Local community invited to Cardiff Met’s annual Art and Design Community Day
Cardiff Metropolitan University’s School of Art and Design will open its doors to the public for its popular annual Community Day on Sunday, 14 June 2026.
There will be a range of activities available, giving the public a chance to have a go at some of the skills taught within Cardiff Met’s School of Art and Design. Highlights include a chance to get messy in the painting studio, design and laser cutting in the soft modelling workshop, and the opportunity to learn new screen-printing techniques with the School’s print experts.
The Community Day is open from 12pm to 4pm at Cardiff Met’s Llandaff campus, with free workshops running until 3.30pm. There is no requirement to book in advance.
Activities are suitable for adults and children over the age of eight and all children must be accompanied by an adult. The free workshops available include:
- Design and laser-cut a badge: Create your own custom badge while learning how a laser cutter works.
- Stop-motion animation workshop: Discover the basics of stop-motion animation using Dragonframe software. Experiment with timing and movement using materials such as Lego, plasticine and found objects to create your own short animation.
- Creative wire wrist cuff: Explore the art of wire working in this relaxed hands-on session. Shape and manipulate metal wire to design a unique wrist cuff while discovering the creative potential of this versatile material.
- Screen printing postcards: Step into the print studio and try your hand at screen printing by creating a postcard-sized print to take home as a keepsake.
- Watercolour abstract portraits: Create bold and expressive portraits or abstract figures using simplified forms and vibrant watercolour washes.
- Explore facial expressions in the Perceptual Experience Lab: Discover how eye movements can reveal decision-making processes by trying on eye-tracking glasses and exploring how we process visual information.
- Creative body flow: Take part in a movement based activity inspired by experiences within the School of Art and Design building, choosing between two-handed imagery or an embodied approach.
- Mindful drawing and sculpting: Express thoughts and feelings through experimental mark making with inks or by creating tactile 3D forms using everyday sculpting materials.
- Animation without a camera: Produce abstract animations by drawing, painting, stamping and scratching directly onto film, exploring animation through hands-on techniques.
- Throw a pot on the potter’s wheel: Learn the fundamentals of wheel throwing, from preparing clay and controlling wheel speed to centring the clay and shaping your own ceramic form.
Screenings will run throughout the day in the photography studio, showcasing original animations, videos and multimedia artworks by graduating art and design students.
Visitors can also join tours of the School’s facilities for a behind the scenes insight into student practice, followed by a walkthrough of the Summer Show exhibition to view completed work. Some graduating artists will also have work available for sale.
Dr Bethan Gordon, Dean of Cardiff Met’s School of Art and Design, said: “Our Community Day is part of the Cardiff School of Art and Design Summer Show, which showcases and celebrates the exceptional work produced by our students as they prepare to embark on the next stage of their careers.
“The Summer Show is an annual highlight for the school and our students, but also a great opportunity to introduce and welcome the local community onto campus to celebrate with us through the wide range of activities available during the Community Day. Those attending do not need to have a creative background; this is a chance to try something new and use some of the excellent facilities available.”
Students will also be showcasing their work within the Cardiff School of Art and Design Degree Show between Friday, 12 June to Friday, 19 June 2026. It is free to visit and the public are welcome to attend during its opening hours:
- Weekdays: 10am to 6pm
- Weekends: 12pm to 4pm