Artist Led Workshops 3-5 July
As part of this year’s Hebden Bridge Open Studios, IOU invites you to the IOU Hostel for a weekend of exhibitions, creative workshops, outdoor experiences and conversation.
Marking 50 years of IOU and featuring activities from the IOU Creation Centre and Active Hub, the programme brings together art, nature and creative exploration with workshops led by artists including our previous Artists in Residence
All events are FREE but booking is required for certain workshops please see below. Donations to support our work are very welcome and can be made at the point of booking.
Friday 3 July 12pm – 2pm
A Shared Garden- A multimedia art workshop led by 2023 Artist in Residence Alicja Mrozowska.
This calm, low-pressure session uses still life and natural forms as a starting point for painting and drawing. Plants and flowers will be available as visual references, creating space for reflection through making, observation and conversation.
The workshop materials will include acrylic paint, soft pastels and crayons. Alicja will guide through the process of painting a base and how to work into it using the pastels and crayons, then there will be time to play and explore using as many or as few of the materials.
Materials provided – but if you are welcome to bring your own pens/crayons.
Free but booking essential
Donations welcome
TICKETS
Alicja Mrozowska is a painter and installation artist whose work explores themes of identity and shared cultural experience.
Through layered, often surreal imagery and immersive multimedia installations, her practice reflects on emotion, relationships, and the spaces we inhabit.
Alicja graduated from the University of Salford with a BA (Hons) in Visual Art in 2018 and has since exhibited across the UK and Europe, taken part in international residencies, and led workshops in the UK, Poland, and Germany.
Her workshops are open, playful, and process-led, encouraging experimentation, curiosity, and confidence with materials while creating a welcoming space to connect and create.
Saturday 4 July, 11am – 3pm
Touch, Thread, and Sound: Nature-Inspired Interactive Crafts, led by IOU current Artist in Residence Nat Whitney
This drop-in workshop will explore bringing craft, nature and technology together through playful interaction, inviting you to create an interactive soft sculpture inspired by the natural world and its sounds.
Using creative technologies, sound recording and conductive materials, Nat will guide you to create a unique touch-responsive hanging artwork inspired by natural forms and textures.
Drop-in session , no booking required
Donations welcome on the day
Nat is an audio-visual participatory artist working with creative technologies and tactile materials to construct interactive, sensory objects and environments inviting curiosity and play.
‘I am are intrigued by social interaction and exploring how physical computing can be harnessed to create accessible spaces for human–technology co-creation.
Driven by a belief in the power of play and collaboration, my work invites embodied interaction and explores connections to ourselves, each other, and our surroundings.
Saturday 4 July, 1pm-2.30pm
Nature Notebooking Walk – exploring place, plants, and the joy of noticing with Mel from Hey Nature.
This relaxed walk invites you to slow down, tune into the surrounding landscape, and notice the small details – moss, textures, patterns and plant life. Through simple drawing prompts, you’ll explore creative ways of responding to nature and capturing what you see along the way.
Mel is an illustrator and naturalist from the Calder Valley. “I love to explore Nature through different lenses – art, ecology, and folklore – but mainly by getting outside and following my curiosity. You’ll find me in the woods or the garden, looking at plants, and painting them in my Nature notebook!’
https://www.heynature-earth.com/
Free but booking essential
TICKETS
Sunday 5 July 11am – 3pm
Nature Willow Sculptures. A drop-in workshop led by 2023 Artist in Residence Stewart Knights (esK).
Create small willow sculptures inspired by plants and wildflowers using traditional weaving and sculptural techniques. Participants are invited to use willow, tissue paper, and found materials to create organic sculptures that can be taken home or hidden in the woodland.
“Over the past 2 years since my residency with IOU, I have been working for a local charity in Little Hulton where I have been exploring the relationship between creative making and community organising, with a focus on using recycled and natural materials.”
Drop-in session , no booking required
Donations welcome on the day
