celebrating folk
Saturday 28 June, 11am - 4pmJoin us for a celebration of all things folk on our first Folk exchange day. Co-produced with local groups, expect to move, make, and meet creatives. Share your own stories and hear more about the objects and customs that are part of our rich, living folk culture.
Prices and Information
Free with a valid day ticket or membership
PROGRAMME
Forest Folk Crafts
11am – 3.30pm
Have a go at forest crafts under our beautiful lime trees with the Compton Verney learning team. We’ll get close to the forest spirits through weaving, wand making and more!
NB: this activity has limited capacity.
Natural Dyes: Discovery Tent
11am – 1pm, 2 – 4pm
Drop in and try mark making and discover more about natural dyes with Our Environmental Engagement volunteers. Experiment with Hapa Zome (Japanese leaf pounding), mark making with Oak Gall Ink and learn more about natural dyes with our colour matching game at the discovery table.
Sensory Dye Garden Guided Tours
11.30am – 12pm, 1 – 1.30pm
Join our Environmental Engagement Volunteers Ali and Judy for a guided tour of our Sensory Dye Garden. Hear about the development of the garden and discover the rainbow of colours they have found from experimenting with plants from the garden and grounds.
Trees in Folklore Guided Tour
11.30am – 12.15pm
Enjoy a guided tour with Compton Verney’s own Landscape Manager, Fiona Tansey. From Druid oaks, to biblical cedar trees, learn about the myths and legends of our ancient leafy guardians as you enjoy our beautiful grounds.
Special Spotlight Tour – British Folk Art
1 – 1.45pm, 3 – 3.45pm
Join a specially created spotlight tour of our eclectic Folk Art collection, led by our team of research volunteers and Folk Art Curator. Learn about the vibrant and interconnected world of folk creativity, from crock fairs and side shows to dazzling decoys and lovespoons.
From Fleece to Fibre: Chedham’s Yard at Compton Verney
11am – 1pm
Explore a heritage textile craft in this drop-in demonstration, led by Chedham’s Yard volunteers Krys and Liz, which celebrates a creative making process that connects Compton Verney’s Folk Art collection with the collection at Chedham’s Yard.
Krys and Liz will demonstrate the process of turning fleece into fibre, preparing and carding a raw fleece and drafting yarn using a drop spindle and traditional spinning wheel.
Prepared sheep’s wool, known as roving, will be also available for you to have a go yourself at making yarn using the drop spindle.
The fleece is coming from a farm within 3 miles from Chedham’s –just down the road from Compton Verney.
About Chedham’s Yard
Chedham’s Yard is a traditional 19th century wheelwright’s workshop and blacksmith’s forge in the historic centre of Wellesbourne, just down the road from Compton Verney.
A repository of tools and artefacts, stories told and untold – the Chedham’s Yard collection references over one hundred years of rural trade and craft practices in South Warwickshire.
Colourful Floor Rangoli – collaborative workshop
11am – 1.30pm, 2.15 – 4pm
Rangoli is an ancient art form originating in the Indian subcontinent, in which symmetrical patterns are created on the floor, usually at the entrance of a home during Diwali. Join us as we transform the floor with flowers, coloured sand, rice and pulses in this relaxed, collaborative workshop!
Sonia Sabri Company provides enjoyable, informative and meaningful learning and participatory opportunities for people of all ages and abilities, spanning dance, music, storytelling and visual arts to explore South Asian culture.
Discover more about Sonia Sabri Company on their instagram, @soniasabrico
Indian Folk Dance – performance and workshop
3pm performance, 3.15 – 4pm workshop
Join dancers from award-winning Sonia Sabri Company, as they perform some of the joyful and upbeat folk dances of the Indian Subcontinent. You’ll also have a chance to learn some of the moves from these traditional dances for yourself in an interactive workshop. Suitable for all ages and abilities, come and enjoy dancing together.
Music from Celebrating Sanctuary – Haitian American Folk Musician Germa Adan
12 – 12.45pm, 2 – 2.45pm
Germa Adan, a talented musician, blends Haitian influences into borderless music, shaped by her journey from Haiti to the US and UK. Known for storytelling and social consciousness, her second album, ‘Borderlines & Bloodlines,’ delves into ancestry, draws from literature, and reflects on Haitian identity. Germa’s music invites us on a journey of self-discovery and collective empowerment.
And don’t miss these all day displays and drop in activities
- Rise up and dance banner
The large textile banner on the front of the building was created in connection with Compton Verney’s major project Making Mischief in 2023. Along with four large-scale wrappings that adorned the columns in the original display, the work was co-produced by women from Saathi House, Birmingham with artist Jane Thakoordin. - Decoys display by Kineton High School
Explore a display of spectacular decoys made by Kineton High School students with artist duo Juneau Projects. - What does Folk Art mean to you? Feedback board
Have your say on what our Folk Art gallery could look like in the future. This is a space to add your stories and ideas about what Folk Art means to you, what it includes and how it is made and shared with others. - Meme tarot reading in BFA
Consult the table and read your future. Explore the magical world of memes, technology and tarot in this artwork by Plastique Fantastique. Guide contains adult themes.