The Blackwater Polytechnic (Ben Coode-Adams, Freddie Robins, Sara Impey, Justin Knopp and Simon Emery – The Paintbox) are exhibiting a new collaborative work, Tree, in the Craftspace national touring exhibition We are Commoners: Creative Acts of Commoning.

The exhibition highlights acts of ‘commoning’ that are shaping the way communities are working together to share and steward commonly owned assets and resources. It also investigates craft as a form of commons through knowledge, materials, practice and heritage.

The exhibition also includes new work by artists: Amy Twigger Holroyd, Deirdre Nelson, Hefin Jones, Linda Brothwell, Jacky Oliver, Shane Waltener, Lise Bjørne Linnert with Gelawesh Waledkhani, Rachael Colley, Alinah Azadeh and Kate Hodgson.

Exhibition launches at:
Oriel Davies Gallery
The Park, Newtown,
Powys, Wales
SY16 2NZ

Exhibition runs from 24 March – 26 June 2021.
Open Tuesday – Sunday 11.00am – 5.00pm.
For more information about the exhibition at Oriel Davies Gallery

The exhibition then tours the UK until September 2022.
For more information about Craftspace national tour of We are Commoners
Crafting the Commons project blog

Laura Grace Simpkins writes a personal essay centred on Freddie Robins’ work Craft Kills (2002) for Decorating Dissidence, issue 13 Wearable Art.

Decorating Dissidence is an interdisciplinary project exploring the political, aesthetic & conceptual qualities of craft from modernism to the contemporary.

Read essay

Exhibition featuring the work of – Achim Kobe – Alexander Marinus – Annie Wintein – Caroline Achaintre – Christophe Coppens – Delphine Desguilage – Dialogist Kantor – Franz West – Freddie Robins – Gommaar Gilliams – Hilde Overbergh – Ilse Van Roy – Kinoshita Suchan – Madeleine Wermenbol – Mirre Yayla Seur – Sofie Haesaerts – Victor Alimpiev – Marian Zhunin
Kette und Schuss storytellers, Luisa Soipi and Pablo Hannon

Kette und Schuss curators, Hilde Overbergh and Ilse Van Roy

CC binder, Forum 9, 2870 Puurs-Sint-Amands, Belgium
25 October – 13 December 2020

Opening event 25 October 15.00-19.00pm
Closing event 13 December 15.00-19.00pm

Open everyday from 11.00am-18.00pm
Entrance Free

For more information
360° virtual tour of exhibition

‘Stour Surrounding – Artists and the Valley’ is a documentary film that takes a look at artists both past and present who have responded to the landscape of the Stour Valley. In the film we hear how this special landscape – of John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough, Cedric Morris and Alfred Munnings – continues to shape and speak to the work of contemporary artists today. Moving between studio interviews and beautiful footage across the valley we hear from painter and sculptor Maggi Hambling who speaks of ‘absorbing’ the landscape, and from Simon Carter, and May Cornet who talk expressively about how they respond to the Stour Valley and landscape in their own individual ways.

Other artists featured are Michael Carlo, Chris Dobrowolski, Freddie Robins, Alex Robbins, Charlotte Verity and Andrew Vass.

The film has been produced by artist and gardener Jevan Watkins Jones with Offshoot Films. It was commissioned by the ‘Improving the Stour Valley for Visitors’ project, which is hosted by the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and is funded by The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Watch film on youtube

Read Stour Surrounding – Artists and the Valley Booklet

Freddie Robins’s Knitted Homes of Crime feature in the new publication Maternal Art Magazine: Issue 1 “Stay at Home”
MAM is a new art magazine focusing on artists from around the world producing work about the maternal. The first issue, Stay At Home is a response by 24 artists to their experiences of working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The magazine aims to support artists through this challenging time as well as raising money for Women’s Aid. Stay At Home has been edited by Helen Sargeant, an artist and academic based in Todmorden, Yorkshire, UK.

Read press release
Buy digital edition of Maternal Art Magazine

Instagram: @maternalart
Twitter: twitter.com/ArtMaternal