The New Brewery Arts is an extensive, contemporary craft centre in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. It contains twelve world-class craft studios, displaying a wide range of artists at work, from weavers to china restorers. The centre also houses a splendid craft shop, an impressive craft gallery and a welcoming café that serves tasty, home made food.
The craft shop displays a comprehensive range of arts and crafts, including handmade cards, jewellery, ceramics, mirrors and clocks, as well as glass, wood, wire and metal work. The shop is situated on the ground floor of New Brewery Arts and is reputed to be a centre of excellence. It has recently been refitted to provide customers with an airy, open space in which to shop.
The work in the shop is regularly updated which ensures that the customer should find something new and unusual to purchase. All the goods supplied to the shop are British.
The New Brewery Arts café places an emphasis on sourcing its produce locally, with much of the food being seasonal. All dishes and cakes are home-made on the premises and the coffee is fair-trade. The café is open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea and offers vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. There are knitted vegetables on display that will entertain the kids and provide an unusual talking point!
The New Brewery Arts studios accommodate artists offering a wide range of work in contemporary craft. It is possible to purchase products directly from their source in the centre or to order a bespoke commission. Visitors can wander around the workshops to watch the artists at work on their crafts. All the work that can be viewed is for sale and the makers are available to discuss any individual piece of work. There are various artists at work including weavers, stained glass workers, felt-makers, garment-makers, jewellers and ceramicists.
The centre also hosts events, workshops and exhibitions frequently. These range from workshops showing how to use recycled household items creatively, to those allowing visitors to try their hand at the potter’s wheel. There are several other workshops available in a variety of creative crafts that are demonstrated at the centre. Artists also exhibit regularly in the centre galleries.