'Working the Willow' Exhibition - A Huge Success

Here at Musgrove Willows, whilst it is back to 'business as usual' with our normal Workshops and Displays, we can at last give ourselves a little breathing space following the hugely successful 'Working the Willow' Exhibition that was part of the Somerset Art Weeks 09 event and ran from 19 September to 4 October.

The two week showcase was testament to our heritage and beliefs and with over 1,400 people coming through the doors, the whole event exceeded our expectations and everyone, visitors, exhibitors and workshop instructors alike, agreed it was well worth the effort.

We had over 160 pieces of work of 57 artists to view and buy and the talent of the artists, who came from across the globe, was quite phenomenal with huge quantities of praise being given to all. It was fascinating to see the willow evolve from the freshly cut stems into the most amazing works of art that our talented exhibitors created. With our 100% naturally coloured willow, the unique style that each artist had lead to an exciting assortment of diverse pieces that demonstrated just how versatile willow can be. It was quite an eye opener for a lot of people!

There was also plenty for the discerning eye to take home with a bounty of items for sale from across the globe. Together with the UK basket makers and willow weavers, you could also splash out on willow creations from Southern Ireland, Spain, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand and the USA.

Amongst our visiting artists were Ellen Mette Nielson from Norway; Jo Mills; Fiona Hingston and Ivor Hancock.

Our Exhibition also attracted a large number of very distinguished visitors including several local dignitaries amongst who were Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater; County and District Councillor Derek Alder and Parish Councillor Peter Evans.

We were also delighted to see Peter Yarker from the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers, (of which Michael Musgrove is the only willow grower to enter), along with representatives from the Basket Makers Association. It was also a pleasure to greet so many local residents supporting us and enjoying the preview along with some delicious refreshments of local Cheddar, apple juice and cider from Burrow Hill.

We were very pleased to see the renowned Sally Goymer who is something of an authority in the world of willow and is Yeoman member of the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers and we were especially flattered by her comment that it was "the best exhibition of baskets I've ever seen in Great Britain". Praise from Sally is praise indeed!

The workshops were kept busy instructing on tension trays; stick baskets, plant climbers and garden structures, animal sculpture and 3d shapes. There were also workshops on hurdle making and basketry. Guest tutors were Tom Hare, Charlie Lupton, Sarah Ayling and Izzy Beasley alongside the regular instructors; Sophie Courtiour, Jo Mills, Fiona Hingston, Rebecca Board and James Roberts.

On top of the special exhibition workshops, there were additional drop-in sessions with Maurice Fawcett, Sophie Courtiour and Stefan Jennings, that ran during the last 2 weekends of the Somerset Art Week event.

So if you were amongst our visitors, thank you for coming and helping make it the success it was and if you were not able to come along, why not visit us anyway because we still have our usual workshops running along with displays and of course our rare breed ducks and friendly goats will always welcome you!

It was a busy time but thoroughly enjoyable and maybe we will do it all again next year!

Here are just a couple of the very complimentary remarks made by our visitors:

Elaine Thorneycroft, Bridgwater said, "a really excellent display of fine work. Such an amazing variety of skill and creativity. I really enjoyed the exhibition and found it inspiring."

Bridgwater College said, "congratulations on such a dynamic exhibition."

So it's back to normal now with our usual courses throughout the year, where you can learn a host of willow crafts and see some unusual creations and works of art. We also welcome school and college visits and of course there are you rare breed ducks and friendly goats who will always be pleased to see you. So if we didn't see you at the exhibition, please come along and see for yourself just how wonderful the world of willow is.

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