Arts and Culture
The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair

The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair returns to Manchester

An expansive showcase of crafts by artists and makers are on display at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair as it returns to Manchester this weekend. 

This marks the 17th annual edition of the popular craft event which is open to the public from today until Sunday.

This year, it is being held to Manchester’s historic Grade II listed Victoria Baths.

Visitors can take in the impressive Edwardian architecture as they wind their way through a labyrinth of rooms, each displaying hand-crafted work from 200 makers across the UK.

Outside the GNCCF 2024. Image taken by Serena Murphy

The fair showcases an impressive range of mediums, from ceramics, jewellery, glass blowing and mixed media, to cyanotype photography and even bespoke handcrafted spatulas.

It also offers an opportunity to view and purchase handmade pieces from a wide scope of makers, from established artists to recent graduates. 

Among those on display are the works of MA ceramics students from Staffordshire University, alongside pieces from Manchester School of Art students.

New for 2024 is its Great Northern Graduates exhibition, a curated collection of outstanding graduate work from across the country.

The fair provides an opportunity to physically meet the people behind the projects, adding the human element to the artwork, and the makers are on hand to discuss their creative process, their inspiration, and how their pieces come together.

Visitors are also invited to attend drop-in sessions, included in the ticket price, and there is a café and pop-up bar on site. 

Tickets can be purchased here.

Featured image: Inside the GNCCF 2024, by Serena Murphy

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