Derbyshire Makes | Women Who Make

Women Who Make

What is Women Who Make?

Women Who Make places women’s creativity and stories at the heart of Derbyshire’s cultural programme.

Women Who Make is a bold, welcoming space within Derbyshire Makes that champions women’s creativity, labour and lived experience - past, present and future. Launched on International Women’s Day 2025, the programme brings together artists, makers, designers and activists who identify as women to share skills, stories and solidarity.

Through talks, guided walks, studio visits, workshops and collective making, Women Who Make explores themes of value, care, courage, circular futures, enterprise and belonging. Rooted in Derbyshire’s landscapes, heritage and creative networks, and connected to wider feminist, environmental and cultural movements, the programme creates space for reflection, learning and collective action. Above all, Women Who Make is about visibility, connection and creative agency, supporting women to be seen, heard and celebrated.

The programme is curated by Sophie Gresswell, Samantha Whelan and Stephanie Walsh with Creative Director, Claire Tymon.

Mixed race woman with her hair tied back with a bandana wearing a white shirt with drawings of people's heads standing in front of a large collage portrait of a woman and some shelves full of pots
Sophie Gresswell
White woman with wavy brown bobbed hair, smiling wearing a green necklace over a burgundy top
Samantha Whelan
Black and white headshot of a white woman smiling at the camera, wearing her hair tied back by a patterned headband
Stephanie Walsh
Smiling woman wearing a dark green jumper, sewing at a table
Photo Richard Tymon
Woman with shoulder length brown hair, glasses and wearing a white blouse is printing letters onto a textile strip laid out on a table
Dare to Dream. Photo Richard Tymon
White woman wearing a ring of leaves in her hair and dark clothing, plays the violin in a group of people
Photo Richard Tymon
Photo of a black woman wearing a multi-coloured dress and turban and glasses, smiling and holding a textile square in her left hand. Behind her are bigger squares of painted textiles hanging on a wooden frame. She is standing inside a marquee next to a table with a multi-coloured tablecloth
Community Living Room, Heanor. Photo Richard Tymon
Woman wearing navy blue sat at her desk painting a watercolour in blue and green paint
Photo People Express
Mixed race woman with her hair tied back with a bandana wearing a white shirt with drawings of people's heads standing in front of a large collage portrait of a woman and some shelves full of pots
Sophie Gresswell
White woman with wavy brown bobbed hair, smiling wearing a green necklace over a burgundy top
Samantha Whelan
Black and white headshot of a white woman smiling at the camera, wearing her hair tied back by a patterned headband
Stephanie Walsh
Smiling woman wearing a dark green jumper, sewing at a table
Photo Richard Tymon
Woman with shoulder length brown hair, glasses and wearing a white blouse is printing letters onto a textile strip laid out on a table
Dare to Dream. Photo Richard Tymon
White woman wearing a ring of leaves in her hair and dark clothing, plays the violin in a group of people
Photo Richard Tymon
Photo of a black woman wearing a multi-coloured dress and turban and glasses, smiling and holding a textile square in her left hand. Behind her are bigger squares of painted textiles hanging on a wooden frame. She is standing inside a marquee next to a table with a multi-coloured tablecloth
Community Living Room, Heanor. Photo Richard Tymon
Woman wearing navy blue sat at her desk painting a watercolour in blue and green paint
Photo People Express

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Derbyshire Makes Festival Derbyshire 29 03 25 Richard Tymon 139
Derbyshire Makes Festival Chesterfield. Photo Richard Tymon

A Patchwork of Dreams – A Women-Led Creative Conversation

We kicked off our Women Who Make talks series earlier this year.

The first talk was hosted by Derbyshire Makes Creative Director, Claire Tymon, alongside public art curator Cathy Newbery, lead artist Sue Reddish and Pip Jenkins, Design Director at John Smedley. The discussion explored the vital role of women in shaping this project and the countless women whose craftswomanship has historically been the backbone of the textile industry.

You can watch the discussion below:

Connecting with Nature Through Art and Conversation

Next in our Women Who Make talks series, Claire Tymon, Creative Director of Derbyshire Makes chaired a discussion with Cora Glasser of Glassball Studio (lead artist for MAKE Room), Feimatta Conteh (Sustainability Manager at Arts Council England), and Lucy Bird (dancer, facilitator, healer, and sustainability professional).

They explored our connections to nature, the powerful role art and culture play in deepening these relationships, and the unique contributions women make in the world of art, craft, and sustainability.

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