People taking part in craft workshop

London Craft Week: Stitch and Sip

WORKSHOPS

Thursday 15 May 2025

Stitch and Sip with Mika Sembongi, hosted as part of London Craft Week 2025.

Bring your clothes in need of a little TLC, and let’s mend together. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting, this workshop is a welcoming space to share tools and knowledge. Discover the joy of giving your garments a second chance and leave not just with mended clothes but with new skills and connections. All alongside a gin and tonic or a non-alcoholic substitute.

As a special touch, we’ll have William Morris patterned mending patches available to help you transform your worn pieces into one-of-a-kind creations.

After the workshop, you’re welcome to explore the exhibition until the Gallery closes at 9pm.

About Mika Sembongi

Born in Japan, Mika brings Manga influences to her hand printed designs and is highly skilled in the traditional mending technique, sashiko. Mika co-runs The Monday Mending Club, a monthly social sewing night at Big Penny Social, and holds monthly family sewing mornings at Leyton Green Studios, which aim to encourage families to enjoy mending clothing together as a weekend activity.

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A Paradise Garden for our time

A garden design workshop

WORKSHOPS

Saturday 8 March 2025

This full-day interactive workshop will explore the rich traditions of Islamic Garden design through the lens of William Morris’s ideas on community, socialism, and craftsmanship. Participants will engage in discussions, presentations, and hands-on design activities to reimagine a “Paradise Garden” for contemporary urban spaces.

This workshop is open to all adults with an interest in garden design. No experience necessary. FREE event. Use the booking button to reserve your place.

Part of the William Morris & Art from the Islamic World events and activities programme.

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

Morning session (9.30am to 12.30pm):

  • Welcome, tea & coffee
  • Guided gallery walk and discussion on William Morris’s connection to Islamic gardens
  • Presentation on the principles and significance of Islamic Garden design
  • Design masterclass covering foundational principles and techniques
  • Introduction to the design brief

Lunch break (12.30pm to 1.30pm):

  • Lunch is not provided but you are welcome to bring a packed lunch
  • Deeney’s Cafe at the Gallery will be open

Afternoon session (1.30pm to 4pm):

  • Hands-on garden design workshop using various creative materials
  • Discussion on next steps and potential applications of the designs

An introduction to the workshop and opportunity to sign up to join will also be shared at the Leyton Boundary Garden spring opening on Saturday 1 March from 10am to 2pm: Leyton Boundary Garden, 6B Brewster Road, London E10 6RG.

About the designers:

Miria Harris is an RHS Chelsea Flower Show award-winning landscape designer. Her studio is based in east London where it undertakes a wide range of public and residential projects across the UK and internationally.

Ever conscious of making new things in a world where we produce and consume so much, the studio advocates for organic principles and looks to integrate and implement a circular ethos – often favouring moving and reusing materials and plants with integrity and character. Sensitive low environmental impact choices are always prioritised, ensuring that the hidden infrastructure is sufficiently robust to future-proof new designs.

Projects include contemporary reimagining of historical gardens for listed buildings, family and wildlife-friendly gardens in urban and rural settings and large-scale public planting schemes. Collaboration is at the heart of studio’s creative process. Working closely with architects, artisans, fabricators and suppliers, the ambition is always to seek out new and inventive ways to bring designs to life. Miria Harris’s studio has worked with a number of celebrated architects and interior designers including Ilse Crawford, Julian Harrap, Morrisstudio and Sergison Bates.

In 2024, Miria’s main avenue show garden in support of the Stroke Association was presented at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This garden was redesigned and installed the same year as a permanent garden for the Stroke Unit of Chapel Allerton Hospital. In addition to this her work has been shortlisted for a number of awards over the years including a prestigious Society of Garden Designers 2025 for sustainable design. The studio was also an integral part of the design team for Sergison Bates’ Lavender Hill Courtyard Housing project which in 2023 was awarded a RIBA London Award, National Award and was shortlisted for a Stirling Prize.

Humaira Ikram has been working as a professional Garden Designer at Studio Ikram for over 10 years and specialises in client focused landscapes, which are pollinator friendly and as sustainable as possible.

She runs the Garden Design Diploma at the KLC School of Design and has curated a course that values the importance of creativity, visual representation, technology and the environment as well as design and planting principles and horticultural. Over the last few years she has cultivated a special interest in collaborating on show gardens and other planting projects.

She is currently a regular contributor on BBC Gardeners Question Time on Radio 4, has been a Guest Judge on the Netflix Series The Big Flower Fight, is a Gardens Advisor to RHS Hyde Hall and is on various selection and advisory panels for the RHS.

In her previous life, she read Environmental Science at Kings College, London and worked for Reuters, before retraining as a Garden Designer.

Image: Apple wallpaper, William Morris, designed 1877

William Morris & Art from the Islamic World

LATE

LATE EVENT

Thursday 27 February 2025

Join us for a premiere screening of a short film trilogy by Shahed Saleem and James Wainman: Three Colours Green, a journey into the Muslim imagination of Waltham Forest. The film will be preceded by a conversation with the film makers.

Alongside the screening, the Gallery will come alive with creativity, with live music, art, hands-on arts and crafts workshops and conversations curated by our Young Creatives—a group of emerging artists and cultural producers who helped shape the exhibition. Together, we’ll reflect on the lasting influence of Islamic art and how it continues to inspire new ideas today.

Refreshments will be available and our shop will be staying open for the evening.

Musical performances from:

Ghuraba (الغرباء) are a globally inspired duo, blending a mix of cultural influences. Their music resonates with and brings together people of multiple backgrounds. Consisting of Mohammed Salih on Electric Guitar and Abdullah Mufa on the Daf, Ney, Ocean Drum. Ghuraba’s musical experience will transport you to places you didn’t know existed.

Ozan Baysal, a Turkish baglama player, performer and composer. Ozan specialising in selpe – an Anatolian baglama performance technique that uses fingerpicking instead of a plectrum. Having played the instrument from a very early age, much of his music is a synthesis of traditional baglama selpe performance practices along with harmonic practices in tonal and jazz music.

Shohret Nur is an outstanding young Uyghur musician, based in London. He specialises in playing the Uyghur stringed instruments dutar and rawap. Originally from Kasghar, Xinjiang, Shohret’s great grandfather and grandmother were both dutar players. Continuing this rich musical legacy, Shohret is helping to bring Uyghur music to wider attention around the world.

See art on display by:

Maryam Adam is an interdisciplinary artist, illustrator, and designer with a BA in Graphic Communication Design. Her work explores themes of heritage, introspection, and the connection between the conscious and unconscious. Community engagement is central to her practice, and she values the relationships formed with audiences through her concepts. Often incorporating surrealist imagery, her work addresses social politics, faith, and existence.

Plus henna art from:

Huq That is a South Asian, multifaith and multicultural artist collective devoted to elevating henna as an art form. Their carefully curated all-women team draws inspiration from traditional and modern art forms, with each team member offering their own unique twist on the work. Embracing community and inclusion, the collective is imagining a new world of henna that weaves together history, art and causes that are important to them.

Main image: Still from ‘Three Colours Green’ courtesy Shahed Saleem & James Wainman

Portrait of Sir Frank Brangwyn (1921)

William Morris Birthday Lecture: Wherefore art thou Brangwyn?

Friends of the William Morris Gallery Talk

OFF SITE

Monday 24 March 2025

DUE TO BUILDING WORKS AT THE GALLERY, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RELOCATED TO WALTHAMSTOW TOWN HALL, FOREST ROAD, E17 4JF

Brangwyn was of the first British artists to gain an International reputation, the first British artist to be given a retrospective at the Royal Academy during his lifetime, an artist whose murals can be seen in USA, Canada and the UK. In 1914 he was described as ‘the acknowledged master of modern decoration… both in his own country and abroad’ and is reputed to have produced over 12,000 works of art. But, apart from the huge murals, where can we see these works? Where are they? Are they all hidden away?

The lecture hopefully provides a world-wide whirlwind tour and explanation – not of course forgetting Walthamstow’s very own William Morris Gallery and Brangwyn Gift.

Entry via the main entrance of Walthamstow Town Hall. The event takes place in the main foyer.

Image: Portrait of Sir Frank Brangwyn (1921), Ernest Stephen Lumsden 

Intergenerational Storytelling: Heritage, Memory, and Design

Bridging Histories Workshop

WORKSHOPS

Saturday 8 February 2025

Join the Everyday Muslim Heritage and Archive Initiative for an engaging workshop at William Morris Gallery. Explore how heritage, memory, and design connect across generations. Uncover links to Islamic design, heritage, or craft through your stories or a personal object.

This hands-on session invites you to share narratives, reflect on the influence of William Morris, and design a pattern inspired by your stories or objects. Your creation will form part of an artistic map of Waltham Forest, showcasing Muslim and broader community arts while celebrating the borough’s diversity.

All materials provided— just bring your story or object!

The Bridging Histories Workshops are devised to bring people together to explore and celebrate the connections between William Morris’s designs, Islamic art, and the diverse cultural heritage of Waltham Forest. This is 1 of 3 workshops taking place on the 1st, 6th and 8th February. See the related events link below for more information.

Part of the William Morris & Art from the Islamic World events and activities programme.

Supporters and partners

Conversations Through Art

Bridging Histories Workshop

WORKSHOPS

Thursday 6 February 2025

Join Everyday Muslim at William Morris Gallery for an inspiring event celebrating the intersection of faith, art, and local culture in Walthamstow.

Engage in thought-provoking discussions with artists, scholars, and community members. Hear local Muslim artists and historians share their experiences of living and working in Walthamstow, the influence of William Morris, and how their faith shapes their art.

Take part in reflective conversations and a hands-on, creative activity. Design a pattern inspired by your personal stories or objects and contribute to a collaborative artistic map of Waltham Forest, blending Muslim and community art styles with Morris’s influence.

Celebrate Waltham Forest’s rich heritage through art, with all creations preserved in the Everyday Muslim Archive.

All materials provided—just bring your creativity and story! Don’t miss this unique chance to connect, reflect, and create something meaningful with your community.

The Bridging Histories Workshops are devised to bring people together to explore and celebrate the connections between William Morris’s designs, Islamic art, and the diverse cultural heritage of Waltham Forest. This is 1 of 3 workshops taking place on the 1st, 6th and 8th February. See the related events link below for more information.

Part of the William Morris & Art from the Islamic World events and activities programme.

Supporters and partners

Connecting Morris’s Art with Art from Our Homes

Bridging Histories Workshop

WORKSHOPS

Saturday 1 February 2025

This inspiring event invites you to bring personal items, photographs, or stories connected to your Islamic or local roots. Together, we’ll explore these connections alongside artefacts from the exhibition, create museum labels, and design patterns inspired by your objects. Your contributions will form part of a collaborative artistic map of Waltham Forest, reflecting the diverse styles of Muslim and broader community arts and the timeless influence of Morris’s designs.

Whether you’re an artist or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of storytelling through art, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to connect with others, explore heritage and faith, and contribute to a community art project that will be archived with the Everyday Muslim Archive.

All materials will be provided—bring your creativity and your story! Let’s celebrate the art found in our homes and create something extraordinary together.

The Bridging Histories Workshops are devised to bring people together to explore and celebrate the connections between William Morris’s designs, Islamic art, and the diverse cultural heritage of Waltham Forest. This is 1 of 3 workshops taking place on the 1st, 6th and 8th February. See the related events link below for more information.

Part of the William Morris & Art from the Islamic World events and activities programme.

Supporters and partners

The Thread of Connection

An Arts Canteen event in collaboration with the Mokhmāl Project

WORKSHOPS

Tuesday 28 January 2025

THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT

Part of the William Morris & Art from the Islamic World events programme.

This hands-on workshop with Dana Khoury invites participants to explore the intricate relationship between textiles, patterns, and cultural heritage, drawing inspiration from the William Morris & Art from the Islamic World exhibition. Through the lens of William Morris’s work, known for its rich detail and connection to both Islamic art and design traditions, participants will delve into the beauty and craftsmanship of fabrics and patterns as key storytelling elements.

During the workshop, we will examine some of the materials on display, particularly the fabrics that influenced Morris’s designs, alongside similar textiles and prints from the Islamic world. Dana will share insights into the materials they use in their own practice.

Participants will then create their own mixed-material accessory or fabric collages, combining Morris-inspired patterns with elements of Islamic artistry and fabrics (for example velvet, damask etc..) coins, beads, and other elements, all of which help tell a story of cultural exchange, history, and identity. By blending these influences with collected materials, each participant will infuse their personal style into their creation.

Artist Biography

Dana Khoury, a Palestinian artist and fashion designer from Nazareth, draws inspiration from traditional folk and heritage of the Mediterranean basin. The concept of identity is central to her diverse body of work, particularly as a Palestinian. Her cultural production stems from research into the origins and histories of Arab peoples, as well as the region’s rich cultural and urban heritage.

Through her projects, Khoury highlights the role of fashion in influencing individuals and communities, particularly in challenging systems of societal norms, striving for cultural recovery, and fostering self-expression and collective identity. She is deeply interested in examining the impact of colonialism and globalization on the art forms of indigenous peoples in the Mediterranean region.

Dana is the founder of the Mokhmāl Project, was born and raised in Nazareth and graduated from the Academia Italiana in Florence. Her work celebrates fashion’s transformative power in shaping paths of resistance and challenging inherited concepts of identity. The Mokhmāl Project aims to highlight the original sources of the materials and items used in her designs, emphasizing their cultural significance and history. By incorporating vintage and antique materials she has meticulously collected, Khoury not only extends the lifespan of these pieces but also weaves sustainability and heritage into

Image: Arts Canteen

Supporters and partners

Flowerpot textile design

Miniature Painting Workshop

with Fatima Zahra Hassan

WORKSHOPS

Sunday 26 January 2025

THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT.

Part of the William Morris & Art from the Islamic World events programme.

William Morris Gallery is delighted to announce a special one-day workshop with visual artist Fatima Zahra Hassan of FZH Atelier. Fatima specialises in Asian and Middle Eastern manuscript painting and will lead you in this taster session.

Participants will be given a tour of our latest exhibition, William Morris and Art from the Islamic World by curator Rowan Bain and then guided by Fatima to create their own miniature painting.

There will be a break for lunch. There is a café on site at William Morris Gallery, as well as a choice of local eateries within a short walk.

Suitable for age 16+

Read more about the School of Miniature Painting

Image: Flowerpot printed cotton, designed by William Morris 1883

William Morris & Art from the Islamic World at the V&A

75th Anniversary Talk

OFF SITE

Friday 7 February 2025

William Morris had a profound interest in Islamic art, collecting objects including carpets, textiles, metalwork and ceramics from regions like Iran, Syria and Turkey. He advised the V&A on acquiring Islamic art, including the Ardabil Carpet on display at the museum’s South Kensington site.

To mark the launch of the groundbreaking new exhibition, William Morris and Art from the Islamic World, Max Donnelly (Curator of Furniture, V&A) will chair a discussion with the show’s co-curators Rowan Bain (Principal Curator, William Morris Gallery) and Qaisra M. Khan (Curator of Islamic Art, The Khalili Collections). They will share fresh insights into Morris’s collection and its impact on his designs.

William Morris Gallery celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025. This is the first in a series of anniversary talks being held at institutions across the UK during this landmark year.

Image: Nicola Tree © William Morris Gallery

 

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