One of the most exciting new features coming to this year’s Ginger & Spice Festival is our larger-than-life lanterns and puppets – and the creative journey has already begun!
Back in March, two members of Creative Drayton took part in an intensive three-day large-scale lantern-making masterclass, thanks to a bursary from B.Arts, with additional support from the Ginger & Spice Festival.
The specialist course taught every stage of creating spectacular willow puppet lanterns, from the initial design and sculpting through to covering, decorating, lighting and adding moving parts. Working alongside other artists and makers, they helped create a stunning large-scale animal lantern while learning skills they’ll now bring back to Market Drayton.
Creative Drayton is a collective of local artists passionate about growing creativity in the town, and we’re delighted to be working in partnership with them once again.
But this isn’t just about creating something amazing for this year’s parade. The real excitement is what comes next.
The skills learnt during the masterclass will now be shared through workshops with Creative Drayton team and with local schools, giving more people the chance to get involved in making lanterns and puppets for the Ginger & Spice Festival and future community events.
Denise McGowan of Creative Drayton said: “What a fabulous workshop! A wonderful opportunity to connect with like minded creative individuals and learn how to construct large scale lanterns combined with puppetry. Looking forward to putting these skills into practice and the creative ideas are already forming!”
