Family Day: Oyster Shell Art

Family Day: Oyster Shell Art

At the People's Pavilion

Saturday 23 August 2025

Home / What's on/ Family Day: Oyster Shell Art

Join us on the People’s Pavilion for a special Family Day for Morris Mania

This August, join us as we transform oyster shells into works of art using classic Morris designs like Strawberry Thief and Seaweed and shimmering gold paint. Celebrate the natural world as you upcycle your oyster shell with decoupage paper and gilded edges, then take home a one-of-a-kind piece of decorative art.

These free, drop-in sessions are open to all. The activity is suitable for children aged 5+ years. All materials will be provided.

Activities will take place in the Peoples Pavilion in front of William Morris Gallery. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Oyster Shells for this workshop have been kindly donated by The Oyster Shack & Seafood Bar in Epping Forest.

PL84U Al Suffa celebrates Refugee Week 2025

SPECIAL EVENTS

Sunday 22 June 2025

Home / What's on/ PL84U Al Suffa celebrates Refugee Week 2025

Celebrate the identities and achievements of refugees and migrants as they share their powerful personal stories.

This Refugee Week event is a celebration of refugees and migrants, providing a platform for people to share their experiences, challenges and successes. Open to all.

Accompanying the event, children aged 5-12 are invited to take part in art and craft activities.

The theme of this year’s Refugee Week is Community as Superpower. This year’s events invited everyone to spend time with friends and build new connections in and beyond our neighbourhoods.

PL84U AL-SUFFA currently run a food bank that operates 3 days a week in Waltham Forest, providing guests with food, clothes and everything else that they might need. It serves over 300+ people weekly. Read more about PL84U AL-SUFFA here.

Storyteller speaking. Sitting with a group on the floor.

Family Day: Fabric of Freedom

For Waltham Forest Pride 2025

Saturday 19 July 2025

Home / What's on/ Family Day: Fabric of Freedom

In celebration of Waltham Forest Pride 2025, join storyteller Luke Saydon as he takes you on a magical journey to celebrate the unique you.

Flags are symbols that mark our place in the world. Join storyteller Luke Saydon as he shares the inspiring tale of how the Pride flag came to be. An enchanting journey about how the LGBTQI+ community wanted to leave its mark on the world with their flags. Through a blend of music, movement, storytelling and colour, we come together to celebrate what makes each of us unique — our very own superpower: individuality.

These free, drop-in sessions are open to all. The activity is suitable for children aged 5+ years.

Activities will take place in Gallery in the Landing on the 1st floor of the Gallery. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

This event is part of the borough’s Pride celebrations. Waltham Forest Pride, organised by elop take place in Lloyd Park on Saturday 19 July from 2-8pm. Read more about this event and book tickets.

Image: Luke Saydon

Warm Words with Stories & Supper

A community celebration for Refugee Week

SPECIAL EVENTS

Thursday 19 June 2025

Home / What's on/ Warm Words with Stories & Supper

An evening of conversations, poetry and food. For Refugee Week 2025.

Join the Stories & Supper community of refugees, people seeking asylum and local residents for this Refugee Week event – an evening of conversations, poetry and food.

Stories & Supper, community residents at the William Morris Gallery, meet every week to share stories, food and laughter. To mark Refugee Week, they’re inviting you to join them in the Gallery’s beautiful cafe to celebrate the power of community and the value of friendship.

All residents of Waltham Forest are welcome.

This event is supported by the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

Read more about the William Morris Community Residency programme at William Morris Gallery.

Photo by Laura Martinez.

Supporters and partners

Family Day with Stories & Supper

A Dream Home: For Refugee Week 2025

WORKSHOPS

Saturday 21 June 2025

Home / What's on/ Family Day with Stories & Supper

What does ‘home’ mean to you? Join our family-friendly creative workshops celebrating refugee stories and contributions, building empathy and connection in our community for Refugee Week 2025.

A special Family Day to mark Refugee Week 2025, this June we’ll be working in partnership with Stories & Supper to celebrate the contribution of refugees and people seeking asylum in our borough. This year the theme is ‘Community as Superpower’ and Family Day will feature workshops promoting understanding and unity within our community.

Design and decorate a Morris Dream Room – Second Floor Learning Rooms

Join the Learning Team to explore the amazing influence William Morris had on the design of our homes. Be inspired by his designs and patterns and create your very own unique Dream Room to take home. Craft activities suitable for children ages 5+

Building Our Own Utopia – First Floor Landing

Join Stories & Supper at this free drop-in community workshop exploring the theme of utopia. Inspired by Morris’s writing, we’ll play with words and images to build a dream of a better world and think about what home means to us. If you have an object that makes you think of home, please bring it along. Although this workshop is not designed for young children, everyone is invited to participate!

Stories & Supper is one of the William Morris Community Residency groups at William Morris Gallery.

Photo by Laura Martinez.

Muslim History in Walthamstow: A guided tour

With AbdulMaalik Tailor

TOURS

Sunday 9 February 2025

Home / What's on/ Muslim History in Walthamstow: A guided tour

Join AbdulMaalik Tailor, Britain’s first qualified Muslim tour guide, for a walking tour exploring the Muslim History of Walthamstow. Followed by a guided tour of William Morris and Art from the Islamic World.

AbdulMaalik Tailor is an award winning trailblazer in the field of Halal tourism and Muslim Heritage in Britain. As the founder of Halal Tourism Britian, he specialises in providing guided tours that showcase Muslim history and culture. The walking tour of Walthamstow will begin at Queen’s Road Mosque, where participants will be introduced to some significant local landmarks reflecting the area’s rich Islamic heritage.

The tour will then conclude at William Morris Gallery, where AbdulMaalik will lead an exclusive, bespoke tour of the critically acclaimed exhibition, William Morris and Art from the Islamic World the first exhibition to explore the influence of art from the Islamic world on William Morris, one of Britain’s most important nineteenth century designers and thinkers.

Starting location:
(Outside) Masjid e Umer
79 Queens Road
Walthamstow, London E17 8QP

Ending location:
William Morris Gallery
Lloyd Park
Walthamstow, London E17 4PP

Supporters and partners

Our Community Patchwork Memory Blanket

With Creative Community

WORKSHOPS

Sunday 2 February 2025

Home / What's on/ Our Community Patchwork Memory Blanket

Join Creative Community for community patchwork memory blanket making at the Gallery.

A Creative Community event at William Morris Gallery.

Share your favorite memories, stories, and experiences whilst piecing together a special blanket that represents our shared history. This event is a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow Waltham Forest community members and contribute to a beautiful project that celebrates diversity and unity. Don’t miss out on this chance to be a part of something truly special!

This session is for all ages but children must be supervised at all times.

Creative Community brings families and communities together through art, play, and learning for developing new skills, positive mental health and well-being. This project is supported by the London Borough of Waltham Forest Fellowship Fund.

Seppuku Pistols

Performance

Sunday 4 August 2024

Home / What's on/ Seppuku Pistols

See a performance by Seppuku Pistols. Part of the Art Without Heroes events programme.

Seppuku Pistols play traditional Japanese instruments such as the taiko drums, the bell, the shamisen and the bamboo flute, with chaotic fervor. Seeing a performance from Seppuku Pistols, in their folk costume and ‘setta’ footwear, is like travelling back in time to the Japanese Edo era of 150 years ago. At their guerrilla live performances held throughout Japan, they call out to the public, “We are rebelling against the convenience of modern world and rally for a return to a more simple life.”

This performance starts at 12pm. We’d recommend arriving at least 10 minutes before the start time.

A ‘geta’ talk and making workshop (for adults) follows this performance at 2pm. Read more and book for this event HERE.

About the artists

Seppuku Pistols was started by four ex-punks because of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant explosion in 2011. Their very first performance was on the line of the no-entry-zone around the nuclear power plant. Since then, they have been “rebelling against the deceptive modernisation in the indigenous Edo style way” and have about 30 members all over Japan.

Yes! Art Fair

E17 Art Trail

LATE EVENT

Thursday 13 June 2024

Home / What's on/ Yes! Art Fair

Celebrate E17 Art Trail artists at this special event, launching the Yes! Art initiative. An Open Night event at William Morris Gallery.

The Yes! Art Fair is a celebration of local emerging and established artists from this year’s E17 Art Trail. Hosted by William Morris Gallery.

Yes! Art is more than just an art fair. Selected artists are showcasing seminal pieces of work, with some demonstrating the processes behind its making. You’ll be able to connect with artists and their work, enjoy discovering the stories and the processes behind the artworks, and have the opportunity to become direct supporters of each artist’s creative practice.

Read more about the event on the E17 Art Trail programme.

This is a launch event for Yes! Art, a new initiative from the E17 Art Trail team.

Part of the Gallery’s Open Nights programme on selected Thursdays throughout the summer, you can also explore the permanent collection, see the Art Without Heroes: Mingei exhibition, buy from the Gallery shop and enjoy a drink at Deeney’s.

A group of people working on embroidery.

Making Home

A collaborative embroidery for Refugee Week

WORKSHOPS

Saturday 22 June 2024

Home / What's on/ Making Home

Join community residents Stories & Supper to make your mark on a collective home-themed embroidery for Refugee Week.

Celebrate Refugee Week and contribute to a collaborative embroidery on the theme of home. Add a word, an image or just a stitch to help us reimagine what home means. Plus, enjoy pop-up poetry readings while you sew.

This is a chance to get to know the Stories & Supper community of refugees, people seeking asylum and local residents, currently in residence at the William Morris Gallery.

All materials will be provided. Suitable for all ages (children must be supervised). No previous experience of embroidery necessary. All stitches, no matter how simple, are welcome!

Taking place on the Gallery’s first floor Landing.

Read more about our community groups in residency.

Presented as part of Refugee Week: The world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees. www.refugeeweek.org.uk

The theme for Refugee Week 2024 is “Our Home”. From the places we gather to share meals to our collective home, planet earth: everyone is invited to celebrate what our Our Home means to them.

If you’re visiting to participate in this event, you can also drop in to Winn’s Gallery (in Lloyd Park) to see Home: An exhibition. Including new work from the Stories & Supper community of refugees and asylum seekers, photo portraits by Laura Martinez, plus work from students at Leyton Sixth Form College. You can visit from 11am to 5pm from 21 to 23 June.

Event category: All ages