Creative talent of the border areas championed at Kington's 6th Marches Makers Festival

Kington championed the wealth of all kinds of creative talent in the area as the 6th Marches Makers Festival took over the town.

Hundreds of visitors toured the various exhibitions, open studios and art locations in the town from Saturday until Monday.

The festival was officially opened at a private viewing at St Mary’s Church on Friday evening by Kington Mayor Councillor Philip Sell.

Organisers said; “It's been a fantastic weekend. Kington has had a real buzz about it, lots of people have visited the town for the first time - and all we've heard is compliments and kind words.”

36 artists and makers took part in a curated exhibition in the church, there were also eight Open Studios, five Independent Exhibitions, and live theatre, music, dance and film, all made by artists and craftspeople based within 20 miles of Kington.

Beginning in 2018, the festival has grown into an event which honours the act of making in a wider sense. ‘Folk’ was the theme that linked the community offerings this year.

It was celebrated by the traditional rite of welcoming the summer with Maypole dancing, demonstrations of local heritage crafts people, people were invited to write their own folk tales and try their hand at learning a new skill or enjoy the spectacle of Morris dancing and much more.

The signature exhibition took place in the space of the 13th Century St Mary’s Church. Curated by Nicki Cornish it highlighted the work of 36 artists and makers and included jewellery making, paintings, pottery, prints, textiles, sculpture and forced metal art, handweaving and wood turning.

The second main venue was the Market Hall, which was a hub of activity giving visitors the chance to paint a folk art tile, make a mask or create a personal folk charm.

For youngsters there was play in a clay tray, a chance to read a folktale or watch makers demonstrating basket making, calligraphy, wood-turning, pottery, painting and more.

The Museum of Curiosities returned with a challenge to create an original folk story inspired by the collection.

Open studios were taking place all over Kington and its environs including Jeremy Atkinson, the last traditional clog-maker making bespoke clogs in England, who opened his workshop, The Old Shoe Shop featured Alan Kerr -a gunpowder and natural pigment painter, and picture framer, Celia Kibblewhite: crafter herbalist and botanical lampshade maker, Simon Bastian: landscape painter in acrylics and Bernard Ray: former owner of Grandad’s Shed and antique ironwork collector.

Other events throughout the town included an exhibition by Kington Primary School pupils at Border Bean Café, exhibitions at Flock, Marches Book Arts Group at the Parish Hall, The Jess Collective exhibition at Ridgebank Contemporary Art Space and a celebration of The Words of the People focussing on the wonderful local dialect and words from around Herefordshire and the Marches, at the Oxford Arms.

About Face theatre group presented Just Visiting at Saturday noon, at Kington Primary School.

Dance featured for the first time at the festival including Maypole Dance and Morris sides Gidderskins and Pinsley Mill.

St Mary’s Church will hosted a concert featuring Leila Basletic on the piano and organ, Peter Cornish on clarinet and Ruth Watson on the oboe, cor anglais., while the Old Picture House showed the film The Colour Room.

During the festival the Christine Forrester prize was awarded to Kathryn Moore of Kat and Fiddle Studios, on Church Street.

The judges believed Kathryn’s work embodies the qualities that inspired Chris to set up the Festival in the first place - celebrating the creativity and originality of artists and makers in this part of the border, and the power of the arts to enrich communities.

Her vision was shared by many others who continue to keep that vision alive. Chris died in 2019.

For more information visit www.marchesmakers.co.uk