Madeira’s First Feminist Craft Exhibition — Craftwork4All: Memories

Madeira just got a little bolder — and a lot more creative!

Our new feminist craft exhibition, “Craftwork4All – Memories,” has officially opened its doors at Art Center Caravel & ARThub Madeira in Funchal’s Old Town (Rua D. Carlos I, 9A).

The opening took place on October 24 at 5 PM, and yes — it was packed with color, emotion, and a fair amount of “wow, did they just say that?” moments.

Coordinated by ARTE.M artistic and cultural association under the Creative Europe project CraftWork4All, this show mixes traditional craftsmanship, contemporary art, and a fearless feminist message.

The headline piece?

A T-shirt embroidered with the words:💬 “Dear men, stop killing women. I’m not asking.”Created by fashion designer Diana Quintal, founder of D\Backyard, it set the tone for an exhibition that doesn’t whisper — it speaks out.

Diana Quintal — Founder of D\Backyard

Madeiran fashion and textile artist Diana Quintal is the creative force behind D\Backyard, a brand where craft meets emotion and spontaneity. A graduate of ESART, she began her journey with internships in the Netherlands and with designer Susana Bettencourt in Portugal.

Before launching her solo label, Diana co-founded KDI, debuting at Portugal Fashion and making it all the way to the Bloom platform finals, with her work even featured in Vogue Italy.

With D\Backyard, Diana has carved her own path — bold knits, expressive prints, and playful textures that tell her story. Her collections have appeared at Moda Madeira, Moda Açores, and internationally at Seasons (UK), confirming her as one of Madeira’s brightest emerging voices in fashion.

Her designs have dressed artists like Blaya, Calema, and Sofi Tukker — each look reflecting her signature blend of creativity, authenticity, and fearless experimentation.

Among the highlights:🪡 Márcia Gomes, who merges traditional Madeira embroidery with modern design and strong messages of empowerment.

Márcia Gomes is a Portuguese fashion designer whose work bridges traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design.Holding a Master’s degree in Fashion Design from the University of Lisbon, she developed an early fascination with Bordado Madeira, the island’s emblematic embroidery — a craft she reimagines through modern aesthetics and meaningful messages addressed to women.

Her brand Alma Matiz, founded in 2021, merges embroidery, knitting, crochet, and macramé into expressive garments that celebrate individuality, emotion, and the dialogue between heritage and innovation.

Winner of the Moodboard New Fashion Creators Competition (Moda Madeira 2021) and the Vulcano Illustration Award (Moda Lisboa 2016), Márcia continues to establish herself as one of Madeira’s bold new voices in sustainable and conceptual fashion.

Catarina Rodrigues, whose Raku ceramics (an ancient Japanese firing technique) reveal the raw energy and wild beauty of clay.

Originally from South Africa and now based in Madeira, ceramic artist Catharina Rodrigues merges precision and chaos in her work. With a background in graphic design and over 15 years of experience in visual arts, Catharina traded pixels for clay — searching for something more tactile, imperfect, and alive.

Her creations are born from wood-firing and Raku, two ancient Japanese techniques that reveal the raw energy, texture, and color of clay through fire and chance. Each piece is unique — shaped as much by natural forces as by the artist’s hand.

Her earthy ceramics, full of warmth and texture, now connect the landscapes of Madeira and Cape Town — where fire meets sea, and craft meets emotion.

Lize-Mari de Abreu, who brings abstract forms and ceramic textures together — her pieces feel like emotions you could touch.

Lize-Mari de Abreu is a South African-born artist living in Madeira. Her work explores memory, emotion, and the natural beauty of the island through painting and mixed-media techniques.

Inspired by the landscapes of Madeira, she creates poetic visual narratives where themes of fragility, time, and transformation are reflected through form and color.

The Memories series, presented in this exhibition, combines painting, ceramic elements, and fragments of childhood recollections — turning fleeting impressions into tangible traces of memory.

And then there’s our special guest crew from São Miguel Island — the incredible “A Avó Veio Trabalhar” (Grandma Came to Work). This uplifting collective of senior women proves that creativity doesn’t retire — it reinvents itself.

Their visit marks their first-ever presentation in Madeira, and trust us, they’ve already stolen our hearts.

The exhibition runs until January 2026, so you’ve got time — but don’t wait too long. Come see what happens when craft meets courage, and where threads, clay, and hands tell stories louder than words.

✨ Stop by. Feel inspired. Maybe even start your own manifesto.

📍 Art Center Caravel & ARThub MadeiraRua D. Carlos I, 9A — Old Town, Funchal⏰ Open until January 2026