Yes. It is a Friday… and this IS the 13th week of A Rural Review… but we are not worried! We have not got the time nor interest for anything spooky or fateful (we have already covered that for Halloween) instead we are focused with feeling thoroughly festive -the chestnuts are roasting, the bells are jingling, and (unfortunately in my opinion) the brussels are boiling. We have not descended into complete Christmas frivolity just yet, but are teetering perilously close to edge, with our only protection from plummeting headfirst into tinsel and mince pies being the memories of all the amazing things we have done this week and the equally fantastic things happening in the near future. Yes this metaphor was probably slightly over dramatic, but lets just disregard that and press on with…
What’s been happening
Arts Market
This is not the first time we have hosted this event, but it was one of our most successful years yet. On Saturday and Sunday Rural Arts opened its doors for the annual Christmas Arts Markets, and from 10-4pm the Courthouse was full of lovely items, lovely food and particularly lovely people. We need to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended and also to all the artists who showcased their work, they made this weekend one of our most successful in a long while and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!
Look at all of this! You are now either two things 1) remembering this event fondly or 2) jealous you were not there!
Bookbinding Workshop
This week our in-house designer Immy Shaw led her very first workshop and it was a rip roaring success! Participants learnt about 3 different book binding techniques and the results were pretty darn excellent. We managed to track down Immy for a quote about the workshop (pretty relentless journalists here at Rural Review) who said “I was a little nervous before starting, but I had an amazing time – everyone involved was fantastic and made some really great work- I was a little jealous I couldn’t take some of it home myself!”
There will be more workshops coming up from Immy in 2016 – so keep your eyes peeled for them!
Hey Clay!
Another week, another Rural Review, and another slight cheat from us (we can only offer our sincere apologies). This Saturday is our Hey Clay event – a unique event giving you the chance to understand the amazing skill that goes into creating ceramics, watch some experts show you how its done and even have a go yourself! Hey Clay! is being ran at different art venues up and down the country to tie in with the smash hit BBC series The Great Pottery Throwdown, which has been gripping families all over the UK. In the show there has been highs, lows, laughter and (from one person in particular) many many tears.. so come on down from 10- 4pm to experience this one time only fantastic day of clay!
Whats coming up
‘A Taste Of….. Final Session of 2015’
Our adults art club has been running all through this season (it was first mentioned in A Rural Review week 2 which you can read HERE – nothing wrong with a cheeky bit of self promotion) and it’s popularity has only gone from strength to strength since those giddy days 11 weeks ago. Next week is our final session and then our still a few places left (although not many!) and you can book onto them now by clicking HERE. This week it is Christmas Wreaths, and judging by what the young people at Thursday art club managed to create, it should be pretty special! We hope to see you there.
Here is a little ‘taste of’ what you could do next week…. (see what I did there?!)
Tweet Up
As you may or may not know (I am sure you do) Rural Arts are pretty involved in the whole ‘twitter’ scene. We love twitter – we tweet up a storm on a regular occasion if we do say so ourselves! Something we have been involved with this year is ‘Thirsk Hour’ – a Thursday night event where local businesses have the chance to talk via twitter, make connections and have a platform to promote their products and organisations. Now we are hosting a live version of this weekly twitter extravaganza! Come to Rural Arts next Thursday the 10th December to for mince pies, mulled wine and some twitter training – meet the people behind the twitter handles and retweets or learn what we just wrote actually means if you are not an experienced twitter user! You can just turn up from 6:30pm but we have had a lot of interest so if you really want to go you can book your place HERE so you are not disappointed!
If you come to our Tweet Up, soon it might be you leading Thirsk Hour! #dreambig
National Theatre Live: Hamlet
If the question is to see or not too see, it is a pretty simple answer this time! (Just to confirm: the answer is yes…) This version of Hamlet, starring global superstar Benedict Cumberbatch, was the fastest selling show in London theatre history and received rave reviews from, well, from pretty much everyone. If you don’t believe me, just give it a google! Well now you have the chance to see this amazing show on you doorstep, without having to pay London theatre prices. On Friday 18th December at 1:30pm pop down to Rural Arts to see this amazing piece of theatre – but make sure you book a ticket because they are going fast! Get them HERE
Alas poor readers, but it is time to end this weeks Rural Review. We are aware there was some odd aspects of this blog- but though this be madness … there is method in’t. Make sure you check back in for next weeks Rural Review, which will be the penultimate blog before Christmas – see you soon!
