Suffolk Craft Society at Ickworth Estate
Ickworth Estate, Bury Saint Edmunds IP29 5QE
29th August - 20th September
We are delighted to return to the magnificent National Trust Ickworth Estate for our Summer Exhibition, bringing together an inspiring collection of contemporary craft. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore an exceptional showcase of handcrafted work in one of Suffolk’s most remarkable settings. Housed within the WestWing Gallery at Ickworth, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, craftsmanship and originality that define Suffolk Craft Society.
This year, the exhibition also extends into Ickworth’s main house, where a selection of our makers have created contemporary pieces inspired by the collections of the Hervey family. Displayed amongst the historic collections that inspired them, these new works create a fascinating connection between Ickworth’s past and contemporary craft today. Throughout the exhibition, some of our makers will also be demonstrating their skills, offering visitors an insight into the processes and craftsmanship behind their work.
A visit to the exhibition is just one part of a memorable day out at Ickworth. Set within more than 1,800 acres of historic parkland, gardens and ancient woodland, the estate offers over 26 miles of walking and cycling trails, inviting visitors to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the Suffolk landscape. Combining outstanding contemporary craft with a spectacular historic estate, the Suffolk Craft Society’s Ickworth Exhibition promises an inspiring and enjoyable day out for art lovers, collectors and families. We look forward to welcoming you soon.
Inspired by landscape, imagination and the changing coastline, our printmakers showcase a rich variety of traditional and contemporary techniques, each revealing a distinctive artistic voice.
Jane Hunter creates expressive linocuts inspired by the coastlines and landscapes of Suffolk, Essex and Mersea Island. Beginning with sketches made outdoors, her designs evolve through the printmaking process into striking compositions that celebrate life by the sea, with boats, estuaries and changing skies featuring throughout her work.
Martha Dyer-Smith creates atmospheric printmaking inspired by landscape and outdoor sketching. Working across collagraphy, monoprint, drypoint and relief printing, she continually experiments with new techniques to develop expressive abstract landscapes. Her enthusiasm for sharing ideas has also built an international community of fellow printmakers.
Helen Maxfield creates limited edition linocuts inspired by the Suffolk countryside and coastline. Beginning with observational sketches, each design develops through the printmaking process to capture both the character of the landscape and the distinctive textures, bold shapes and graphic qualities unique to linocut.
Greta Hansen's printmaking is deeply rooted in the Suffolk landscape. Working with collagraphs, lino and woodblock reduction prints, she develops each image from observational sketches made outdoors. Her subtle use of colour and layered printing techniques produces richly atmospheric interpretations of the countryside she has painted throughout her life.
Sally Freer's prints are inspired by the landscapes and coastline of her native Suffolk. Working through sketching, observation and traditional printmaking techniques, she creates expressive images that celebrate colour, texture and place, capturing the enduring character of the East Anglian landscape with warmth and sensitivity.
Jenny Portlock specialises in finely detailed wood engravings and linocuts with a distinctive graphic style. Inspired by imagination rather than observation, her dreamlike compositions often conceal hidden meanings while drawing influence from Japanese printmaking. Every limited edition print is hand-printed and embossed with her own unique mark.
From sculptural flame-worked creations to beautifully kiln-formed vessels, our glass makers explore colour, light and storytelling through one of craft's most captivating materials.
Working in the intense heat of the flame, Clare Gaylard sculpts Murano glass into unique sculptures, vessels and wearable art. Every element is created by hand, celebrating colour, light and intricate detail. Inspired by people, places and stories, her work captures the beauty found in both everyday objects and fleeting moments.
Hassina Khan creates kiln-formed glass that combines elegant form with deeply personal storytelling. Drawing on both her English and Pakistani heritage, she incorporates abstracted English and Urdu script into her work, transforming language into richly layered patterns that invite reflection on identity, culture and belonging.
Discover jewellery that combines exceptional craftsmanship with innovative design, where precious metals, colour, texture and movement are transformed into distinctive contemporary pieces to wear and treasure.
Sara Barker's enamelled silver and copper jewellery explores the meeting point between the built environment and the natural world. Inspired by urban forms, open landscapes and the changing East Anglian light, she creates striking three-dimensional pieces that combine bold colour with clean, sculptural lines and an elegant sense of simplicity.
Alison Dane creates distinctive jewellery from hand-decorated papers, combining printmaking techniques with carefully rolled beads and sculptural forms. Lightweight, colourful and surprisingly durable, each piece reflects her love of colour, pattern and surface design, resulting in contemporary jewellery that is both expressive and easy to wear.
Inspired by the landscapes of Constable Country, Diane Levitt creates individually handcrafted jewellery that reflects her love of nature and sustainable making. Working with recycled precious metals, ethically sourced materials, enamels, glass and found coastal treasures, each piece is designed to tell its own story while celebrating colour, texture and the natural world.
Helen Smith specialises in Mokume Gane, the ancient Japanese technique of fusing contrasting metals to reveal intricate, organic patterns. She also works with Cloisonné enamelling, creating elegant jewellery that combines richly textured surfaces with vibrant colour, precious metals and carefully selected gemstones.
Celebrating the beauty of timber and traditional craftsmanship, these makers create everything from elegant bespoke furniture to sculptural turned forms that honour the character of the wood itself.
Adrian Parfitt has spent more than fifty years refining his craft as a furniture maker. Working primarily in oak, ash and walnut, he combines traditional joinery with laminated construction to create elegant contemporary furniture that celebrates the natural beauty, strength and character of carefully selected hardwoods.
Nicholas Rowe creates sculptural woodturned forms that respond to the unique character of each piece of timber. Rather than disguising knots, cracks and spalting, he embraces these natural features, allowing the material itself to guide the finished form and celebrating the individuality found within locally sourced wood.
Ancient basketry techniques meet contemporary design as natural fibres are transformed into beautifully crafted vessels, sculptural forms and wearable pieces inspired by the landscape.
Lin Carter combines traditional basketry skills with sustainably gathered natural materials, including home-grown willow and rush harvested from Suffolk rivers. Her beautifully crafted hats, vessels and sculptural forms celebrate the rich heritage of basket making while bringing a fresh contemporary perspective to this ancient craft.
Cindy Gidney creates contemporary coiled vessels using natural fibres and slow, meditative hand stitching. Inspired by shells, seedpods and found objects, her sculptural work explores texture, rhythm and simplicity, transforming ancient basketry techniques into elegant modern forms that celebrate the beauty of the natural world.
Through weaving, stitch and embroidery, these textile artists create richly textured works that explore landscape, history, storytelling and the enduring beauty of cloth and fibre.
Ruth Holt weaves beautifully nuanced textiles using fine silk and wool yarns on a 24-shaft loom. Inspired by the changing landscapes of Suffolk and the dramatic coastlines of Orkney, her one-off stoles, wall pieces and commissions explore subtle colour, texture and light through exquisitely crafted woven cloth.
Juliet Lockhart explores forgotten stories and silent histories through contemporary textile art. Working with stitch, found objects and vintage linens, she creates thoughtful, often portrait-based works inspired by museum collections, archives and local history, revealing the lives and experiences of ordinary people with quiet sensitivity.
Chloe Scott creates handwoven textiles that combine graphic pattern with influences drawn from nature and architecture. Using hand-dyed warps, natural fibres and traditional weaving techniques, she produces distinctive fabrics that become cushions, bags, homewares and textile artworks, with every woven piece possessing its own unique character.
Alex Waylett combines illustration with sculptural machine embroidery to create richly textured artworks inspired by East Anglia's coastline. Her embroidered shells, marine life and still-life compositions often incorporate reclaimed materials and found objects, encouraging reflection on the beauty of the sea and our relationship with the changing marine environment.
Jean Fryer's distinctive and playful textile panels are inspired by the Suffolk countryside and coastline. Layering delicate silk gauzes, chiffons and printed fabrics, she builds subtle shifts of colour and atmosphere before enhancing each composition with machine embroidery, creating evocative landscapes with the softness and luminosity of watercolour.
Liz Chester creates contemporary tapestry that celebrates colour, pattern and the landscapes and relationships that shape our lives. Working on both intimate and large-scale looms, she produces richly woven pieces whose warmth, texture and craftsmanship demonstrate the enduring beauty of this ancient and highly skilled art form.
Jenny Nutbeem creates beautifully hand-dyed scarves, jackets and textiles using silk, velvet and linen. Inspired by Japanese textile traditions and the colours of the Suffolk coastline, her work combines rich surface decoration with a thoughtful commitment to sustainability through the creative use of reclaimed and recycled materials.
Working across reclaimed materials, wire, wood, mosaic and stitched sculpture, these artists create thought-provoking contemporary works that challenge perceptions and celebrate imaginative making.
Heidi McEvoy-Swift creates hand-stitched sculptural vessels and wall pieces from salvaged theatrical textiles and found natural materials. Entirely sustainable and intuitively constructed, her work explores the relationship between beauty, waste and the natural world, reflecting on themes of coastal erosion, climate change and the value we place on materials.
Mary Antsee-Parry is an accomplished sculptor and master woodcarver whose work combines traditional carving skills with contemporary ideas. Working in wood, stone and increasingly with reclaimed and ephemeral materials, she draws on history, symbolism and craftsmanship to create sculptures that are both technically accomplished and richly imaginative.
Anne Schwegmann-Fielding transforms discarded ceramics, broken jewellery and recycled glass into vibrant mosaic sculptures full of colour and character. Inspired by the history embedded within everyday objects, she creates joyful contemporary artworks that celebrate sustainability while giving treasured materials an entirely new life.
Nicc Dedman creates intricate wire sculptures using recycled steel wire alone, without soldering or welding. Inspired by the flora and fauna of East Anglia, her remarkably detailed work balances delicacy with strength, revealing the extraordinary versatility of a simple material through elegant handcrafted forms.
Joy Holden creates intricate contemporary mosaics using the specialist reverse method, producing remarkably smooth surfaces from finely cut glass and ceramic tesserae. Refined over more than twenty years, her work combines technical precision with striking original designs.
From functional tableware to expressive sculptural forms, our ceramicists demonstrate the remarkable diversity of clay through exceptional craftsmanship, rich surface decoration and innovative design.
A founder member of Suffolk Craft Society, John Chipperfield creates bold, wheel-thrown vessels distinguished by dramatic asymmetrical forms and richly coloured glazes. His confident handling of clay and expressive surface decoration have established him as one of the region's most respected contemporary ceramicists.
Marie Coomber throws tactile stoneware inspired by the colours and landscapes of the Stour Valley, southwest France and her native Germany. Combining angular forms with carefully balanced glazes and exposed clay surfaces, her functional ceramics are designed to enrich everyday rituals through beauty, individuality and touch.
Cathy D'Arcy's colourful ceramics reflect a lifelong fascination with pattern and design. Influenced by her childhood in East Africa and an earlier career in textile design, her joyful pottery combines vibrant decoration with decades of experience working confidently and expressively in clay.
Caroline Fish creates thrown and moulded earthenware inspired by the colours, textures and rhythms of the Suffolk landscape. Through successive layers of slips, oxides and glazes, she develops richly textured surfaces that capture the changing character and subtle beauty of the natural world.
Claire Pirie creates elegant porcelain tableware and vessels that celebrate simplicity, function and touch. Carefully thrown and refined by hand, her understated forms often reveal the natural beauty of unglazed porcelain, producing calm, timeless pieces designed to bring quiet pleasure to everyday living.
Moira Goodall creates contemporary hand-built vessels inspired by the colours, light and ever-changing character of the Suffolk coast, river and salt marshes surrounding her studio. Combining subtle slips, burnished surfaces and the ancient technique of sawdust and smoke firing, she balances carefully considered design with the beautifully unpredictable effects of the firing process.
Kate Reynolds creates expressive sculptural ceramics inspired by the human head and figure. Working with Raku-fired crackle glazes and smoke-blackened surfaces, she produces striking forms that combine bold silhouettes with richly unpredictable finishes, alongside decorative platters and tiles inspired by the same confident visual language.
Pam Schomberg draws inspiration from archaeology and ancient artefacts to create distinctive ceramic vessels rich in history and symbolism. Her sculptural work references historical pottery, armour and ancient civilisations, while her wider practice also includes porcelain jewellery and decorative functional pieces.
Neville Tatham specialises in traditional English slipware, producing wheel-thrown functional pottery using local clays and time-honoured techniques. His thoughtfully crafted ceramics celebrate the warmth, honesty and enduring appeal of rural pottery traditions while bringing historic methods into contemporary homes.
Pat Todd creates porcelain and stoneware that bridges the worlds of ceramics and painting. Delicate cast bowls, textured wall pieces and framed ceramic landscapes capture the colours and atmosphere of the Suffolk coast through expressive layers of clay, oxides and glazes.
Rob Wickens creates expressive ceramic wall pieces, tiles and sculptures inspired by Japanese and Korean traditions. Using slips, oxides and sgraffito decoration, he embraces spontaneity throughout the making process, celebrating the beauty of simplicity, texture and the quiet elegance found in imperfection.
Sue Caddy creates hand-built ceramic sculptures inspired by shells, fossils, seed pods and other natural forms. Through textured surfaces, subtle earthy palettes and an intuitive making process, her distinctive pieces celebrate the intricate patterns and quiet beauty found in the natural world.
Sarah Cannell combines drawing, painting and ceramics to create beautifully composed earthenware and porcelain inspired by the Waveney Valley. Her thoughtfully observed landscapes capture traces of both nature and human activity, translating colour, memory and place into richly decorated ceramic forms.
Combining traditional techniques with contemporary design, these leatherworkers create beautifully crafted pieces that celebrate natural materials, enduring quality and everyday functionality.
Mark Papworth is a master of traditional English leatherworking, creating beautifully crafted leather goods using time-honoured techniques and the finest natural materials. Alongside producing elegant, functional pieces designed to last a lifetime, he restores treasured leatherwork and shares his skills through small-group workshops.
Sarah Woodcock creates handcrafted leather goods that are both beautiful and enduring. Inspired by a family tradition of making and her years as a National Trust curator, she combines traditional craftsmanship with the finest natural materials to produce timeless pieces designed to age gracefully and become lasting heirlooms.
Raeleen Gladwell combines traditional leatherworking techniques with contemporary design to create heirloom-quality bags and accessories. Using premium British materials and increasingly incorporating beautifully marbled leather into her work, she produces distinctive handcrafted pieces that balance practicality with individuality.
This year’s exhibition also includes work from Crossing Crafts, an exciting collaboration between Suffolk Craft Society and the Society of Designer Craftsmen.
The project celebrates both the individuality of each maker and the shared spirit of creativity that connects the two societies. Members from different disciplines have been paired together and invited to step briefly into one another’s creative worlds, exchanging knowledge of materials, techniques and ways of thinking.
Each maker has chosen a clearly defined aspect of their practice to share with their partner. Some pairs have worked hands-on with unfamiliar materials, while others have exchanged ideas, explored new processes or reflected on one another’s approaches. The form of each collaboration has been entirely open, allowing every pairing to develop in its own distinctive way.
These encounters may lead to experiments, subtle changes in direction or entirely new work. Some makers may create individual pieces influenced by the exchange, while others may choose to work together on a shared outcome. Participants have also been encouraged to draw inspiration from the Society of Designer Craftsmen’s rich heritage and the collections of the V&A.
The response to Crossing Crafts has been enthusiastic, and the project has already gathered exciting momentum. With every pairing bringing together a different combination of disciplines, materials and ideas, the outcomes promise to be as varied as the makers themselves.
The project has brought together many pairings and the following will be exhibiting at Ickworth:
Marie Coomber, SCS – Ceramics with Julie Harper, SDC – Stitched & Constructed Textiles
Liz Chester, SCS – Woven Textiles with Libby Daniels, SDC – Ceramics
Sarah Woodcock, SCS – Leatherwork with Sophie Ambelas, SDC – Ceramics
Raeleen Gladwell, SCS – Leather with Sarah Waters, SDC – Feltmaking
Hassina Khan, SCS – Glass with Margaret Jones, SDC – Woven Textiles
Cindy Gidney, SCS – Basketry with Ellis Stacey, SDC – Furniture
Diane Levitt, SCS – Jewellery with Fiona Wyse, SDC – Woven Textiles
Mary Anstee-Parry, SCS – Sculpture / Wood Carving with Moira Searle, SDC – Feltmaking
Neville Tatham, SCS – Ceramics with Sylvie Millen, SDC – Stitched & Constructed Textiles
Ruth Holt SCS – Woven Textiles with Wendy Greaves – Stitched & Constructed Textiles
Naomi Jacques, SDC – Glass with Ksenia Semirova, SDC – Stitched & Constructed Textiles
Alexandra Motiu, SDC – Printmaking with Mandy Nash, SDC – Feltmaking / Jewellery
David Rodgers, SDC – Woodturning with Diana McKinnon, SDC – Stitched & Constructed Textiles
Carlyn Lindsay, SDC – Woodturning with Sam Gleeson, SDC – Bladesmithing
Anne Amosford, SDC – Mixed Media with Harriet Walford SDC – Metalwork
Molly Williams, SDC – Feltmaking with Claudia Luque SDC – Ceramics
Sumi Perera, SDC – Paper / Printmaking with Jessica Palmer, SDC – Paper
Whether you're a collector, a maker, or simply someone who appreciates beautifully crafted objects, we hope you'll join us at Ickworth to discover the remarkable talent of Suffolk Craft Society's members.
From exquisite jewellery and finely woven textiles to expressive ceramics, sculptural glass and beautifully crafted furniture, every piece has been designed and made with imagination, skill and care. We look forward to welcoming you to another inspiring celebration of contemporary craft in one of Suffolk's most beautiful settings.
29th August - 20th September 2026
Ickworth Estate, Bury Saint Edmunds IP29 5QE
Our exhibitions celebrate the extraordinary craftsmanship of Suffolk Craft Society makers, showcasing intricate details, time-honored skills, and innovative designs. With dynamic, ever-evolving displays set in iconic venues, each showcase promises a fresh, inspiring, and immersive experience.
If you're unable to attend an exhibition in person don’t forget you can support talented local artisans through our online shop >>>