MAKE Southwest

MAKE Southwest MAKE Southwest (formerly Devon Guild of Craftsmen) is a contemporary craft centre with galleries and shop in Bovey Tracey, Devon, UK. www.crafts.org.uk
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Our 3 galleries, shop and cafe are open Tue - Sat, 10am - 5pm. The Devon Guild is also a registered educational charity dedicated to creating the craftspeople and collectors of the future.

We are delighted to offer five-week throwing courses for beginners and improvers with Maker Member ceramicist Joss Hibbs...
27/08/2026

We are delighted to offer five-week throwing courses for beginners and improvers with Maker Member ceramicist Joss Hibbs of Powdermills Pottery in our newly refurbished education space.

Beginners:

🏺 5 weeks starting Tuesday 8th September, 10:30am-1pm
🏺 5 weeks starting Wednesday 9th September, 6-8:30pm

Learn all of the basic techniques needed to throw a pot on our new ceramic throwing wheels! The beginners courses are designed for absolute beginners, and no previous experience is necessary. Participants will learn the fundamentals of wheel throwing, using approximately 1lb (450g) of clay to create their pieces. All materials and equipment will be provided.

Improvers:

🏺 5 weeks starting Tuesday 8th September, 2:30-5pm
🏺 5 weeks starting Wednesday 9th September, 2-4:30pm

The improvers courses are designed to refine and strengthen your throwing skills by working with larger amounts of clay and creating larger-scale pieces. Participants will receive bespoke targets tailored to their individual skill level, helping them develop technique, confidence, and control. All materials and equipment will be provided.

We can offer these courses thanks to the Tracey Almshouses Trust, who generously funded our in-house electric kiln, and Bovey Tracey Town Council and Teignbridge Council, who funded our brand new Ceramic Hub, complete with ceramic wheels and specialist tools.

Book your place now at the link below:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/makesouthwest?srch=throwing

Take a closer look at the metal work in The Summer Show 2026.Metal workers , , and .In.The.Blood re-contextualise indust...
21/08/2026

Take a closer look at the metal work in The Summer Show 2026.

Metal workers , , and .In.The.Blood re-contextualise industrial materials and processes for a contemporary craft sphere.

Mike Thompson creates ornate animal sculptures from vintage tools and metal parts, while Lisa Wisdom salvages scrap metal from the disused quarry surrounding her home and workshop near Falmouth to produce striking landscapes. Oliver Bramston’s work sits at the intersection of craft and industry, as he uses traditional blacksmithing techniques to produce visual art outcomes.

Don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite maker for the People’s Choice Award. Each year, we give you, our visitors, the chance to vote for your favourite maker or piece in the exhibition. The maker with the most votes will receive our People’s Choice Award and win an automatic place in the Summer Show 2027. Voting closes 6pm on Tuesday 13 October.

The Summer Show continues until 10 October 2026.

Open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm
Free entry

📍MAKE Southwest, Bovey Tracey, Devon, UK



Get to know the wonderfully creative jewellers exhibiting in our Summer Show this year 💍✨From Helen Noakes’ three-dimens...
15/08/2026

Get to know the wonderfully creative jewellers exhibiting in our Summer Show this year 💍✨

From Helen Noakes’ three-dimensional vignettes in resin, incorporating sand from her favourite Devon beach, to Naomi Davies’ homage in miniature to a beloved local landmark, each jeweller imbues their work with personal narrative - creating pieces that are not only meaningful to the maker, but will become precious touchstones for the wearer.

The Summer Show continues until 10 October 2026.

Open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm
Free entry

📍MAKE Southwest, Bovey Tracey, Devon, UK

14/08/2026

Back in April, we fired our very own in-house electric kiln for the first time!

Our Craft & Making cohort made their own stoneware bowls and mugs under the guidance of MAKE Southwest Maker Member, Roop, of , while GCSE students from SouthDartmoorCC learnt to throw their own stoneware mugs with Maker Member of .

Kiln firings are a risky business, but we’re delighted that everything survived (and thrived!) We loved how unique each and every pot was - our young makers are never afraid of adding a little ✨whimsy✨to their creations. That’s what MAKE Southwest is about - creative expression, getting stuck in, and having a go at something new.

We’re chuffed to offer these opportunities to young people and community groups, with huge thanks to the Tracey Almshouses Trust, who generously funded the kiln, and Bovey Tracey Town Council and Teignbridge Council, who funded our brand new Ceramic Hub, complete with ceramic wheels, specialist tools, and a fully operational kiln studio, as well as a programme of 20 community ceramics workshops through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Swipe for a closer look at the glass artists and makers exhibiting in our Summer Show ➡️
Glass artists combine multiple ...
12/08/2026

Swipe for a closer look at the glass artists and makers exhibiting in our Summer Show ➡️

Glass artists combine multiple craft skills and techniques, from lost wax casting and leaded stained glass, to screen-printed, painted, and cut glass, among many others, to create dynamic work that is transformed by the constant interplay with light.

As a decorative and functional medium, glass was extensively developed in Egypt and Assyria. Glassblowing is thought to date back to the 1st Century BC, and featured heavily in Roman glass, which was highly developed for a luxury market. Islamic glass was the most sophisticated of the early Middle Ages; then the builders of the Norman and Gothic cathedrals of Europe developed stained glass windows as major architectural and decorative elements. Glass from Murano, in the Venetian Lagoon, is the result of hundreds of years of refinement and invention, and Murano is still held as the birthplace of modern glass art.

Our Maker Member glass artists honour the long-held traditions and techniques of glass art, while combining them with modern processes and infusing their work with contemporary perspectives.

The Summer Show continues until 10 October 2026.

Open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm
Free entry

📍MAKE Southwest, Bovey Tracey, Devon, UK

Maker Member and environmentally conscious ceramicist Imogen Taylor-Noble is exhibiting a new collection of Dartmoor moo...
07/08/2026

Maker Member and environmentally conscious ceramicist Imogen Taylor-Noble is exhibiting a new collection of Dartmoor moon jars co-created with her students at her Dartington Estate studio.

Moon Jars originate from the Korean ceramic tradition of the Joseon Dynasty (1302-1910). Originally made from porcelain, they are known for the strength and asymmetry of their form, being made from two separate halves (originally rice bowls), which are later joined together. They became a Korean national symbol of identity after the Japanese occupation, conveying qualities of purity, restraint, and simplicity.

Dartmoor has long been linked with the development of ceramics due to the decomposition of the Granite Batholith of which it is formed. As Granite breaks down over millennia it decomposes to a fine white clay, an essential resource in the modern world.

Working with respect for the environment, Imogen and her students foraged clays that had been exposed by weathering in stream beds, riverbanks, and within the roots of trees in the Dartmoor area. They were also gifted some raw unprocessed clays from North and South Dartmoor which were extracted for industry.

They gathered rocks, stones, and gravel along the way, which they sintered in the kiln before crushing and grinding them to powder. They tested the powders as potential glaze materials, along with the clays and ash. They also foraged bracken, nettles, and gorse and burned them to create ash to add to our potential glaze materials.

They tested the materials in many combinations to see which of them could tolerate the kiln temperatures. After much testing and re-testing, the final pieces have been fired in either Imogen’s electric kiln or in one of two wood fired kilns owned within the group.

Moon Jars of Dartmoor continues until 19 September.

It’s the summer holidays and we have plenty of PWYC and free craft workshops to keep little hands busy! Have a go at mak...
02/08/2026

It’s the summer holidays and we have plenty of PWYC and free craft workshops to keep little hands busy!
 
Have a go at making your own paper puppet, kinetic mobile, and ink pigments from foraged materials.

Plus, we are delighted to offer pot throwing workshops with tutor to children aged 10+ free of charge, thanks to funding from Bovey Tracey Town Council.



Join printmaker David Robertson (David Robertson) in The Wheel Room at MAKE Southwest for a closer look at his exhibitio...
31/07/2026

Join printmaker David Robertson (David Robertson) in The Wheel Room at MAKE Southwest for a closer look at his exhibition of wood engravings.

🗓️ Saturday 1 August & Saturday 29 August
⏰ 11am-3pm
🎟️ FREE, drop-in
📍 The Wheel Room, MAKE Southwest

David will be chatting to visitors about his wood engraving practice and prints currently on display at MAKE Southwest. This is a great opportunity to learn more about his creative process and explore the craft of wood engraving.

David’s exhibition continues until 12 September.

Open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm
Free entry

📍MAKE Southwest, Bovey Tracey, Devon, UK



We’ve added some fantastic new workshops to our summer/autumn line-up!Our Maker Members will be teaching craft skills fr...
30/07/2026

We’ve added some fantastic new workshops to our summer/autumn line-up!

Our Maker Members will be teaching craft skills from sewing to ceramics and eco printing to flax corn dolly making. You can also try your hand at Japanese textiles and weaving, as we welcome our exhibition, Kudzu, which opens 12 September.

Each workshop offers a relaxed environment to meet likeminded people and have a go at something new. Not to mention, our workshop space remains lovely and cool, even during heatwaves.

Don’t forget, workshop participants get 10% off in our Retail Gallery and at Rodney’s Café, so you can make a day of it!

We add new workshops regularly, so check the Events & Workshops page of our website for the latest updates, and sign up to our mailing list to be the first to know 💌

Address

Riverside Mill
Newton Abbot
TQ139AF

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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