New exhibition makes it a wooly Spring at Rheged

A new exhibition of Felt Art by Eden Valley resident Debra Esterhuizen has opened this week at the Rheged Centre, which is the latest addition to the range of woolly attractions springing up around Rheged. The exhibition opened on Rheged’s Retail Street and features what Debra refers to as her ‘Felt Paintings’, covering classical themes of Lake District landscapes, studies of hares, still lifes and even a landscape in homage to Sheila Fell.

Debra’s exhibition is joined by several other exhibits in and around Rheged to do with wool, including a massive installation of the words ‘Choose Wool’ which at over ten metres long and three meters tall has been supplied by the British Wool Marketing Board.  Visitors will also have the opportunity to spot the results of Rheged’s Guerrilla Knit-In which took place on 14 January and resulted in many wonderful woolly ‘interventions’ around the centre.

WOW: wonder of wool and the art of knit and stitch, an exhibition which will be at Rheged until Sunday April 15 has already attracted visitors from as far away as Cornwall and Edinburgh.  The exhibition brings together more than 20 contemporary artists who are all working in imaginative and inspirational ways with wool.

There is also a full and varied workshop programme every Saturday featuring felt making, spinning and lessons in knitting and crocheting. All the workshops are listed on rheged.com.  Most workshops are informal drop in events with no booking required.

Debra Esterhuizen’s Felt Art exhibition and the Guerrilla Knitting will all be on display until Sunday April 15 from 10am to 5.30pm daily, admission is free.  The giant ‘Choose Wool’ will be on display until mid March and can be seen for free also.  WOW: wonder of wool and the art of knit and stitch will be open until Sunday 15 April from 10.30am-4.30pm daily, admission is £2.50 (£1.75 for concessions, children under 16 are free).