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National Festival of Making
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A celebration of making and manufacturing, from the kitchen table to the factory floor
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The National Festival of Making is a unique celebration of UK making, from the factory floor to the kitchen table. Presenting a programme of work that combines Art, Manufacturing, Making and Communities - commissioning international and national artists to create world class works and participatory festival events that engage local audiences and increase culture seeking visitors to Blackburn and Lancashire.
Taking place over two festival days, with long term projects running throughout the year, the National Festival of Making takes over the streets of Blackburn with artist commissions, creative workshops, theatre, dance, music, digital & media technologies, STEAM, markets, food, performance, tours, talks and above all, an eclectic mix of making experiences for everyone to enjoy.
The Festival’s headline commissioning project, Art in Manufacturing, sees artists placed in residence in major manufacturers across the North West. Here they collaborate with workforces to make incredible new works from soundscapes to sculptures, presented at the Festival weekend.
Our inclusive and multi-generational programme provides significant opportunities for participation and attracts diverse audiences - welcoming more than 40,000 visitors in 2018.
Date
May 2017/2018/2019 / 2022
National Festival of Making will next take place in 2023
Location
Blackburn
Festival of Making is a Community Interest Company
Awards
Best Non Music Festival at the UK Festival Awards Visit Lancashire Large Tourism Event of the Year Award, 2018
Best New Business, The Hive Awards
Selected Press
BBC Radio 6 with Lauren Laverne
BBC Radio 4, The Today Programme
The Guardian
The Challenge
To maximise the potential of this unique festival concept across 25 locations in a busy town centre whilst juggling the differing demands of over 100 exhibits, performers, traders and making workshops.
Making Workshops - Highlights Gallery
In 2018 our evaluation showed that over there were 10,800 opportunities to MAKE at National Festival of Making! Audiences got hands on with 3D printing, turning a pot, making new digital music, making a mass clay sculpture, screen printing, crafting pewter jewellery, learning the engineering behind the classic paper plane & moulding copper roses - This is a Festival that celebrates all making - from STEAM to handcraft.
National Festival of Making Screen-Printing Workshop
Project Areas
Research | Creative Direction | Programming | Project Management | Festival Direction | Arts Commissioning |Budget Control | Operations | Design, Marketing & PR Direction
“I have rarely seen Blackburn, or indeed any other similar town, so animated and lively and I am certain that the Festival of Making will be envied by many other places, not just for the inevitable economic benefit but also for the perception changing and morale boosting impact of the event.
The Festival of Making seemed to me to be a model of how a city can transform and reimagine itself by working with and for its people.”
Festival Visitor
Chromatagram - Liam Hopkins, Lazerian + Cardboard Box Company at Blackburn’s Cotton Exchange
"Everything about the festival was so brilliantly done and I have heard nothing but enormous positivity... Personally, it was a joy to be part of - you’ve all done a huge thing for this town.”
Patrick Grant, Community Clothing
National Festival of Making 2022, a Film by Jake Owen Powell
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A new kind of festival for a new age of making
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Each season of Art in Manufacturing sees artists paired with leading manufacturers, from artisan producers to industry giants. The residency programme creates collaborations with highly skilled workforces, facilitates access to cutting-edge technologies and unearths hidden heritages – all resulting in remarkable, contemporary artworks.
Art in Manufacturing Gallery
Commissioned Artists and Manufacturers
Season One
Bella May Leonard + Silentnight | James Bloomfield + Darwen Terracotta | Jamie Holman + Roach Bridge Tissues | Grennan & Sperandio + Panaz | Jeni McConnell + Cookson & Clegg | Lazerian + Cardboard Box Company | Michelle Wren + Graham and Brown | Robyn Woolston + MGS Plastics |
Season Two
Liz West + Graham & Brown | David Murphy + WEC Group | Dawinder Bansal + Domestic Makers | Sarah Hardacre + Surface Print | Martyn Ware + Multiple Manufacturers | Hannah Fox + Cardboard Box Company | Nicola Ellis + Ritherdon |
Season Three
Daksha Patel + Blackburn Yarn Dyers | Liz Wilson + Spiroflow | Dan Edwards + The Senator Group | Anna Ray + Forbo Flooring | Amy Pennington + Heritage Envelopes |
Season Four
Hannah Leighton-Boyce + Darwen Terracotta | Jacqueline Donachie + Lancashire Saw Company | Liz Wilson + CNC Robotics | Raisa Kabir with John Spencer and Queen Street Mill | Tim Denton + OEP UK |
Festival Gallery
Photography by Robin Zahler, Bea Davidson, Derren Lee Poole and Richard Tymon
The National Festival of Making is a Community Interest Company - Deco Publique Partners, Lauren Zawadzki & Elena Gifford are Festival of Making Directors, along with Wayne Hemingway MBE and Non Executive Director and independent artist, Jamie Holman.
We commission new original works, curate and produce the Festival with multiple partners and stakeholders, including with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council; Arts Council England’s Creative People & Places programme - Super Slow Way; Creative Lancashire; Source Creative and Perspective PR.
The Festival is supported with funding from Arts Council England, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Heritage Lottery Fund and Super Slow Way.