The Hepworth Wakefield Harvest Festival
Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor
As every good calendar keeper or tarot card-carrying pagan is aware, the Autumn Equinox takes place on the 22 September and marks the shift in seasons. To welcome the transition of daylight hours into darker, cosier times, The Hepworth Wakefield are hosting their first Harvest Festival. Expect a weekend-long series of markets, workshops and entertainment where you can meet some of the most exciting independent producers in Yorkshire.
Amongst the stall holders are the familiar faces of Jumbo Records, Leeds’ oldest (and possibly best-loved) record store, and the vintage heavyweights of Yorkshire, Wax & Wain Co. who curate sustainable and beautiful handcrafted goods. You’ll also find traditionally-made modern furniture from East Yorkshire-based Slo Workshop; contemporary woven textiles by Marsden-based Anna-Lisa Smith; luxury candles from Ash + Ember; and Wakefield’s very own Alchemilla Floral Design, who specialise in bespoke British flowers and seasonal blooms. With over 60 stall holders you can find food, books, blankets, candles, ceramics, fabrics, homeware, plants, prints and seasonal produce on sale. We love that the festival is a real showcase for local and independent sellers – so you can feel good about investing in a sustainable local economy.
The market is being held in the Tileyard North, a refurbished mill opposite the gallery. Throughout the weekend there are also craft activities for all ages, plenty of inventive street food vendors and live music to soundtrack your perusing.
In parallel with the Harvest Festival, The Hepworth Wakefield has an exhibition of screen-printed posters by Saltaire-based artist Tall Paul Kelly. Earlier this year, Kelly was the winner of the gallery’s annual Print Fair Prize. The works will be on display in the gallery’s cafe as a free exhibition open to all. Throughout the festival entries to the other galleries will also be half price so it’s a great opportunity to see some of Barbara Hepworth’s seminal works while keeping some spare change for the stalls.
Hepworth herself was often inspired by the seasonal changes and these uncertain transition periods in our world. What better way to sink into the autumn than by surrounding yourself in her legacy and celebrating the excitement of a new season.
