In August I travelled to Dumfries for a full weekend immersed in tapestry. I felt a mixture of nerves, excitement, and anticipation and was looking forward not only to the British Tapestry Group’s 20th anniversary exhibition, Picking Up the Thread, which included one of my tapestries, but also to exploring the Interconnections exhibition and attending the BTG symposium.
Interconnections 5 – the thread continues
After a morning exploring Dumfries, I made my way to Gracefield Arts Centre headed straight to the Interconnections exhibition. The gallery space was a converted house where you could wander room by room filled with the most wonderful tapestries.
The first room I entered was full of Alistair Duncan’s work. His barbed wire pieces which are striking in photos, were even more impressive in person. A second room and I found myself face to face with a Joan Baxter tapestry for the first time as ‘Blind Giant’ towered above me, absolutely stunning in both scale and skill.
In the next room I found the most magical collection of small tapestries by Lorna Donlon. I hadn’t seen her work before and was instantly captivated by the detail and movement she achieves. Turning to leave and Elizabeth Radcliffes ‘Caron in Herringbone’ watched me as I left the room and headed to the staircase which was lined with John Brennans colourful and flamboyant work. At the top of the stairs on the landing I was met by Angela Forde’s wonderful geometric designs. Peeping into another room, I found tapestries by Terry Wexford, Frances Crowe and Joan Baxter. All artists whose work I knew well from images, yet standing in front of their tapestries, the scale and detail was something quite special.
One last room included Claire Coyle’s exquisite small scale tapestries, meticulously woven and beautifully presented. It was the most wonderful exhibition of tapestries and beautifully timed to take place on the same dates as the British Tapestry Exhibition.
The opening of Picking up the Thread the Past Present and Future of Tapestry
With a fluttering of nerves, I headed up to the second gallery for the BTG’s 20th anniversary celebrations of the opening of Picking up the Thread the Past, Present and Future of tapestry. The gallery was full of people and for a while I felt completely overwhelmed. I was happy to blend into the crowd listening to other artists speak about their work, I was in ore of the stunning tapestries that filled the room and was beginning to spot established and accomplished weavers. Joan Baxter, Frances Crowe, Terry Wexford, Emma Jo Webster, Elizabeth Buckley, the room was full of tapestry artists whose work I had admired for years. I hadn’t yet spotted my own tapestry, Hunting Tigers and woolly Bears, but I wasn’t sure I was ready too yet, I wasn’t convinced my work belonged.
However, after a while I began to relax as I received compliments on my tapestry from several people and I decided it didn’t look out of place in exhibition. As I introduced myself to people and engaged in conversation I discovered a gentle, unassuming community of artists.
Sitting outside in the warm sun, sipping prosecco and discussing tapestry, Gaelic language and everything in between, I found myself very relaxed and feeling like I belonged.
BTG Symposium
The following day was just as inspiring. Nerves from the previous day had more or less gone and I was looking forward to a day of talks and insight to the tapestry worlds of others. Each presentation was engaging and educational, but a highlight was Frances Crowe and Terry Wexford’s talk about the Timeline Tapestries and their collaborative process. Before the end of the day I also found the courage to speak to Lorna Donlon and tell her how much I loved discovering her tapestries, and I managed a to find a moment to talk to Margaret Jones who is the most wonderful tapestry artist.
I left Dumfries feeling inspired and part of a community I have long looked up to.
Images in order of showing
Joan Baxter – Tapestry
Elizabeth Radcliffe – Tapestry
Lorna Donlon – Tapestry
Frances Crowe with her tapestries
Emma Jo Webster at the BTG 20th anniverary opening event
Hunting Tigers and Woolly Bears in exhbition at Gracefields Arts Centre
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