August Craft Month: Objects and Innovations

Objects and Innovations is a contemporary craft exhibition at Down Arts Centre in Downpatrick, curated from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s own collection to mark August Craft Month. It runs from 6 to 28 August 2026, with free entry and various opening times across the run, and brings a selection of contemporary craft pieces to Downpatrick that audiences would not normally see outside Belfast.

What to expect

The show draws on the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s collection to present contemporary craft works chosen specifically to mark August Craft Month, the annual UK-wide celebration of makers and making. Down Arts Centre’s own description frames it as a chance to experience key pieces from a public collection rather than a selling exhibition, so this is about looking rather than buying. It sits inside a venue that runs a busy summer programme of workshops and classes alongside its exhibitions, so visitors dropping in for the craft show are likely to see the centre’s wider creative activity happening around them at the same time, from kids’ craft sessions to animation workshops running through the same August weeks.

Getting there

Down Arts Centre is on Irish Street in Downpatrick town centre, an easy walk from the rest of the town’s museums and heritage sites. Free car parking is available nearby, and Translink bus services connect Downpatrick to Belfast and neighbouring towns.

While you’re in Downpatrick

Down Arts Centre sits within walking distance of Down County Museum and the cathedral quarter, so the exhibition fits naturally alongside a wider look at Downpatrick’s heritage sites on the same visit. There is more to see in Downpatrick and across Co. Down.

Good to know

• Runs 6 to 28 August 2026
• Down Arts Centre, 2-6 Irish Street, Downpatrick
• Free admission, various opening times
• Curated from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland collection
• Marks August Craft Month