABLETT, Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough

KS 5 Project: Makeup set

The judges expressed how Olivia’s makeup set was very expertly researched for her target audience. Olivia demonstrated thorough research into what a beginners’ guide could and should consist of, with a strong design for the packaging and guide. With the careful consideration of teenagers, the judges felt the product and its aesthetics would fit very well into the cosmetic industry.

 

Most inspirational concept award winner

GEORGINA GLITHERO, Sir Robert Pattinson Academy, Lincoln

KS5 Project: Elephant clock

Georgina’s spin on a grandfather’s clock shows perfect functionality for a waiting room/area and its users. Inspired by a plain counselling service waiting area, Georgina wanted to create more than just a clock for patients to use and has created a product with multiple functions. The judges commented how the product is cheerful and accessible to all, serving as storage for books, magazines and items of clothing, showing consideration for what a user may need.

A big congratulations to the winners and to each exhibitor as there were such strong contenders throughout; we wish you all well in your creative endeavours. We would also like to thank all the students, schools and partners involved with this year’s competition.

Here some some visitor comments of the exhibition from Sat 2- Sun 3 Jul:

“an inspiring exhibition of emerging talent, which gives some hope for our future after a difficult week in politics!”

“fantastic ideas – I cannot imagine being able to think of things to make let alone make them”

“wonderful exhibition – inspiring ideas”

“amazing well-thought out designs.”

“Feels like hope for the future some of it, doesn’t it?”
“Some very very talented young people out there. Let’s hope they all go on to do great things. We especially like the pleated costume.”

“Fantastic stuff. Some keen woodworkers around.”

“What a lovely way to inspire children’s creativity.”

Lincolnshire Young Designer of the Year will be open again next year so if you are aged 19 or under/a parent/a teacher, keep an eye out for when we open the competition to prepare your applications (February 2017). We are looking forward to showcasing another exhibition of the great potential of young designers in Lincolnshire!

Anton Alvarez – Alphabet Aerobics

This March, we’re thrilled to be welcoming Swedish-Chilean artist, Anton Alvarez to NCCD.  Alphabet Aerobics will be opening on Sat 19 March and Alvarez will be at NCCD for a one-off ‘Meet the Artist’ event from 11am.

This new project will take his previous Thread Wrapping Machine work to a new level, removing artistic intervention in the making process with the development of a new machine especially for NCCD, turning the exhibition space into a working factory.

Alvarez’s work traditionally focuses on the creation of systems, tools and processes for producing objects. Alphabet Aerobics builds upon the artists’ previous work and attempts to re-define the method of making and question the role of the artist in the creative process.

Traditionally associated with furniture, Alvarez will use clay as his medium for the first time.  The Alphabet Aerobics machine will make ceramic sculptures with no intervention from the Artist and sees the exhibition space constantly changing and evolving. Viewers will see the daily creation a new sculpture, each unique in form, size and aesthetic. Clay is extruded by the machine through the shape of letters that Alvarez has designed to create an alphabet of works.

The exhibition will challenge the viewer’s preconceptions of making, ceramics, craft and design by treading the line of conceptual art and craft. The installation will offer an exciting and unique opportunity to witness the creation and exhibition of works at the same time.

Special Events during the exhibition:
Meet the Artist, Sat 19 Mar 11am
Visitors can learn more about Alphabet Aerobics directly from the artist, who will be travelling from his studio in Stockholm, Sweden to NCCD for a FREE event on 19 March 2016 at 11am. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to meet Anton Alvarez and hear him discuss the concepts behind his work in conversation with Head of Exhibitions at NCCD, Bryony Windsor.

Ceramics Workshop with Anna Collette Hunt, Sat 23 Apr, 10am – 5pm
Join Nottingham based ceramicist Anna Collete Hunt for a day creating and decorating ceramic vessels. Be inspired by the exhibition and explore it’s themes of process, multiples and automated design.
£40pp, 12yrs+

Relief Stone carving masterclass with James Sutton Sculpture, Sat 7 May 2016, 10am-4pm
Get to grips with  limestone and learn stone carving techniques and tools. In contrast to the modern exhibition, participants will use traditional skills and techniques to create their own unique artwork out of limestone.
£50pp, 16yrs+

Please book for workshops and events on 01529 308710 or