(L to R) Madeleine Hardings, Farnham Maltings; Catherine Conroy; Caroline pearce, Farnham maltings; sonja günther; claire molloy; stephen knott, csc; mariam cushen.

On Friday 13 October, the Crafts Study Centre welcomed a delegation of four makers from World Craft City, Kilkenny: jeweller, Catherine Conroy, ceramicists Claire Molloy and Sonja Gunther, and textile artist Miriam Cushen, who were visiting Farnham, as part of the October Craft Month celebrations. The visit, organised by Farnham Maltings, was timed to coincide with the Festival of Crafts that started on Saturday 14th. As a precursor, the delegation toured the craft workshops at UCA on Friday afternoon followed by a visit to the CSC.

At the Centre, the makers were shown around our two exhibitions. On the ground floor Tanner Gallery, Lineages, an exhibition that explores the threads that connect pioneer craftspeople represented in the collections and the students that they taught and influenced. The first iteration of the exhibition explores the lineages in two of the CSC’s material areas: furniture and wood and textiles (from February 2024 the exhibition will explore ceramics and calligraphy and lettering). In the second floor galleries delegates viewed the exhibition New Craftsman, St Ives: The Craft of Selling, an exhibition that has roots in the research of the previous Director Simon Olding which the CSC’s Curator of Collections, Greta Bertram, has brought to fruition.

The tour concluded with a discussion by the Simon Olding Exhibition Case, which comprises of shelves and shelves of twentieth century studio pottery, and a behind-the-scenes view of the Crafts Study Centre’s Research Room where just that day new acquisitions had been delivered for consideration at the next Acquisitions Committee meeting taking place the week following. Later on, Farnham Town Mayor hosted the makers at a drinks reception in Farnham Town Hall.

The visit cements links between the Kilkenny and Farnham as recipients of World Craft City/Town status, and also the connections between Farnham’s cultural institutions: Farnham Maltings, University for the Creative Arts and the Crafts Study Centre.