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UPDATE! JULY 14th

Paddington is looking for a new home.

Could you be his forever family from Friday 17^th July? Drop us a line at contact@creativeresponsearts.org

We at Creative Response were delighted when Farnham Town Council agreed we could adopt this gorgeous old red phone box just outside our main studios, after it was refurbished earlier this year.

We’ve long had our eye on it, as a great way to share more of the bright and brilliant art work produced at Creative Response studios with the Farnham community, and bring joy to passers-by.

It’s been lovely to see smiling faces peering in at Paddington through June and to get lots of lovely feedback on his arrival in the box last month. He even got a mention in the Herald!

Much like the Red Box Gallery near St Mary’s school Frensham, that inspired this new one, we plan to regularly change what’s featured in the Box. Our amazing artist team will be working with our participants on fresh exhibitions throughout the year,  changing what’s in the space each month. We plan to theme mini exhibitions to tie in with seasonal and other events happening in the town, and hope the West Street Red Box will feel like a real community gallery.  

If you’re reading this, and you’ve got ideas on what you’d like to see appearing in the Box in the coming months, please share these with us via contact@creativeresposnearts.org or our socials. 

To make a donation to help us cover the costs of running the West Street Red Box Gallery, and support our wider work, to help ensure our small but vital charity can keep going and growing, please click here

But for now… WATCH THIS SPACE!

New installation coming Friday 18th July.

Kathryn McManus

CEO Creative Response

I was privileged to be part of a Farnham delegation joining a brilliant event at the V&A today, as part of London Craft Week 2025.

Stephen Knott from the Crafts Study Centre, and Loucia Manopoulou (previously curator of the galleries at UCA, and with whom we were delighted to collaborate on various projects, while she was in that role, and who I’m quoting with the title of this entry), were among the speakers.  There were also several representatives from Chinese arts institutions involved in the World Craft City programme, including: Gyrecraft, Quanzhou; Yrellag Gallery, Liling; and Crafts on Peel, Hong Kong.

The World Craft City programme (Farnham was the first place in England to be given this very special status) provides opportunities for craftspeople and organisations across the world to share learning with one another.  The meet-up this morning showcased the dedicated efforts of craftspeople and organisations in England and China, to preserve and celebrate various specialist crafts, including: the near-extinct East Sussex art of trug-making (a special kind of wooden-frame basket); fine metal making in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter (which in 2015 made headlines for producing a pair of £200K stilettos for Beyonce!);  Zanhuawei headdresses (see picture); and the ancient musical style of Nanyin. 

What I found most fascinating, and inspiring, though, was how each of the delegates in turn spoke about the opportunities craft offers for connection. This could be:  small groups of people making work together (as at Creative Response); the passing down of expert craft skills through generations;  the bringing together and exchange of learning and ideas that happens through exhibitions of work; and the global connections and opportunities for cultural exchange – between what one of the Chinese delegates referred to rather beautifully as a “star map: of craft cities across the world – made possible by institutions like the UNESCO world craft cities programme.

There was also attention given to the ways in which making craft is an opportunity for each of us, as individuals, to make connections, “between hand and heart”, to  “play”, and explore new things. Also, how, in slow-making, repair, and paying close attention to the materials in our hands, we have an opportunity to gain new perspectives and develop new ideas. All of this reflects what we seek to offer through our brilliant therapeutic community arts sessions at Creative Response. I am so grateful to all of the artists in our amazing team for their skill and generosity in facilitating these for us, for the benefit of all in our community.

Took a walk down to the lovely Brightwells development this afternoon with Boo (my dog) who occasionally puts in an appearance at the Creative Response studios. Such a gorgeous day seemed a good opportunity to check out in situ the fab new dog bowls that our friends at Nando’s commissioned from us for their new outdoor space.

The four hand-crafted, and super- sturdy bowls, produced by our amazing Wednesday clay group, looked amazing out front. 
Boo seemed pretty happy making use of one for a much needed drink!  And he was also quite impressed to have the chance to meet the Mayor .

Hopefully lots of other furry friends are also now getting the chance to enjoy an extra-stylish drink when they’re in the area.

Thank you Nando’s for your generous ongoing support for our work.
Sponsorship, fundraising and other support from the local community is absolutely vital to ensure we can keep offering creative arts and social connection for vulnerable adults, at our Farnham studios.

If there are other businesses out there who might be interested in commissioning water bowls for furry friends, or other bespoke products for your work space, or to support us in other ways, we’d be delighted to hear from you!