Bloomsbury Jamboree Lectures 2025
You are invited to our annual BLOOMSBURY JAMBOREE which runs from 10:30am – 4:30pm, Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th November at Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Sq, WC1N 3AT.
We are showing the work of our favourite makers and are proud to present these accompanying lectures. Tickets include entry to the Jamboree.
Photograph by Alun Callender
THE ART OF COLLABORATION: TWENTY YEARS OF ST JUDE’S
Join St Jude’s co-founders Simon and Angie Lewin in conversation with long-time collaborator and printmaker Christopher Brown. They will discuss the meeting points of fine art and commercial design, the creative partnerships that shape their work, and the lasting influence of artist-designers Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious.
Click here to book for St Jude’s lecture at 7pm on Friday 14th November
Photograph by Anthony Crolla
SMALL TALK
Ros Byam Shaw, author of the acclaimed Perfect English series and writer for House & Garden, Cabana and The World of Interiors, introduces her new book, Perfect English Small and Beautiful.
In this illustrated talk, Ros shows that Perfect English style can be scaled down to work in a home of any age, size or shape. She visits twelve pint-sized homes that are perfect examples of this ever-popular look, including a terraced townhouse in Ludlow, a gardener’s cottage in Kent, a tiny London flat and a perfect Cotswolds country cottage.
At a time when sustainability and environmental concerns are at the top of the agenda, Perfect English style prioritises reuse, recycling and upcycling, and happily accommodates objects that are worn, faded, and mended.
After her lecture, Ros will be signing copies of Perfect English Small and Beautiful published by Ryland Peters & Small.
Click here to book for Ros Byam Shaw’s lecture at 11am on Saturday 15th November
Photograph by Lucinda Douglas Menzies
TESSA HUNKIN’S HACKNEY MOSAIC PROJECT
Tessa Hunkin’s Hackney Mosaic Project has been responsible for some of the most witty and imaginative mosaics of recent years.
In a bold reinvention of the classical tradition, Tessa has assembled a passionate and diverse team of makers, creating beautiful mosaics that have become cherished landmarks, celebrating community and elevating the streets of East London.
In this illustrated lecture, Tessa tells the story of Hackney Mosaic Project and shows some of the mosaics, ranging from modest pieces in private gardens to expansive murals and pavements in public parks. From its beginnings as a temporary Olympic Celebration in 2012 to its development into a unique community craft workshop Tessa will also explain how the work is created and the development of the ideas behind it.
After her lecture Tessa will be signing copies of Hackney Mosaic Project published by Spitalfields Life Books.
Click here to book for Tessa Hunkin’s lecture at 12:15pm on Saturday 15th November
Photograph by Ola O. Smit
FORGOTTEN CRAFTS & CUSTOMS IN POLISH FOLK ART
Inspired by Polish folk art, Karolina Merska of Folka started creating pająki chandeliers in London in 2015.
Pająki (pah-yonk-ee) are chandeliers constructed of rye straw and paper with a history dating back to the mid-18th century, made by country women as decorations for their homes at festivals.
Karolina keeps the pająki tradition alive using traditional techniques and materials as well as experimenting with new ones to give her work contemporary look, and she is the author of Making Mobiles: Create Beautiful Polish Pająki from Natural Materials.
Join Karolina’s talk to discover the richness of Polish folk art. As well as introducing her practice of making pająki, she will present the work of her folk artist collaborators, share memorable moments from her travels in search of Polish folk and reveal her favourite Christmas Polish customs and traditions.
Click here to book for Karolina Merska’s lecture at 2pm on Saturday 15th November
Design by Beth Izatt
RISOGRAPH: PLAY, PRINT & POSSIBILITY
The Risograph, a machine with endless possibilities and a vibrant ink palette is a staple in the contemporary visual arts scene – but how has it impacted play, print and process? In this talk, Beth Izatt explores this machine’s rich history and how it revolutionised print, paving a way for fast and economical printing, whilst ushering in a much-celebrated DIY movement. We discuss how its various settings and colour blend options have sparked a wave of play in a variety of processes – and why this is important now more than ever.
This talk will feature Beth Izatt’s book Hello! Riso! With this helpful introduction to the world of Risograph, and our exploration into its impact, you will learn how you can utilise the magic of Riso.
After her talk Beth Izatt will be signing copies of Hello! Riso! published by Design For Today.
Click here to book for Beth Izatt’s lecture at 3:15pm on Saturday 15th November
MEET MR RAVILIOUS
Alan Powers explores the work of Eric Ravilious in the words of his friends and contemporaries .
How many people knew of his work in his lifetime, and what did they think of it? The answer to the first question is unknowable in terms of numbers, but he did not get major publicity. Even so, what was written about him, often by friends, is revealing. After his early death, writers often saw him as an influence for the future, representing a stream within English art and design that arguably only emerged into the light in recent years.
After his lecture Alan Powers will be signing copies of Eric Ravilious in the Eyes of his Contemporaries published by Mainstone Press.
Click here to book for Alan Powers’ lecture at 11am on Sunday 16th November
ASSEMBLE: PEOPLE, PLACES & COMMUNITIES
A talk by James Binning – founding member of the inspirational, Turner-prize winning, architectural collective Assemble.
Assemble is a multi-disciplinary collective working across architecture, design and art. Founded in 2010 to undertake a single self-built project, Assemble has since delivered a diverse and award-winning body of work, while retaining a democratic and cooperative working method that enables built, social and research-based work at a variety of scales, both making things and making things happen.
James’ talk will focus on Assemble’s early work and how they produced innovative projects that were resourceful and responsive to the challenges they saw as young people and practitioners in London and around the UK.
In 2025 James set up Common Treasures, a new organisation focussing on the role for design to address challenges facing rural places, economies and communities. He is working with the Ecological Land Co-operative, an organisation that aims to build a living working countryside in ways that are equitable and ecological, through democratising access to land and supporting the development of better networks of local, regenerative food and material production, and developing low cost and low impact housing for land workers.
Copies of both Assemble’s recent book, Building Collective published by Thames & Hudson, and Volumes 1 & 2 of Common Treasures, which focus on issues including food, farming, land, housing, planning and construction will available on the day.
Click here to book for James Binnings’ lecture at 12:15pm on Sunday 16th November
I SAW AN ART FAIR & TEN YEARS OF DUNG BEETLE BOOKS
We welcome artist, broadcaster and writer Miriam Elia for a talk, a book signing and more than a few laughs. It is the tenth anniversary of Miriam’s Dung Beetle Books which have sold an amazing 250,000 copies.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a journey and Miriam will be reflecting on when she was sued by Penguin, and the time Marina Abramovic personally asked her to write a surrealist comedy about her. Then too, how she became an artist and what makes her laugh.
After her talk, Miriam will be signing copies of her latest title I Saw An Art Fair, a micky-take of art fairs and modern art in general, seen through the lens of a fifties ‘tick the box’ children’s book.
Click here to book for Miriam Elia’s lecture at 2pm on Sunday 16th November
Design by Louise Lockhart
MY PROCESS IN PAPER, PRINT & PACKAGING
Louise Lockhart is an illustrator living on a farm in rural Wales. She spends her days creating designs from paper cut outs and line drawings, observing things that others may overlook.
She has turned her pen to non-fiction children’s books as well as working on illustrations for packaging from Easter eggs for M&S to pyjamas for Mini Boden.
Inspired by mid-century printmakers and retro colour palettes, her playful work often bridges the gap between graphics, fine art, illustration and textiles. As well as working as a freelance illustrator, Louise also applies her pictures to products which she sells in her online shop The Printed Peanut.
This talk showcases Louise’s influences and inspiration from early life to documenting her working methods. She will discuss how she likes to cut out shapes from paper to make different types of print, focusing on analogue and handmade techniques.
“[Louise Lockhart’s] work is reminiscent of Eric Ravilious, but through a joyful sixties Technicolor telescope,” Bibelot Magazine
Click here to book for Louise Lockhart’s lecture at 3:15pm on Sunday 16th November
