Coming to Hatherleigh Festival is an unusual exhibition featuring the humble tea towel as artwork and statement of protest. We invite you to consider the tea towel as a democratic canvas for art and design and an everyday way of conveying a statement or message.

The exhibition will include artwork by Grayson Perry, Nick Cave, Man Ray and Louise Bourgeois, religious icons and political statements.

(Please note that a few of the tea towels include swear words)

We really want you to take part – Please bring along your favourite tea towel to include in the show, with an explanation of why you chose to bring it, whether it is because it belonged to your gran, it reminds you of a holiday or it is hilarious, kitsch or naff – we want to see them all!

There will be stacks of tea towel sized paper and materials to design your own protest poster, which we will also hang up, so we can share what your burning issues are. 

We hope that if someone comes up with a great design about Hatherleigh we can have it commercially printed to sell in our local shops, so please get thinking, it could be about an important issue, a beautiful illustration or a great joke but please keep it clean and with a local theme.

Drop in throughout the weekend, to join the ‘Say What You Need To Say’ badge-making sessions too! Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday 11-12am and 2-3pm Only 50p per badge.

Upstairs in Old Schools

Preview evening Friday 7th July, 6 – 8pm

Exhibition open Saturday 8th, 10 – 5 and Sunday 9th, 11 – 4

For more information: