The ‘Ours to Share’ grant scheme is for rural community groups / organisations who are interested in developing heritage projects in rural areas. Grants for up to £1,000 and £5,000 are available.
Knitters and Crafters are invited to gather on St Brigid’s Day for a morning of chat and creativity. Now a staple in the festival programme, this session connects craft lovers from across the city and newcomers are very welcome.
This year, participants can also learn how to make a St Brigid’s cross. Traditionally hung in people’s homes, the St Brigid’s cross is a woven symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection. We will also continue in our tradition of knitting items to be gifted to asylum seekers and charities helping those who are homeless in our city.
Join us under the dome at 2 Royal Avenue to participate in the making of a unique piece of art with Gardner & Gardner’s ‘Peacemakers’ large-scale French knitting loom. Drop in to chat with the artists and try your hand at this simple but beautiful craft. Over the week we will see the piece grow, its richness of colour and texture reflecting the vibrancy of the city we call home and the interconnection of the individual strands of our stories. On the final day the yarn will be cast off, stretched out and measured, creating a single textile piece which will be presented at the Festival’s closing event.
Based in Glasgow, Heidi and Peter Gardner are a husband-and-wife artist duo who have taken their Peace Loom to several cities since its initial installation in Scotland in 2014. This installation as part of the Festival will be the first in Northern Ireland with the work reflecting the community of those who live, work and socialise in Belfast. Donations of leftover wool to contribute to the project would be gratefully received and can be brought at any time during the project.
