Welcome

Lakes Collective logo by artist Nick Leigh

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to Lakes Collective. We are a loose collection of 30 artists and designer makers who live in and around the English Lake District. 

Lakes Collective is a self-funded,not-for-profit organisation that shares costs between the participating members at each event. We are administered by a small organising group of founder members who organise events on a voluntary basis. All members are encouraged to be active participants and enthusiastically speak about and sell our own and one another's work. We are proud that our events are welcoming and friendly, with the chance for the general public to chat directly with informed artists and designer makers about our work. 

Like all the best organisations, we formally set up in 2010 following a day of discussion at a local craft fair. There appeared to us to be a gap in opportunities for local artists and designer makers who create original work. There seemed to be plenty of small craft fairs for hobbyists making skilled handicrafts, and galleries offering exhibitions for high-end art and craft at high commissions, but nothing in-between for serious artists and designer makers who want more exposure and artistic development in order to be able to make a living from our creativity.

We were also concerned that what constitutes genuine Art and Craft is becoming confused. It increasingly seems that 'anything goes', even at some of the most prestigious craft events. Terms like "handcrafted", "handmade" and "unique" are often applied to work that hasn't been entirely designed and created by the maker. Work that is assembled from bought in components, bought items re-presented as locally designed, digital and laser prints, vintage, upcycled and recycled items are now positioned alongside original work. 

While this type of mixed event can be fun and popular, and there is certainly place for it in the creative world, we believe that it can also downgrade the knowledge and skill, hard work and the commitment to quality of serious artists and designer makers. It can also lower the general public's expectations of the amount of time involved, and the prices. 

Competing to sell our work in this expanding creative environment also means that artists and designer makers tend to focus on producing work that immediately sells, with little time and energy left over to be our creative selves. Lakes Collective is also committed to creating opportunities for our members to explore and develop new ideas and collaborate with different artistic disciplines - just for the sheer pleasure of it!        

Membership of Lakes Collective is free, and open to anyone who lives in or around the Lake District who creates high quality art or craft made from 'raw' materials as their key source of income. Members are chosen via invitation by existing members and a simple selection process. 

CONTACT US 

 lakescollective@gmail.com 

if you would like to be considered for membership, or to find out more about our events, or to contact one of our members about their work. 

'Washing Line' embroidery by Louise Dorman

Sculpture Trail 2014

Sculpture Trail at Rydal Hall

Lakes Collective artists and designer makers are regularly invited to contribute the popular 
Sculpture Trail at Rydal Hall. 

Last year our members enjoyed the experience of stretching our knowledge and skills to create work that was suitable for the open outdoor context and all weathers. The extended Sculpture Trail proved very popular with the general public, and some of the sculptures from last year have remained in situ and can still be viewed. 

Follow the, always interesting, Sculpture Trail and The Rydal Hall Heritage Gardens and tea shop is open each day during June from 10am - 5pm.

Sculpture by Gordon Badderley

LC Summer Showcase 2014

Another successful Summer Showcase is, sadly, finished for this year, but we're already planning for next year's! 

Highlights of 2014's Showcase were the Literature theme that acted as a thread to pull the show together with a number of members responding well to it with jars of 'preserved' books by mixed media artist Elizabeth Shorrock, jewellery by both Susan Brophy and Amanda Hunter, sculptures by Gordon Badderley, and paintings and mixed media work by Tania - all based on poetry. An eye-catching frieze of paintings interpreting stories by Edgar Allen Poe, by artist Suki Kyme, were the talk of the exhibition! There were also two participatory projects for visitors to try out and respond to. Adding a theme was popular with browsers and buyers as it created an extra element to explore among the excellent art and craft on display.  

Visitor numbers varied with the weather, but overall there was a steady flow with decent sales. Whether people just stepped in out of the rain or to seriously browse and buy from specific artists and designer makers, positive comments about the exhibition were continuous, with most visitors saying that it was the most interesting and well laid out exhibition they had been to with plenty of surprises. 

The location in the Bishop Bulley Barn at Rydal Hall is the perfect setting to showcase Lakes Collective members' work, as the room is lovely, the grounds beautiful, Rydal staff very helpful, and the cafe superb.

We're already looking forward to Lakes Collective Summer Showcase 2015.

LC Showcase Open Evening

The Lakes Collective Summer Showcase 2014

Our Lakes Collective Summer showcase Open Evening yesterday evening was a lovely event with a number of people attending to join our artists and designer makers for a good chat, a glass of wine and some nibbles. 

It's also an opportunity for our members to meet one another to explore one another's different ideas and techniques, and consider future collaborations. 

We were also joined by a group from The Wordsworth Trust who are considering which LC members to invite to have a stall that the annual Dove Cottage September Fair later this year. 

Clare Humphry has been the main co-ordinator of this exhibition, so flowers and lots of thanks for all her hard work was a vital part of the evening. 

Showcase Now On!

Sterling silver lorgnette by Amanda Hunter

The Lakes Collective Summer Showcase is now on! The Bishop Bulley Barn looks fab with everyone's work in it, and the "Literature" theme has certainly inspired some amazing work - from Sue Brophy's range of jewellery based on her own poems, to Suki Kyme's thought provoking paintings representing the works of Edgar Allen Poe. There are also beautiful, handcrafted pocket guides to the Lakes made by book conservationist Helen Golding Miller and illustrated by artist Jo Aspray, some exciting jars of 'preserved' books by mixed media artist Elizabeth Shorrock, and fabulous hats, mugs, ceramics, glass bowls, and paintings and prints to get your pulse racing. There are also two participatory projects to which you can add your thoughts - a frieze of illustrations by Jo Aspray that need a story to accompany them, and a poetry and jewellery collaboration by poet Andrew Forster and silversmith Amanda Hunter called "Liable to Flooding" where you try out the project and let them know if you think they should continue with it.

Yesterday was our first day and we were surprised by the large number of people through the door for a wet Monday. All were very complimentary about the work on display - one comment (from an art collector) was "the most interesting, high quality exhibition I've been to this year!". 

As is usually the case on the first day of an exhibition, we had to contend with a few unexpected developments - this time in animal form! Firstly, there is an intriguing jackdaw nest in one of the windows of the barn, creating a fascinating piece of action art where you can even see the chicks' hearts beating. An appreciative toad was discovered perusing the Sculpture Trail. Sitting behind Elizabeth Shorrocks 'pickled books', he looked as if he had been there for days - two books had disappeared from the jar, so maybe he was more interested in the display than he was letting on! Other visitors to the exhibition were a group of four tups, whose curiosity and plan to escape the rain led them into the vestibule of the barn. The thought of four sheep running around our exhibition turned us into expert shepherds in one easy lesson! 

The Summer Showcase is on every day from 10am - 5pm until next Sunday 8 June. On Thursday evening the showcase is open until 9pm, and there is the chance to join some of the artists and designer makers for an evening glass of wine, nibbles and chat.

Fun with FLOCK!

Our current, site specific, exhibition FLOCK is certainly an ever-changing exhibition! 

Lakes Collective members are invited to submit birds or tree creatures in a range of media to be exhibited outside to bring life to a dead tree near the Rydal Hall camp site. 

Last Saturday afternoon there was a huge crash and a woman ran into the Yurt saying: 'the tree's just fallen down!' Her husband had been pointing at it saying - 'look at that lovely tree', and as he pointed there was a huge creak and groan and it fell down!  

So site-manager, Martin, and LC organiser, Clare, got out the chainsaw and carved it up. Once they'd got rid of the dangerous branches, they clambered about over the extremely arty but much smaller remains and re-hung the birds. Wouldn't you know, but they look even better now than they did before, as they are much lower and easier to see and fill the tree ...so all's well.  Martin was so pleased with it he organised Rydal's morning worship around it! Wonder if the theme was 'Resurrection'?

Amazingly, all the trauma didn't even scare away the glass birds, and all the sculptures are still intact, but that man could have a complex for life... It wasn't even windy!

Please come along and see Flock at Rydal Hall, Ambleside. It is on until the end of June 2014, and more birds are joining all the time. 

Welcome 2014

Lakes collective logo by artist Nick Leigh

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to Lakes Collective. We are a loose collection of 30 artists and designer makers who live in and around the English Lake District. 

Lakes Collective is a self-funded,not-for-profit organisation that shares costs between the participating members at each event. We are administered by a small organising group of founder members who organise events on a voluntary basis. All members are encouraged to be active participants and enthusiastically speak about and sell our own and one another's work. We are proud that our events are welcoming and friendly, with the chance for the general public to chat directly with informed artists and designer makers about our work. 

Like all the best organisations, we formally set up in 2010 following a day of discussion at a local craft fair. There appeared to us to be a gap in opportunities for local artists and designer makers who create original work. There seemed to be plenty of small craft fairs for hobbyists making skilled handicrafts, and galleries offering exhibitions for high-end art and craft at high commissions, but nothing in-between for serious artists and designer makers who want more exposure and artistic development in order to be able to make a living from our creativity.

We were also concerned that what constitutes genuine Art and Craft is becoming confused. It increasingly seems that 'anything goes', even at some of the most prestigious craft events. Terms like "handcrafted", "handmade" and "unique" are often applied to work that hasn't been entirely designed and created by the maker. Work that is assembled from bought in components, bought items re-presented as locally designed, digital and laser prints, vintage, upcycled and recycled items are now positioned alongside original work. 

While this type of mixed event can be fun and popular, and there is certainly place for it in the creative world, we believe that it can also downgrade the knowledge and skill, hard work and the commitment to quality of serious artists and designer makers. It can also lower the general public's expectations of the amount of time involved, and the prices. 

Competing to sell our work in this expanding creative environment also means that artists and designer makers tend to focus on producing work that immediately sells, with little time and energy left over to be our creative selves. Lakes Collective is also committed to creating opportunities for our members to explore and develop new ideas and collaborate with different artistic disciplines - just for the sheer pleasure of it!        

Membership of Lakes Collective is free, and open to anyone who lives in or around the Lake District who creates high quality art or craft made from 'raw' materials as their key source of income. Members are chosen via invitation by existing members and a simple selection process. 

CONTACT US 

 lakescollective@gmail.com 

if you would like to be considered for membership, or to find out more about our events, or to contact one of our members about their work. 

'Washing Line' embroidery by Louise Dorman