T he first Art in Action event took place in 1977 with around 50 artists taking part. This year the event will feature 150 artists and craftsmen who will demonstrate their expertise in various disciplines, including painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking, ceramics, calligraphy and illustration, glass, metalwork and jewellery, textiles and woodwork.

Art in Action is a hands-on event, which means visitors can learn new creative skills at practical classes for both children and adults. There is also a craft market, where you can purchase art materials and publications to take home and practice what you have learned!

And that’s not all. Art in Action offers fine music, performing artists and storytelling for children. There are also guided tours of the beautiful Waterperry gardens.

This year Art in Action welcomes artists from Oaxaca in Southern Mexico, a region that has a long and rich tradition of art and craft.

In this ancient state, some of the most important cultural elements of the ancient indigenous civilisation have been preserved. Oaxacan art flows directly from the spirit of its creators, from well-known artists to simple indigenous artist families.

It is an ancestral way of expressing the most profound emotions that exalt human consciousness, the harmonious union between the spirit and the mundane, between creativity and sensibility, between the divine and the sacred.

One of these artists is Juan Alcazar, the director of the Museo de los Pintores Oaxaquenas, the main art gallery in Oaxaca.

Juan paints using watercolours (pictured above) and oils, as well as producing etchings. His work reflects the mythology of the area and he is well known for his design with ‘sand carpets’ that he will be demonstrating at Art in Action. Juan is also bringing work from other artists at his gallery.

Boris Spider works with papier mâché creating installations for the many festivals in Oaxaca. Boris will demonstrate his installations often used in Day of the Dead celebrations, as well as boxes, papier mâché and alebrijes (brightly-coloured Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical animal-like creatures) The Day of the Dead, held annually on November 2, focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

Traditions include building private altars honouring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

The origins of the modern holiday have been traced back back thousands of years, and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl.

Miriam Ladron de Guevara is a sculptor. She makes detailed and beautiful boxes using gold leaf, with subjects such as the Virgin of Guadeloupe. She also makes bags from plastic tablecloths and has mixed them with lace and other materials. They are colourful and functional with a unique Mexican flavour and come in sizes ranging from make up bags to backpacks.

Francisco Jesus Hernandez Perez is a jeweller whose work has a particular focus on Milagros (miracle charms) fashioned in silver. These charms have a special history in Mexico and are traditionally used for healing purposes and as votive offerings.

Moises Martinez Velasco is a young craftsman whose family have a long tradition of weaving silk Rebozos (shawls). Their village, San Pedro Cajones, and this family are famous for weaving and the textile museum in Oaxaca has often exhibited the work of Moises and his family. Additionally the silk differs in weight, the colours are all natural dyes and every part of the process is handmade.

Adriana Amayo brings simple tissue paper to life, effortlessly creating anything — from a string of skeletons to a detailed picture. She also makes costumes from tissue, cutting it out to make it look like lace. Adriana has been a great success at the Edinburgh Festival and she also runs very popular workshops for children.

Arturo Sosa Perez is a tin designer and runs a family business in Oaxaca. He makes beautifully detailed pieces ranging from small to very large and exhibits at the Folk Art Fair in Sante Fe each summer.

Visitors will also be able to sample popular snacks from the region such as tacos and enjoy music from a Mariachi band. It all adds up to a very authentic Mexican experience in the Oxfordshire countryside.

One of over 150 artists showing, selling and demonstrating their skills at Art in Action from 16th to 19th July, Rosalind Wyatt works in textile, collage and calligraphy.

Elsewhere at Art in Action, Tony and Catherine Maggs will be presenting Bees in Action, which will include an observation hive, a display about beekeeping with a cut away hive and equipment, information about the problems with bees, classes for making beeswax candles and their local hive products for sale Charlie Whinney will be steam bending solid locally sourced wood in new and exciting ways to create his large and eclectic wooden structures. Charlie was the recipient of a Gold Medal at Chelsea Flower Show in 2007 for his Together sculpture in Andy Sturgeon’s Cancer Research Garden And Simon Allison will be setting up his sculpture foundry and demonstrating the process of bronze casting, including pouring molten bronze which is heated to a temperature of around 1300°C You can watch a short film about Art in Action on the website: www.artinaction.org.uk

Art in Action runs from 16-19 July at Waterperry House, near Wheatley, Oxford OX33 1JZ. The event is open from 10am-5.30pm daily. Car parking is free. Tickets: Adults £15; Senior citizens £12; Concessions £7; Children (9-17 years) £5. Under nines free. Family and season tickets are available. There is a £1 discount on all tickets booked online at www.artinaction.org.uk