Is craft a product or a process? Is it always something handmade?

A cohort of contemporary makers challenge preconceptions about what the word means today and the role craft can play in shaping culture, identity and society at a new craft biennial in Yorkshire, called ‘Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters’. Works by bookbinder Kate Holland, embroiderer Jenny King, and furniture designers Max Lamb and Yinka Ilori sit alongside historic works by Thomas Chippendale and Robert Adam inside Harewood House, a Georgian manor near Leeds.

In this film – co-produced by Crafts magazine, the Crafts Council and Harewood House – we meet some of the makers and curators, who together aim to spark debate.

‘Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters’ runs until 1 September 2019 biennial.harewood.org

We’re counting down to the Great British Food Festival, here’s a quick chat with Daniel Maycock from the Festival.

When was the Food Festival set up?
We started in 2011 and have now done over 50 food and drink festivals around the UK. This will be our 5th year at Harewood.

What are the highlights for you?
I love the Men V Food Challenges and am looking forward to seeing the BBQ demo stage this year…I also love a good brownie!

Is there a ‘hot trend’ in food and drink at the moment?
Gin is still massive as are the craft beers. Hot food – people are going for more veggie and vegan options, and last year in the heat it was lighter options like salads and wraps rather than burgers or pies.

If you could invite three people to share a meal with, who would they be and why?
– Great Question! I think I’d have to say Gordon Ramsay, and get him to cook – to see if his cooking backed up how good he thinks he is!
– Pep Guardiola? I’m a big Man City fan so it would be great to talk to him about his time at City and elsewhere.
– Struggling for a 3rd….maybe James Cordon, as he could bring some humour to the night and seems like a nice fella!

What’s your go-to comfort food?
I love a good French stick and some nice cheese…!

Find out more about what’s taking place across the weekend and entry tickets. Free for Members.

As National Gardening Week enters full flow, here are Five Facts about the gardens at Harewood House:

1. There are over 100 acres of gardens at Harewood, set within the landscape created by Capability Brown.
2. 5,000 hours are spent cutting the grass in Harewood’s gardens and park between April and October.
3. The Himalayan Garden is home to more than 50 kinds of rhododendron, which are at the best between May and July.
4. The Walled Garden is the oldest garden at Harewood. It was already under construction in 1759 when building began on Harewood House
5. More than 20,000 plants and bulbs are planted every year in the Parterre, on the lower level of the Terrace Garden.

There’s always something new to discover in the gardens at Harewood, as they change from one season to the next, and new growth gets underway. For further information about volunteering or getting involved, email volunteer@harewood.org

Ever wanted to try your hand at weaving, or get the opportunity to have a go at blacksmithing for yourself…?

Over the past few years, Harewood has been gradually establishing its workshop programme, working with exceptional individuals who are leaders in their fields, to create some really interesting and one-off workshops here at Harewood.

From yoga on the Terrace last year, to a full programme of events this spring and summer that complement Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters, the general theme in the House and across the whole site.

Our workshops are tailored to small groups, are not readily available anywhere else in the vicinity and are enhanced by access to behind the scenes in the House and the new exhibition. And there are refreshments, often lunch. This season the workshops are led by artists and makers from Useful/Beautiful.

PAPER SCULPTING WITH ANDY SINGLETON – 11 May
Wakefield-based paper artist Andy Singleton is acclaimed for his paper sculptures, two of which can be seen hanging in the Library. Participants will explore the potential of paper cutting and get to create their own unique sculptural forms.

FRAME WEAVING WORKSHOP FROM WASTE WITH MARIA SIGMA – 18 May
Driven by a ‘zero waste’ approach to textile design, Maria Sigma has become a rising star in the world of weaving. Take your discarded but still loved textiles, including t-shirts and pillow cases, and make them into something new…

WORKING WITH FINE BONE CHINA: A WORKSHOP WITH REIKO KANEKO – 1 June
Reiko Kaneko was born and raised in Japan, and the cultural heritage of her upbringing plays a formative part in her ceramics. Join Reiko for an introduction to the whole process of making, decorating and glazing fine bone china.

INTRODUCTION TO BLACKSMITHING WITH LESZEK SIKON – 8 June, 2 workshops
The perfect Father’s Day gift – an exclusive opportunity to work with artisan blacksmith Leszek Sikon for an introduction to blacksmithing, learning basic blacksmithing techniques, making a bottle opener, key leaf chain or Viking style utility knife.

CAST GLASS JEWELLERY WITH EFFIE BURNS – 14 July
Effie creates miniature landscapes of glass objects cast from vegetables. Join Whitby-based artist Effie for an intimate workshop to learn the craft of cast glass jewellery making. This workshop gives a rare chance to work in miniature and create your own cast glass jewellery.

CREATIVE PLAY: UNLIMITED SOURCE OF NEW IDEAS WITH JULI BOLANOS-DURMAN – 21 July
Join vibrant artist Juli Bolaños-Durman for an innovative and creative day, exploring play and its links to creativity. Costa Rican-born, Edinburgh-based Juli works with found glass and other objects, playfully creating fascinating characters and pieces.

USEFUL/BEAUTIFUL TWILIGHT TOURS
18 April / 9 May / 13 June / 18 July
6.30-8.30pm
Join us for an exclusive out of hours tour of Harewood’s acclaimed new exhibition, Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters.

Full details of the programme of events and workshops can be found on biennial.harewood.org

Ahead of a busy summer season of events at Harewood, we spent some time with Lisa Ward, Director of Revival Productions and one of the main organisers of Classic Ibiza outdoor events.

What was the inspiration around Classic Ibiza?
I got into house music when I was at university in Manchester in the late ‘80s and then worked for a company that organised classical concerts at stately homes across the country. The inspiration for Classic Ibiza came from marrying my love of dance music with my experience of putting on more traditional concerts to produce something fresh and exciting.

What makes Classic Ibiza such a different experience to other outdoor events?
It’s the full Classic Ibiza package. Firstly, you’ve got the juxtaposition of listening to some truly iconic house tracks, performed by a 32-piece orchestra, in the beautiful grounds of Harewood House. Secondly, it’s the community feeling that permeates all our concerts. This comes from how our amazing artists interact with the audience and the energy they give back. Unlike many other outdoor concerts, we also allow our audience to bring their own food and drink on site, which we find adds to the feel-good vibe.

What is your role?
As Director of Revival Productions, organisers of Classic Ibiza, my role encompasses everything from planning and promotion, to being a general dog’s body on site. As they say, variety is the spice of life!

What three things do you love about your job?
The first would definitely be doing something that brings so much joy to so many people. I get a massive kick from going back-stage at our shows and seeing a sea of smiling faces looking back at me. Secondly, would be working with some amazingly talented musicians. The Urban Soul Orchestra have performed with some of the greats of dance music, including Groove Armada and Nightmares on Wax. I never thought I’d get that opportunity. Finally, working with friends and family. I’m great friends with Katharine Brindley who heads up Revival Productions with me and my family are also involved in the shows. We are a pretty tight-knit bunch!

Is there anything exciting you can reveal about this year’s event at Harewood House?
Ooh, that would be telling… What I can say is that we will be performing eleven new tracks this year and one of them will definitely burn the house down. Not literally, I hasten to add! At Easter, people can also vote for their favourite tunes to be added to the set – check out our Facebook page nearer the time for further information on this.

Maybe not as exciting, but equally as important, we have also put a series of measures in place at this year’s show to ensure that we are prepared for any challenges that the weather might throw at us. You can find out more by reading this short article.

To book tickets for Classic Ibiza this July, go online.