This Autumn, The National Centre for Craft & Design is proud to present Rooted in Instinct – a new collection of work developed especially for NCCD by Woman’s Hour Craft Prize nominee and British Sculptor, Laura Ellen Bacon.

Rooted in Instinct is a unique exhibition demonstrating an evolution of the intuitive making process that has dominated Bacon’s practice to date. It is a pivotal moment in the artist’s career featuring unexpected and familiar forms in willow and new explorations in thatch, further developing the possibilities of traditional hand weaving and knotting techniques. In response to NCCD’s history as an old seed warehouse, new abstract sculptures create height density and detail, the forms are all at once majestic, immersive and ‘protective’ with a unique sense of connectivity to the heritage crafts and architecture of the Lincolnshire landscape.

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“We are descendants of the stars. Cosmic dust is an eternal element of the body’s cyclical decay and renewal. We are constant process, not complete products. We are Tertullian’s Apologeticus where ‘dead stars come to life’ and ‘everything is refashioned out of death’.”

The eternal concepts of life, loss and hope are explored by artist Naseem Darbey in her exhibition We Are Saved By Loss. Using medical morphology and pathology as the basis for her exploration, Darbey addresses her core concepts through art, science, and philosophy and expresses them through her signature hollow drawings. Through the impact of scale and concept, Darbey invites the audience to evaluate and empathise with these testing themes in her new body of work commissioned for The National Centre for Craft & Design and funded by Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts.

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Alongside Laura Ellen Bacon: Rooted in Instinct (Sat 21 Oct 2017 – Sun 14 Jan 2018), our education packages offer students and teachers opportunities to work with professional artists, academics, curators and NCCD specialist staff.

Our FREE education pack acts as a resource to inspire cross-curricular learning across primary schools, secondary schools and beyond.

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We are delighted to announce our new programme for Oct 17 – Jan 18!

NCCD Guide Oct 17 – Jan 18

NCCD Learning Programme Oct 17 – Jan 18

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We are offering an exclusive workshop with upcoming Roof Gallery exhibitor Naseem Darbey. Based around her exhibition We Are Saved By Loss this unique workshop will include a gallery tour; drawing session taken into stitch and fabric manipulation; and a session where students will create their own forced perspective response to their environment using their mobile phone camera. The day can be adapted to suit curriculum needs and portfolio development.

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Try out some of Naseem Darbey’s artistic techniques in this one-day workshop. Use drawing and machine embroidery to create and build a portfolio of experimental works. Bring a sewing machine and embroidery foot if you have one.

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Join local sewing expert Sarah Elliott over four consecutive Fridays in the New Year and learn to create a trouser pattern to fit yourself, which will be toiled and amended accordingly. You can then use this pattern to make your own trousers using fabric at home. These sessions cover an introduction to pattern cutting, measuring, drafting patterns, seam allowance, toiling, pockets, fly zips, waistbands, construction, fitting and amendments. Expect to take some homework home too!

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Writing is an integral part of Laura Ellen Bacon’s practice. Learn techniques for documenting and articulating your own thoughts around making, using visual and written note making. Led by artist and writer Georgina Barney, this session is open to all and ideal for craftspeople, designers and artists.

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Join us for a special advent weekend of high-quality craft, local specialist food and a family friendly programme of workshops a Christmas craft trail, activities, demonstrations, musicians and exhibitions.

Forced Perspective Photography – Naseem Darbey

Have fun creating your own forced perspective images, using your own phone or digital camera try out some of the techniques Naseem used in We are Saved by Loss and share on social media.

Make a festive 3D Printed Star – Grace Du Prez

Make your very own festive ornament using a 3d Printing Pen.  The perfect handcrafted present for someone who is tricky to buy for!

Ceramic Crockery Workshop

Local artist Kate Mc Bride shows you how to design and decorate a mug or plate using decals. Another perfect personalised handcrafted gift!

Christmas Craft & Trail

Explore the building through Gifted with our annual make and create trail, this year we will be taking our inspiration from our main gallery show Rooted in Instinct by Laura Ellen Bacon.

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This season the work of ceramicist Patricia Shone adorns our Window Collection space. Residing on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, Shone uses the landscape around her to influence her practice. She throws and hand-builds pieces, often combining these techniques to create one vessel. To fire her ceramics Shone uses a kiln of her own design and construction, usually firing using Saggar and Raku methods.

Patricia Shone was born in Scotland but grew up in South Devon where she began working with clay at school. After studying ceramics in London, finances and a love of food led her to work as a chef in the UK and in Italy. Eventually the cooking took her to Skye where she returned to potting and where she has remained for twenty years.

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Make your very own festive ornament using a 3D Printing Pen. The perfect handcrafted present for someone who is tricky to buy for!

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Explore the building through Gifted with our annual make and create trail. This year we will be taking our inspiration from our main gallery show Rooted in Instinct by Laura Ellen Bacon.

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Local artist Kate McBride shows you how to design and decorate a mug or plate* using decals. Another perfect personalised handcrafted gift!

*Mugs and plates to take home charged per item.

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Create forced perspective images to share on social media using your own camera-equipped mobile and try out some of the techniques the artist used in Naseem Darbey: We Are Saved By Loss.

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Libby will be demonstrating how she uses saw piercing, filling, polishing and riveting to create her jewellery.

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Each week babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers can have a go at activities inspired by our exhibitions.  Each season we launch a new Activity Zone that families can use to explore the exhibition themes.

While you’re here, why not make use of our baby-friendly facilities. We have a bottle warmer and microwave in our baby feeding station in the cafe, and a baby changing facility downstairs. Look out for cafe offers on Tuesdays too.

Free, drop-in session, 0-4yrs

We run Tots Tuesday every week, apart from when our Main Gallery is closed. The date of our next Tots Tuesday session is Tue 31 Oct. We have a Family workshop on Tue 24 Oct , 10am-2pm.

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Popular tutor Martyn Blundell returns this season, kicking off with ‘Dress-Up Drawing’ in our Main Gallery in October, then returning to regular classes in his distinctive teaching style.

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If you can’t make it on a Tuesday evening join us for a Saturday session.  Feel free to attend just one or both Saturdays.

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Local jeweller Andrew Poole introduces the basics of silversmithing in his popular workshops. Participants will learn to solder, sawing, hammering, joining, polishing and finishing. You’ll also have the opportunity to work on your own projects including making your own jewellery.

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In this one-day workshop, you will learn the basics of silversmithing to make your very own bangle for yourself or someone special this Christmas.

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In this one-day workshop, you will learn the basics of silversmithing to make a beautiful spoon for yourself or someone special this Christmas.

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Berni will be bringing her vintage flatbed-knitting machine and will demonstrate how she creates her scarves, wraps and mittens.

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Book a 45 minute one-to-one session with one of our resident craft and design experts from Design Factory.

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Selected as the standout talent at New Designers, our sister organisation Design-Nation have awarded their annual One Year On prize to design studio Winter & Kurth and contemporary jeweller Stephanie Holt.

We’re delighted to welcome these two emerging talents to exhibit with us in the new year, as an opportunity for NCCD to showcase two rising stars in the world of craft and design.

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As the new year dawns, it brings new opportunity and fresh ideas and we are proud to exhibit some of the UK’s most promising young designers. Class of 2017, showcases the best graduate talent from Britain’s leading institutions for craft and design. This year’s graduates have shown immense ability and passion in their respective fields, resulting in work that is well conceived and executed, ready for industry and art gallery alike. Join us in this celebration of new talent, trend-setting colours, striking forms, and delicate details in ceramics, glass, textiles and more!

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Drop into our Main Gallery anytime and enjoy a range of family activities linked to the themes of our exhibition.

Come and try on a pair of 3D printed glasses and take you own Good, Bad or Beautiful selfie in our photo booth with props made by artist Grace Du Prez and our young peoples group CYM.  Share your photo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and #doodleguiseNCCD

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Every second Sunday of the month our intaglio print group meets at NCCD to explore printing techniques and to develop new work for a range of exhibitions and projects.

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Our regular group for young people offers exciting opportunities throughout the year to work with artists and NCCD to create events, activities, projects and artwork linked ot the themes of our exhibitions.

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NCCD is brought to life every first Tuesday of the month with a potent mix of local musicians and writers.

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‘Furniture: Methods of Making’ consists of eight specially commissioned films that explore contemporary furniture design and the artists behind it. The films shine a light into the artists’ studios, demonstrating their use of conventional hand-crafting techniques alongside modern technologies. The films have been made in collaboration with the University of Lincoln to capture the artists’ ways of working, thinking, planning and construction.
For more information on this exhibition please contact us: [email protected].

The films will be touring to:

In partnership with Inverness Museum and Art Gallery the films will be shown at 4 venues including:

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery 22nd April – 1 June 2017;

Highlands Iona Gallery , Kingussie 6 June – 1 July 2017;

St Fergus Gallery, Wick 22 July – 2 September 2017;

The Thurso Gallery 9 September – 21 October 2017.

In 2018, the films can be seen at New Brewery Arts, Cirencester Sat 6 Jan – Sun 11 Mar 2018.

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‘The Other Mountain’ is an innovative jewellery exhibition celebrating contemporary Chinese jewellers.

For more information on this exhibition please download our Touring Pack or contact .

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