Street Feast!

The 10th Chorlton Arts Festival is shaping up to be the best ever! Last weekend was great with the magical lanterns of Flashlight making chorlton sparkle and I managed to fit in a radio appearance (on air origami!) an art fair stall and a paper garlands workshop.

Next Sunday 30th May from 5-7.30pm I'll be at Street Feast, a big celebration to round up the festival. If you came along to my workshop and made a 'Fabulous Garland' please come along and display your handiwork to deck out the picnic. Even if you didn't manage to make the garland workshop you are welcome to bring along your creations to show off! I'll also be there making more junk mail bunting and origami garlands so join in!

Chorlton Arts Festival 2010, 20th-30th May

Its May again! Time for the Chorlton Arts Festival and this year its a big 10 year anniversary, 10 day extravaganza of good stuff in South Manchester.

I'll be at the Arts and Crafts Fair from 11-4pm at St Clement's Church on Saturday 22nd May, selling my handmade jewellery.

On Sunday 23rd May I'll be doing a free craft workshop, 'The Fabulous Garlands'. Origami expert Tina Chan and I will be on hand to demonstrate how to use simple origami and knotting techniques to create beautiful garlands to hang in your home or garden. Materials will be provided but feel free to bring along your own junk mail, used envelopes and magazine paper to transform into strings of brightly fluttering festive bunting.

The workshop is suitable for all ages but children must be accompanied by an adult. We will be at Chorlton Library Meeting Room from 1.30-3.30pm, just drop in!

I am the Blueroom Facilitator at the Bluecoat!

I have just begun an exciting new role as the Blueroom Facilitator at the Bluecoat arts centre in Liverpool. The Blueroom is an arts service for adults with learning difficulties which runs for 3 days a week. The project encourages its members to work creatively with artists in response to the Bluecoat's exhibition and performance programme to develop their own artistic practice in order to build skills and confidence. My role is to support the lead artists, group members and support workers in the delivery of the workshops as well as to lead interim sessions.

I have been doing the job for 3 weeks now and absolutely love it! The people I work with are fantastically enthusiastic and each group consists of brilliant characters. We have been working on projects in response to the Global Studio series of exhibitions and the play Raspberry, with Blueroom members creating varied and interesting pieces. It feels like a real privilege to be able to share the creative process with fantastic practitioners in such a vibrant community as the Bluecoat.