The Gift and Craft Fair has been held for over 20 years and is always well attended. In 2023, we welcomed over 1,200 visitors across the two days and raised essential funds for the Nature in Art Trust. Here at Nature in Art we are extremely passionate about supporting local artists and craftspeople, helping to highlight the array of crafts available and the creativity of the people in the local area. Our event strives to have a large selection of stallholders showcasing a variety of crafts, from woodwork and ceramics, glassware and photography to jewellery, textles, resin art, flower art and much more.
Our next Gift and Craft Fair will take place on 25th & 26th October.
List of stallholders:
Cabinet of Curios
Little Gloucester Art Group
Funky Pheasant
Freshwater Mosaics
Mirror-mirror
David Tinsley Photography
Country Fabric Crafts
Dye by Di
Mollie’s Makings
Elaine Leslie Art
Emily Hacker Textiles
Nature’s Inspiration
Wilful Ink
Off My Tree
Gaby Spencer Art
Gill Barrett Art
Ginny Boom Art
JR Ceramics
Jeanette Hannaby Enamel Artist
Jess Rayson Designs
Ambling Press
Kate Moby
Natty Deco
Hobbz Designs
Heal & Sole
Six Hands Crafting
Sarah Davis Glass
Sarah Delahoy Printmaker
BESPOKE GIFTS (PATCHWORK)
chaaboo
Drawn to the Wild
Ilé.daràsimi
Vikki Lafford Garside
Meraki Glass
Mizuki Takahashi
Spoon Fever
Mindbender Puzzles
Gordan Hemming
Fern Cottage Studio
Scribbled Daisies Illustration
apCeramics Monmouth
Octeapus
Field Fresh Skincare
Ella Daniel-Lowe
Our Heritage of Song : Or the People’s Voice
An illustrated talk by Robin Burton
Before radio, TV and the Internet, we used to make our own entertainment. Usually this meant singing. This talk charts the history of our shared songs and how it is that we know about them today … the ultimate form of popular music. It also features examples of songs from around the country and from Gloucestershire in particular. Robin is a trustee of Gloucestershire Traditions that collects and rescues traditional songs and music (part of our ‘intangible heritage’) and makes them accessible to the public. Our project partner is Gloucestershire Archives.
Doors open 7pm to view galleries. Finger buffet at 7.30pm followed by talk.
The Seasons in Landscape Painting
An illustrated talk by Martin Bowden
Following a thirty-five year career as Head of Economics and Art History at Dean Close School, Martin is now a talented painter whose work is inspired by the likes of
JMW Turner, Edward Seago, Aubrey Phillips and John Palmer. This talk will take us on a journey exploring a wide variety of artistic styles encompassing the work of, for
example, the Limbourg Brothers, Pieter Breughel, Jean Francois Millet among others. Often there is personification of the seasons so spring is a time of rebirth, summer
a time of heat and ripeness, autumn a time of harvest and winter a time for snow and the hearth. An inspiring talk for all.
Doors open 7pm to view galleries. Finger buffet at 7.30pm followed by talk.
Christmas celebration with mulled wine and festive snacks
With the Ukranian Choir ‘Kozachky’
The Ukrainian vocal ensemble ‘Kozachky’ was created in October 2022 from a group of women who were forced to leave their homes and relocate to Bristol because of the war. The group hails from different parts of Ukraine: Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Melitopol, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia. Come and hear some wonderful Ukranian songs being sung from the heart with some more familiar songs performed too. Do come and support these singers!
Doors open 7pm to view galleries. Finger buffet at 7.30pm followed by concert.
The Journal of a Naturalist
An illustrated talk by Sir George White
This delightful evening will bring to life the extraordinary legacy of John Knapp of Alveston who was a pioneering naturalist, ecologist artist and poet. A recent book by Sir George White, entitled Gilbert White’s Disciple, combines the first full biography of the pioneer Gloucestershire naturalist and artist John Leonard Knapp (1767-1845) with a reconstruction from Knapp’s original notes, of the previously unpublished 5th edition of his best-selling Journal of a Naturalist. This talk introduces John Knapp, revealing that his extraordinarily advanced views on ecology and conservation, are as relevant today as they were in his lifetime. DOORS OPEN 7pm.
Books will be available on the night.
Programme:
- 7pm: Access to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition and museum galleries
- 7.30pm: Finger buffet
- 8.10pm: Talk
- 9.15pm: Finish
Tickets £13. Book here
Asian Adventures
An illustrated talk by Paul Carpenter
Paul has travelled the world visiting tropical forests to photograph and film the insects, spiders and other fascinating fauna. This talk takes us to Asia and includes some of his travels through India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Sulawesi. He spent time in Sulawesi searching for Lampropelma carpenteri, a tarantula named after him. His field trip to Cambodia investigated why people eat tarantulas and the impact it is having on those creatures. Paul has just returned from a 3 week field trip to Sri Lanka so he will be sharing some of those fresh experiences with us too. Do join us for fascinating evening of travel, nature and culture. DOORS OPEN 7pm.
Programme:
- 7pm: Access to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition
- 7.30pm: Finger buffet
- 8.10pm: Talk
- 9.15pm: Finish
Tickets £13. Book here
We have our amazing Mini Craft Market where our talented local crafters can get together to share and sell their handmade products.
Previous crafts have included: nature crafts, paper crafts, woodwork, paintings, illustration, crochet/knitting, weaving, decoupage, cards, glass, silk painting, textile bags, jewellery, resin art and flood painting.
Held in the Education Centre and is free to enter!
10am – 4:30pm (3:45pm for December Market)
A special event to coincide with Sacred Earth: Water, Tree, Stone, on show March 31st – May 10th.
This evening is a great opportunity to view the new exhibition ‘Sacred Earth’ in the company of the artist Fiona McIntyre, and to hear from two of the contributors. DOORS OPEN 6.30pm.
Programme:
- 6.30pm: Meet the artist Fiona McIntyre and view the exhibition
- 7.30pm light snacks
- 8.10pm: Short talks by Fiona McIntyre, Nicola Moorby, Curator of Historic British Art, 1790 – 1850 at Tate Britain and Christiana Payne, Professor Emerita of History of Art at Oxford Brookes University
DONATION ON THE NIGHT. Please book your place in advance here
Plant Sale!
On Saturday 9th May we will be hosting a plant sale in our garden to raise money for Nature in Art.
It will be open from 10am until the plants run out, so come early and get some great deals! The plants for sale will have been donated by many lovely visitors and volunteers.
Donations: If you would be keen to donate some plants to the plant sale, we will be accepting donations from Tuesday 5th May – Friday 8th May (10am – 5pm). They can be brought to the shop or Education Centre. Please accurately label your plants when donating. Thank you.
An illustrated talk by Simon and Carol Trapnell
Renowned for its ancient wonders, rich history, and vibrant culture, Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs, evokes awe and has long held a universal fascination for people. Their great monuments, tombs, temples, and artwork all celebrate life (and often nature) and stand as reminders of what once was and what human beings are capable of achieving. Join us on an inspiring journey that also interweaves some of the places that inspired prints included in the Ancient Yesterdays II exhibition. An evening for all!