Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The British Tapestry Group


Margaret F. Crowther - Workshop on 3-D Forms


As you may know BTG has widened its membership to include international weavers. We are endeavouring to attract members from around the world to share BTG's vision:
'The British Tapestry Group exists to promote woven tapestry as a
contemporary art form in the UK and internationally, by raising public
awareness through professional exhibitions, networking, regional
initiatives, training and development.'

To this end BTG is holding its first small format tapestry exhibition - Weaving Within - for members only, to be held in 2 venues in Stirling, Scotland, from September 12th to November 8th. The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, and Historic Scotland's Stirling Castle are the two venues.
Please visit www.thebritishtapestrygroup.co.uk for more information.

BTG is staging an exciting weekend event on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September, with a Conference, Private View and dinner on the Saturday at the Stirling Smith Gallery, and a day of workshops on the Sunday at Stirling Castle. This will give participants a chance to see both exhibitions as well as the exciting studio at Stirling Castle where The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries are being woven.
Please visit www.thebritishtapestrygroup.co.uk for more information, non-BTG members welcome.

Conference Programme - Saturday 12th September:
JOAN BAXTER
"Tapestry…where do we go from here?"
Joan will give an illustrated talk on her personal view of where tapestry is at the present time, and ways forward in developing the media.

SARA BRENNAN
"My work, its process and inspiration"
Sara's tapestries are an unspoken response to landscape in a reduced and simplified form. She will reflect on past and present work, explaining her ideas, design sources and processes.

RUDI RICHARDSON
"Artists and Weavers - My time with Mark Adams"
Mark Adams was an American artist who utilised painting, stained glass and tapestry in his artistic expression. He started producing tapestries in 1955 after studying with Jean Lurcat.
Rudi wove his designs from 1978 - 1998.

DINA WARD
"Fabulous Tapestries"
Dina's talk illustrates the history of tapestry from its early beginnings to its heyday and beyond with examples from around the world.
Workshop Programme - Sunday 13th September

JOAN BAXTER
Colour
A workshop exploring how the use of multiple threads can create not only vibrant colour, but also texture, mood and atmosphere. Students will work from imagination, real objects and photographic sources. This class is for those who have already done some tapestry. This is a superb opportunity to work with Joan; she is a fabulous colourist and truly knows how to mix colour in subtle and exciting ways. Her experience as a weaver, and her commission work, are testament to this.

MARGARET F. CROWTHER
3-D Forms
Since the 70s Margaret has been interested in using yarns as a sculptural material. The workshop will be suitable for anyone with some experience in basic weaving who would like to be free of the traditional tapestry loom for a day, and explore some ways of creating three-dimensional forms. Margaret has a unique style to her work and this will be a great opportunity to learn new techniques and explore three dimensional works in a friendly and supportive group setting.

ANNE JACKSON
Thinking Through Tapestry
This will take the form of a forum for considering the creative process in woven tapestry, involving a presentation, discussion and some practical input, looking at widening horizons to new sources of inspiration and creativity, including the internet and critical theory. Participants will be encouraged to bring along sketchbook work and spend some time discussing and developing ideas with the workshop leader and other participants. This is perhaps an opportunity to explore new ideas or take other ones forward in a tutorial type of setting.

JO McDONALD
Weaving With Paper
Cutting, tearing, and slicing paper will enable the participant to construct with texture and manipulate a structure into more sculptural shapes. This class is suitable for those with limited experience. Jo will share with the group a variety of uses with paper and how she creates her own unique pieces of work, allowing participants to explore both weaving and paper in a fun and challenging way.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Chicks on speed and the Victorian Tapestry Workshop.



Weaver Milly Formby
Image copyright Victorian Tapestry Workshop

Anna Clabburn has written an article Chicks on speed for the latest issue of Craft Australia's newsletter 716 craft.design.
Big sister, little sister
The Victorian Tapestry Workshop collaborates with the dynamic Chicks on Speed
Event Viva La Craft
Anna Clabburn 5 May 2009

The tapestry project was initiated by the Chicks who have already worked with Craft Victoria. Suitably, collaboration is also a mainstay of the VTW's mandate and is inherent in the nature of the tapestry medium itself.
716 craft.design
Chicks on Speed article by Anna Clabburn
Victorian Tapestry Workshop
Craft Victoria

Monday, May 4, 2009

Land exhibition



ATA Web Gallery Exhibition - LAND

If you haven't viewed this exhibition yet, you should check it now! Six gallery pages of images from the LAND exhibition held last year in conjunction with the Tapestry 2008 conference event. If you didn't have the good fortune of traveling to Australia at that time then your luck improves because here is the exhibition you otherwise might have missed!


Land exhibition

Connections: Small Tapestry International

Bottle of Red by Sarah Swett

Connections: Small Tapestry International was juried by Jane Sauer of Jane Sauer Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. The intimate scale – 100 square inches – creates a provocative challenge for the artist weavers. All the elements of design, material choice, color, sett (the number of warp ends per inch) and concept become sharply honed and finely tuned in this format. According to Corsini, tapestry weaving (defined as a hand-woven, weft-faced fabric with discontinuous wefts) with its long history is well represented here in all of in its rich diversity, its meticulous craftsmanship and its inspired vocabulary of idea. "A wide range of ideas and styles – from the traditional to experimental, from the realistic to abstract – are showcased and the technique is thriving in the talented hands of these artists. Although small in scale the exhibited works express a powerful and imaginative creative voice," said Corsini.

Order the catalouge

Exhibition 5th May 2009- 26th July 2009
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
American Tapestry Alliance