This Year, The Makers Guild is celebrating its 40th anniversary!
Way back in 1984, around a kitchen table in a house in north Cardiff, a small group of like-minded makers got together, frustrated at the lack of opportunities there were at the time to show and sell their work, they decided that they could and should do something about it and so… The Makers Guild was born!
Created as a maker co-operative, the makers curated and presented their work for sale in craft markets at venues across Cardiff, (early on, notably in St Davids Hall, see below), Founder Member Molly Curley recalls –
“In the early 1980’s craft fairs were proliferating, which was hopeful for individual craftspeople needing to sell their work. Quality control, however, seemed to be non-existent, and those of us who valued quality decided to run our own events, after a particularly disastrous ‘fair’ at a local school which attracted no visitors. I organized an event in my local church hall, inviting about sixteen makers whose work I admired. It was a huge success, and it was clear that people valued good design and craftsmanship. We decided to form ourselves into an organized body. Five makers came to the first meeting at the home of Linda Lazenby: Linda, Kathy Williams, Jane Mansfield (paper-maker), Lauraine Voisey (wood-turner) and myself – Molly Curley”
and Founder Member Margaret Hansford recollects –
“Our ambition had always been to have our own premises and although this resulted in a somewhat nomadic few years before venturing into their own fixed home , initially at The Old Library in the Hayes, then the old Techniquest Building in the Bay, where the name Craft in the Bay was adopted, then onward to the Cory’s Building on Bute Street, all of which we rented, then finally to Craft in the Bay at the Flourish, where we are today and which we own”
We still maintain the co-operative ethos to this day, with an emphasis on volunteering and a strong sense of community. Today our unique membership has over ninety craft makers from every corner of Wales. Now an Incorporated Charity with our own home in the unique Heritage building, Craft in the Bay. Our Charity facilitates and enables the education of the public through Craft, making us a unique part of the Arts, Creative and Heritage sectors in Wales. The Guild has welcomed over a million visitors over the years and we will be celebrating this milestone anniversary with a programme of craft workshops and events over the coming months, do come along and learn about Craft, and our Makers!
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