Alison Bailey Smith: Abscraft

Having spent the last twenty years in Wirral being part of making creative things happen, I am delighted to join with John from Wirral Code Club and Jules Kay in organising the second annual Wirral MakeFest. I am a contemporary craftsperson and my own creative practice has spanned 3 decades and three different countries since leaving Edinburgh College of Art in 1990. The motivation behind my work comes from being the child of post war parents, Scottish thriftiness and an avid watcher of Blue Peter!

In the last few years, I have been involved closely with community arts projects (planting 500 wellies for example) and with arts administration in Wirral – working with the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum as press officer and the Culture Team at Wirral Council as partnership and participation officer during the Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture in 2022 and most recently heavily involved with Saving Ron’s Place.

My involvement on the day will be at arms length but hope to set up a communal rag rug boa hub at the Williamson Art Gallery (10-4) on the 3rd of June to create something using donated fabric from family and friends including from Crafters and Makers in Hoylake and 15 kilos of recycled uniforms from Wirral FUSS . I will be taking part the following week in the Wirral Open Studio Tour from the Wellington Road Studios in Oxton (part of Birkenhead).