Explore our portfolio of current and past projects to see how communities, artists and makers shape our work.

Latest Projects

A black wooden structure with white handwritten text listing phrases like THE SMELL OF RAIN ON HOT TARMAC and 6 PACK OF CUMBERLAND SAUSAGES on its side, displayed indoors against a white wall.

Practise Makes Pigeons

Ben Hall’s garden shed studio is the foundation of a new artwork installation, presented at the National Festival of Making in partnership with Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery.
A person in patterned clothes and red socks performs a dance on a colourful rug while a seated audience watches in an indoor setting.

We Are Alloys

Hetain Patel returned to the National Festival of Making in 2026 with an ambitious new commission exploring British Asian futurism, family, and myth-making.
A person writes on a blue sign with white text using a black marker pen. The sign is taped to a white arrow with a red tip, and crafting tools and cables are nearby on a green surface.

Fred Aldous

Each year, the National Festival of Making commissions a unique artist-led window installation at Manchester arts supply store Fred Aldous.

Featured Projects

Four women sit at a table working on crafts with red paper. Reels of green thread are in the foreground, and the women appear focused and engaged in their activity.

Our Home: Stitch-School

A collaborative project centred around a giant embroidery table, Our Home was developed with Stitch-School and supported by artist Sana Maulvi.

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A person wearing glasses and a brown jacket sits on a stool, operating a large mechanical machine in a dimly lit workshop with tools and equipment in the background.

Rise of the Plastic Artisans: Sodium Films

Sodium Films documented the people and processes behind recycled plastic manufacturing, drawing on the innovation at play at Precious Plastic Lancaster.

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A red iron bridge over a calm canal displays large white letters reading YOU MADE US REFLECT, with the words and autumn trees reflected in the water below.

Of Earth and Sky: Luke Jerram

Artist Luke Jerram, in collaboration with poet Hafsah Aneela Bashir, brought giant-scale poetry to life across Blackburn with Darwen.

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Projects A-Z

A person with painted nails arranges small, rectangular clay pieces with a marbled pattern on a fabric-covered tray. A rolling pin and other clay tools are visible in the background.

Adorning with Clay

A workshop series led by artist Aliyah Hussain encouraged skill development and making for well-being, with each participant creating their own ceramic collection.
People work on artworks paper and clay at a table in a bright studio. A woman in the centre smiles and reaches towards a sculpture, whilst others focus on their own work in the background.

Assembly

Utilising broken furniture parts, pieces and components, artist Maisie Pritchard combined her own sculptural practice with public workshops.
A bearded man in glasses and an orange jacket stands smiling with arms crossed in front of a sign that reads Think It Make It Grow It next to potted plants.

Blackburn Urban Food Futures

A research-based workshop series delivered by experts in urban agriculture supported residents to explore growing food in towns and cities.
A person wearing headphones and sunglasses leans closely towards a laptop screen, focusing intently whilst using the keyboard. The laptop displays audio editing software, and there is studio equipment nearby.

Clocking In

Performance-based installation, Clocking In, worked to combine the sights and sounds of manufacturing and industry with live electronic recording.
A museum exhibition with framed portraits, colourful quilts, display cases featuring miniature dioramas, and a wall with medals and lanyards, all arranged in a brightly lit room with dark blue walls.

Come as You Really Are

A celebration of the nation's hobbies, bringing together a network of arts and culture organisations led by artist Hetain Patel and commissioner Art Angel.
A smartphone on a tripod records two people’s hands playing a colourful board game, with tokens and pieces spread on a brown surface.

Digital Stories

A creative project led in collaboration by theatre company imitating the dog and the National Festival of Making.
Three people sit on stage having a discussion in front of an audience in a dimly lit room. One person speaks into a microphone whilst the others listen. The audience is seated on benches, and a large screen is behind the speakers.

Dirty Faces Cinema

Emerged from the mill towns, youth culture creative studio Dirty Faces transformed Tony’s Empress Ballroom into a cinema.
A person and a child walk through a glowing tunnel with blue and pink neon lights and curved, radiating lines on the ceiling, creating a futuristic atmosphere.

Dodecalis Luminarium

A monumental inflatable sculpture handcrafted by Architects of Air welcomed thousands of visitors into its winding paths and vast domes.
A woman in glasses and a yellow shirt pins paper cut-outs onto a blue display board, looking at the camera. Bright artwork and decorations are visible in the background.

Festival Commissions: 2023

Opportunities for artists and makers to create brand new projects or develop existing work resulted in interactive, living, and ever-growing installations.
A person arranges items in large open cardboard boxes on a wooden floor; the boxes contain various art supplies.

Festival in a Box

600 making kits with activity instructions which were distributed to schools and young people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Four children wear bright, colourful animal and fantasy-themed masks and costumes, with one child standing on a chair at the back. The background is solid black, highlighting the festive outfits.

Festival on Tour

In collaboration with Blackburn Central Library, the National Festival of Making and Let’s Make Art have developed a collection of making activities.
A person writes on a blue sign with white text using a black marker pen. The sign is taped to a white arrow with a red tip, and crafting tools and cables are nearby on a green surface.

Fred Aldous

Each year, the National Festival of Making commissions a unique artist-led window installation at Manchester arts supply store Fred Aldous.
A person kneels on a carpeted floor in a cosy living room while sanding a round wooden stool. The room has a TV, posters, a guitar on the wall, a sofa, and various pieces of furniture.

Front Room Factories

Co-commissioned with The Super Slow Way, Lancashire’s domestic creators invited video producers O Production into their homes, revealing an industry manufacturing at home.
A person’s hands work on a small papermaking frame filled with wet pulp, red and black pigments, over a plastic bin. Another person observes closely in the foreground.

Future Makers Challenge

Industry-led briefs have asked students to consider exciting new work for the festival programme, resulting in mentoring to bring the winning ideas to life.
A group of people stand in front of a large building, looking at a hoarding that reads, QUESTION YOUR SEARCH FOR VALIDATION. The weather is clear and the setting is an urban square.

Graduate Micro Commissions

In response to the pandemic, the National Festival of Making launched an open call to commission three recent creative degree graduates from any Lancashire-based university.
A smiling man prints artwork on paper whilst others, including adults and children, participate in an art workshop. Colourful posters decorate the background.

Hot Bed Press

Printmaker studio Hot Bed Press visited two local primary schools to create joyful screen printed poster designs.
A red iron bridge over a calm canal displays large white letters reading YOU MADE US REFLECT, with the words and autumn trees reflected in the water below.

Of Earth & Sky

Artist Luke Jerram, in collaboration with poet Hafsah Aneela Bashir, brought giant-scale poetry to life across Blackburn with Darwen.
A young girl with a red bow in her hair sits at a table, creating art with colourful materials, while a smiling woman leans over to guide her. Other people are gathered round the table, participating in the activity.

Our Home

A collaborative project centred around a giant embroidery table, Our Home was developed with Stitch-School and supported by artist Sana Maulvi.
A small radio labelled RADIO WILSON sits on a wooden box in a dark room. Black walls on either side are covered with white chalk words like BIRD, JACK, BEANS, and BLUE.

Practise Makes Pigeons

Ben Hall’s garden shed studio is the foundation of a new artwork installation, presented at the National Festival of Making in partnership with Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery.
Two people sit on a bench in front of a row of large screens displaying images in a modern, bright room with wooden floors and large windows.

Radical Pairings

An Art in Manufacturing publication, Radical Pairings documents five women artists who exhibited new work in 2022.
A person wearing glasses and a brown jacket works intently with a small red container at a cluttered wooden workbench, surrounded by various tools and supplies in a workshop setting.

Rise of the Plastic Artisans

Sodium Films documented the people and processes behind recycled plastic manufacturing, drawing on the innovation at play at Precious Plastic Lancaster.
A young girl with dark hair in a ponytail smiles whilst pointing at framed pictures on a white gallery wall. She wears a grey dress and a blue jacket with pink lining.

The Big Reinvention Challenge

A collaboration with Little Inventors saw the launch of a nationwide creative design challenge rooted in sustainability.
A round wooden sign with the words FANTASTICAL THOUGHTS and What does a COLLECTIVE CANAL look like? is displayed outdoors near trees and buildings.

The Collective Canal

Architecture and design studio Playground investigated what a more fantastical collective canal, used by everybody, could look like.
A man sings into a microphone on stage whilst a group of children in matching green shirts sing behind him.

The Nasheed Choir

Internationally recognised Nasheed artist Hussnain Hanif formed a new Nasheed choir with 60 students from two Blackburn-based schools.
A vintage camera on a tripod is in sharp focus in the foreground, whilst a smiling couple stands blurred in the background against a plain backdrop under studio lights.

The Obscura Photowall

A self-documented portrait gallery was created by the Obscura Collective and festival visitors using an analogue plate camera.
Sculptural shelves on a white stone wall cast shadows that read: “THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON OUR ACTIONS TODAY.” The phrase forms only when sunlight passes through cut-out letters on the recycled plastic shelves.

The People's Jury

Rooted in principles of co-design, the National Festival of Making worked with Blackburn with Darwen’s People’s Jury on the Climate Crisis over 12 months.
A group of people, some using wheelchairs, dance and interact with support staff in a brightly lit room with colourful ceiling decorations. Two people high-five in the centre, smiling and enjoying the activity.

Waterworld

Workshops led by LPM Dance took place in Newfield School, exploring a magical and sensory world through movement, music and play.
People view an illuminated digital artwork of a robed figure in a large historic hall with stone walls, arched windows, and other art pieces displayed throughout the space.

We Are Alloys

Hetain Patel returned to the National Festival of Making with an ambitious new commission exploring British Asian futurism, family, and myth-making.
Two children play and smile among colourful wooden structures in an outdoor public space, whilst adults sit at tables and others enjoy the lively atmosphere in the background.

Welcome Arch

Co-commissioned by Pendle Festival of Culture and the National Festival of Making, Dual Works created a place to gather, reflect and welcome.
Two people view a wall display of blue circular plaques with white writing, each commemorating different individuals with their names, dates, and brief descriptions.

YESS Lad

A group exhibition in collaboration with award-winning charity Venture Arts toured to the National Festival of Making after its debut at TJ Boulting during Frieze London.