Summer Arts Market at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Polly Checkland Harding
The independent makers at the Summer Arts Market in Liverpool include creators of feminist embroidery Stitch Disco, Wonderland Craft, who produce beautifully printed kids and baby clothes, and Raw Hide Custom, a ‘venture in leather’ based ‘somewhere between The Cavern Club and Penny Lane’. From this brief snapshot of the 200 plus contemporary artists, designers and makers who will be on display and for sale at the Summer Arts Market, you can hopefully get a good idea of the event as a whole: it’s edgy, it’s independent, and it’s all about creating and promoting a creative economy in Liverpool.
Organised by local social enterprise Open Culture, the Summer Arts Market has taken place in the city annually since 2013 – but, this year, it’s on the move. It’s new home is Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, a Grade I listed building that will provide a stunning setting for the thousands of items – including photographs, ceramics, jewellery, screen prints, cards, clothing and glassware – that make up the biggest ever Summer Art Market. There will also be a pop-up vintage fair in the cathedral’s downstairs Concert Room, and a food fair of exclusively handmade goods.
A unique shopping experience, and open for one day only, the Summer Arts Market is all about buying direct from the makers, at affordable prices. Go, and you’ll be supporting independent craftsmanship in perhaps the most fun (and hopefully self-indulgent) way possible.
