Buy hand-made for Christmas - MAKE exhibition at Devon Guild

Saturday 12 November – Monday 2 January 2012
The Devon Guild gallery is showcasing beautiful, distinctive craft work by over 60 makers in its popular Christmas selling exhibition, ‘MAKE’. Over a third of exhibitors are South West based, while artists from London and other regions are selected to input new design ideas with their latest creations. It’s well worth visiting Bovey Tracey to choose from the craft gallery’s wide range of affordable and luxury gifts by designers such as Jane Cox (ceramics), and Corrine Lapierre (hand-felted baby bootees).

On til 2 January, ‘MAKE’ is offering seasonal shoppers a unique experience away from the traffic and crowds of busy town centres. The Devon Guild also has a huge craft shop stocked with domestic and wearable products by local makers: hand-thrown tableware, socks, trinkets, purses and scarves as well as ‘how to’ craft books, cards and wrapping. This gives buyers the option to avoid a Christmas of costly technologies and commercial batch-made products. Instead there is an investment in local craftspeople committed to making high quality work in small studios with specialist tools and individual skills.

Buying your seasonal wares from a Guild such as this - which also provides locally sourced café food and Fair Trade goods - is a way of supporting smaller creative businesses, for example, Rachel Foxwell’s vibrantly coloured pots or Janine Partington’s increasingly collectable decorative enamels. There is something very special for everyone here - from hand printed and woven textile cushions and bags, unusual hand-made necklaces and rings, to functional metal and wood items (prices from £5). The Guild’s special Christmas event on Saturday 3rd combines traditional celebrations with the more edgy and innovative work on show. There is also the opportunity to make your own seasonal craft decorations in the gallery.
For more information and an online gift selection visit: www.crafts.org.uk

EVENTS:
Christmas Celebration 2011
Saturday 3 December 10am -5.30pm
Join us for a day of Christmas festivities. Carol singers, free mulled wine and homemade shortbreads plus food and drink tastings in the café. Select from the huge range of Christmas decorations, cards and handmade gifts in the shop too. FREE.

The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9AF
FREE. Open daily. 10am-5.30pm. 01626 8322233 www.crafts.org.uk

PRESS:
Contact: Emma Mahanay (Exhibitions Officer) emma.mahanay@crafts.org.uk for more information about the exhibition.
CD of images and artist details available. Contact: Simon Williams (Marketing Officer) simon.williams@crafts.org.uk for further material or images of the exhibitors’ work.

NOTES: The Devon Guild of Craftsmen is the largest contemporary crafts centre in the South West and a membership organisation for craftspeople from the region. More: www.crafts.org.uk.

OPENING
* Exhibition: Saturday 12 November to Monday 2 January 2012.
* Café: open daily 10am to 5pm. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day (and from 3pm Christmas Eve).

For more information visit http://crafts.org.uk/