When: Saturday 26 March 2022, 10am to 4pm (ticketed) / 12pm to 4pm (free)
Where: Drapers’ Hall, Coventry and other local venues
On Saturday 26 March 2022 Heritage Crafts is hosted its annual event Making Places as part of The Making of Coventry, a partnership project with Creative Lives, funded by Coventry City Council as part of Coventry City of Culture.
Skilled craft and manufacture has shaped our towns, cities and regions over generations, reflected in the buildings, street names and dialects, but often there is a disconnect between this rich heritage and our sense of place and personal identity. What can we do to help reconnect people with their craft heritage and show how the skills of the past are reflected in the making activities of today… and can continue to be a source of productivity, wellbeing and community into the future?
The Grade II listed Drapers’ Hall is one of the few Regency buildings in the city and was built in the 1830s as the headquarters of the Coventry Drapers’ Guild. Working with The Princes’ Foundation as one of seven projects selected to mark the 70th birthday of Heritage Crafts President HRH The Prince of Wales, the Historic Coventry Trust has restored the building as a music and events venue.
Ticketed event (10am to 4pm)
- Keynote speakers included Patrick Grant (BBC Great British Sewing Bee, Community Clothing) and Prof Martyn Evans (Director of the Manchester School of Art)
- Rachel New, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire and Creative Lives
- Jo Sealy, The Black Artisans
- Panel discussion featured:
- Dr Ödül Bozkurt, University of Sussex
- James Noble, MotoFest Coventry
- Dr Innan Sasaki, University of Warwick
- Dominic Taylor-Lane, Association of Heritage Engineers
- Mark Webb, The Prince’s Foundation
- Craft talks with Theo Wright (weaver) and Julia O’Connell (textile artist) and Laura Nyahuye (adornment maker).
- Tours of the craft objects at Coventry Cathedral and the Herbert Gallery
Non-ticketed (free) activities (12pm to 4pm)
- Demonstrations of Coventry crafts old and new, in and around Drapers’ Hall, included:
- Bicycle making
- Watch making
- Gold thread embroidery
- Heritage engineering
- Plant dying and slow stitch
- Leather working
- Green woodwork
- Kilt making
- Ghanaian waist beads
- Craft Cinema
- Repair Café (from 1pm)
- Goldwork embroidery workshop for adults
- Stick weaving workshop for kids
