Common Threads - Linen Biennale Exhibition at Island Arts Centre Lisburn

The whole of August at Island Arts Centre in Lisburn belongs to linen - the fibre that shaped this town more than almost any other in Ireland. Common Threads is the headline exhibition of the Northern Ireland Linen Biennale, now in its second edition, and it brings together fourteen artists whose work uses flax and linen as material, medium, or memory. It runs for the duration of August Craft Month 2026, and admission is free. This is one for anyone who appreciates considered craft, textile art, and the kind of slow, skilled making that has a genuine story behind it.

What to expect

The exhibition is curated by artist and creative producer Meadhbh McIlgorm, and its central idea is that weaving is a metaphor as much as a technique - no thread stands alone, and the works here explore interdependence, shared heritage, and the politics of fibre and fabric. Participating artists include Helen O’Hare and Wilma Kirkpatrick, Zoe Gibson, Maya Todd, Emily McIlwaine, and international contributors from Canada and the USA, among others. Expect work that ranges across fine art and applied practice: natural dyes drawn from the local landscape, textiles as vessels of personal and collective memory, and pieces that connect the historical linen industry of Lisburn directly to contemporary ecological and craft concerns.

Alongside the main exhibition, the Island Arts Centre is running hands-on workshops throughout the month in pottery, glass, calligraphy, and textile dyeing. These are open to visitors who want to move beyond looking and try something themselves. Workshop places may need to be booked in advance - check directly with the centre before travelling if that is what draws you.

Getting there

Lisburn sits about 12 km south-west of Belfast, and the rail connection is one of the most frequent on the Translink network - trains run from Great Victoria Street and Belfast Lanyon Place regularly throughout the day, and the journey takes around 15 minutes. The Island Arts Centre is part of the Lagan Valley Island civic complex in the town centre, a short walk from Lisburn train station. If you are driving from Dublin, the M1 brings you into Belfast and the A1 continues south-west into Lisburn. There is car parking available at the Lagan Valley Island site.

While you’re in Antrim

Lisburn itself has the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum on the same civic island, which gives useful context to what you will see in the Common Threads exhibition. The town is also a good base for the Lagan towpath, which runs all the way to Belfast along the old navigation canal. There is more to see in Antrim and across Co. Antrim.

Good to know

• Runs throughout August 2026 (exhibition dates approximately 21 August - 13 September; check islandartscentre.com for confirmed opening)
• Free admission to the exhibition
• Workshops in pottery, glass, calligraphy, and textile dyeing run alongside - booking may be required
• Venue: Island Arts Centre, The Island, Lisburn, BT27 4RL
• Contact: 028 9244 7452 or visit islandartscentre.com
• Part of August Craft Month, a Northern Ireland-wide celebration of craft