Hastings Craft Weekend
Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th May – 10am – 4pm
The Observer Building, Hastings
The ‘Hastings Craft Weekend’ event is the first in a series of Craft focused weekend events launching in May 2025 at the Observer building in Hastings, with plans to deliver the event for the next 5 years shining a spotlight on craft persons from East Sussex and their specialist skills. The event will showcase the best in craft, across people, products and end use all that are taking part are local to Hastings, East Sussex. The event will bring opportunity to the makers, the sharing of skills and will continue to break down barriers enabling more people to see the broader skills we have in Hastings. We will also showcase a series of works from students at East Sussex College, Hasting’s campus bringing future craft makers to the event with guided tours on the Saturday. Education of skills is key to ensuring that we limit the number of craft skills that fall onto the endangered list and that skills continue to be imbedded within the education curriculum.
The event will take place on Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th May, at the Observer building a cooperative organization who have worked hard to reimagine the building once the offices and print works for the Hastings & St Leonard’s Observer newspaper, the building was given new life by local, skilled people. The skills showcased at the event include weaving, furniture making, ceramics, metal work, leather work, embroidery, patchworking, and hat making to name a few alongside a diverse number of disciplines.
James Thomas Project Lead for the event says – ‘This is a curated presentation of incredible people, their work, with an event based upon an underlying meaning of substance and skill that is presented within a space promoting the outstanding craft people of Hastings, East Sussex.
The idea to bring together the skills that form heritage crafts, came with the stark reality that these skills are endangered, are disappearing from the education system, from business being replaced with advanced technology and manufacturing and whilst this must happen it’s also time to protect and promote those skills that are delivered with a real sense of need and purpose within society.
James Thomas – Business & Design Consultant
Craft Makers:
Alexi Marshall; Adam Kester – Bird & Branch Turnery Co; Claire Whelan – Whelan’s Weaving ; Christopher Hughes – Ink and Clay; Kay A Stallion – Modern Goods; Emma Harding – EH Mosaics; Carola van Dyke; Nikki Haigh – Uniform Jewellery ; Katie ; Boccaccini Meadows ; Catalin Filip – Melo Clay; Rowan Corkhill ; Claire Buckley ; Bekky May; Debbie Quargnola – Tala Home & Living; Mark Thomas – Makermark; David Bracher ; Holly Dawes; James Torble – Loose Fit Furniture; Scott Garrett – Garretts World; Rachel Karasik – RK Ceramics; Jo McAllister ;Amy Leake – Woodmungler; Tara Mcdonald – Botanical Dye; Bethan Smith – Mudimakes; Aurora Barrett; Melanie Laslett – Laslett England ; Jane Fryers – Jane Fryers Millinery; Katja Seaton; Rachel Trewin – Liv and Flo; Ellen Rose Svenningsen – Svenningsen Studios; Elena Blank; Julia Gurr; Jazmine Miles Long
