The best in furniture makers, designers and craftspeople will be heading to Devon for the Contemporary Craft Fair in June

Great British Life:

Cornwall’s craftspeople and artisan makers will be showcasing their very best work at this year’s Contemporary Craft Festival on 6 and 7 June 2015 - the craft event in the South West.

The Contemporary Craft Festival is one of the UK’s largest and much loved craft events, and will see 200 diverse and talented makers of contemporary craft selling directly to up to 10,000 visitors. The makers include award-winning silversmiths, potters, furniture makers, textile artists, print and paper artists, glassmakers and jewellers.

The festival was launched in 2004 and has established itself as one of the leading craft events for collecting contemporary craft. In the past year The Contemporary Craft Festival has won Gold in the Event of the Year category of the Visit Devon Tourism Awards; the Herald Express Tourism Gold Event of the Year award and also picked up Silver in the Tourism Event of the Year in the South West England Tourism Excellence Awards.

It has been a very exciting year for us – winning these awards has meant a lot and it is very exciting to see contemporary craftmaking getting the recognition is so very much deserves,’ says festival director Sarah James.

Great British Life:

A regular feature at the festival, is the much-loved Children’s Craft Tent, which this year is in association with Plymouth Museum & Art Gallery. The complimentary children’s craft workshops are a huge hit every year with exciting activities for ages 2-14. Other children’s activities include the highly entertaining (for all ages) Punch & Judy, facepainting, play tipi and sandpit.

For visitors who want to have a go’, the 2015 programme is brimming with workshops and demonstrations, as well as exhibitions, craft curiosities, children’s activities and entertainment, street theatre, festival food and live music. New features for 2015 include the Textile Tent, held in association with Plymouth College of Art, with hands on craft activities. On the edge , where fact meets fiction awaits you in an old wooden caravan... Curiovan is a mobile gallery and museum showcasing the natural world and art inspired by it. ONE HUT FULL is a multi-sensory experience presented in a beautifully made shepherds hut. One Hut Full immerses visitors in the work of hill farming on Dartmoor.

The festival is dedicated to encouraging new makers into the market. One Year On is a selection of exciting, emerging makers who are in their first year of business.

Hothouse is a partnership between the festival and The Crafts Council, presenting a selection of makers from the Hothouse programme. Hothouse is a free programme of professional support for craft makers, delivered by the Crafts Council and partners. Hothouse provides makers with the tools to grow a sustainable and successful craft practice and helps nurture a strong peer network.

The festival takes place in Bovey Tracey 6 and 7 June 2015.

craftsatboveytracey.co.uk

This article first appeared in Cornwall Life May 2015