25 and Counting – Women Artists

Jackie Hodgson

 

NOHAT Collective are showing their exhibition of work by women artists “25 and Counting”  until 12th August. Opening times for the Museum are Thursday to Saturday 11a.m. to 5p.m., although the garden is open on other days.

 

 

Jackie Hodgson

 

If you haven’t discovered the Panacea Museum in Bedford, this would be a good opportunity to explore this unusual little treasure. I’ve been meaning to go since a friend told me about it and I gather Mark Steel will be featuring it in his “Mark Steel’s In Town” on Bedford during the autumn on R4.

This Week – 23rd to 29th July

 

Exhibitions

Roots Shoots & Leaves – to 5th August, includes work by members – Meet the Artists on Wednesday 26th

Alice Fox – two venues until September

The Beautiful Stitch  to 28th October

Embroidered Bodies  to 10th September

Silk: From Spitalfields to Sudbury to 8th October

Fields, Fabric & French Knots  to 29th October

Sampled Lives – to April 2018

Balenciaga to February 2018

 

Workshops

Last chance to sign up for Summer School with Amanda Clayton on Tuesday and Wednesday

Indigo Dyeing –  28th July, Open Door, Berkhamsted – last I heard there were only a couple of spaces left

Nature Printing with Pia Ostlund – 5th & 6th August, Broadway Studio and Gallery Letchworth.

Join members of North Herts and Beds for “Fun with Design” on 16th September

August – Connie Flynn workshops during Summer School at Parndon Mill, Essex

September Workshop at North Herts EG

FUN WITH DESIGN: Christine Chester

Saturday 16th September 2017

Full day – Fun with Design – a design workshop which will demystify some of the processes of interpreting a visual source into patterns and/or blocks

Have you ever wondered how a beautiful textile design started out?

It doesn’t just appear from nowhere, it starts with small beginnings of sitting down with a pencil and paper and doodling until something you like starts to emerge. Then that bit gets expanded until – hey presto – there is a design that is workable in stitch.

Come and learn this process with Christine, who will take you through step by step, until you will surprise yourself with something special YOU have created.

This design led workshop will demystify some of these processes of interpreting a visual source into pattern and will take you from a starting point and lead you through various techniques and processes to help you produce interesting and exciting designs which you can work in a variety of media. There will be plenty of tips and tricks all the way through this fun workshop.

Don’t be scared! This will be a fun day of learning something quite unique.

If you are interested and want more information contact me and I will forward your query – Blogbeva

Sneak preview – Roots, Shoots & Leaves

I got a glimpse of some of the work showing in Roots, Shoots & Leaves – there is some really skilled and lovely work – do try and get to it. There’s several nice coffee shops and places to browse in Berkhamsted – you could even take in Beautiful Stitch in Aylesbury and make a full day of it!

A personal view – The Beautiful Stitch

 

The long awaited first EG Collection exhibition at Bucks County Museum is now open. Your faithful Blogbeva trundled along to see what’s on show.

 

The exhibition is given plenty of space on the first floor (lift and stair access), spread through three linked areas with a few steps up to reach one section (chair lift provided).

 

 

There are six themes showing Embroidery as:

Kay Dennis, Pear Tree – EG Collection at Bucks County Museum

• Art
• Fashion
• Identity
• Status and Ceremony
• Education
• Industry

 

 

 

 

I chatted with other visitors who were full of questions about the items; what is Bokhara? how do you stitch with moose hair? (yes moose!), how long must it have taken to do that? Some of the “Art” pieces left us bemused, but then a lot of art does that to me!

Somehow an enormous breadth of styles, techniques, and periods of stitched work is represented and mostly shown to good advantage. Lighting and displaying textiles is tricky as there has to be a balance between making the items visible and preventing UV damage, but I felt this had been skilfully achieved here.

Detail from Zoroastrian bridal costume – EG Collection at Bucks County Museum

 

 

By nature the exhibits scream out to be handled but we are frustrated by a barrier of glass. This is where I felt there was something lacking – a selection of handling materials, allowing visitors to feel textures, fabric weights and types would have added the dimension of touch which is so important in textiles. Also the occasional sight of unfinished work and the reverse sides can be of enormous interest and can highlight that beauty and perfection are only part of the story.

 

 

 

I would have like to see more information about the exhibits; how or why they had been selected to represent the various themes, something about their social context maybe – but perhaps this will be explored more in future exhibitions and through the items selected for permanent or long term display.

Riita-Liisa Haavisto, Summer Girl – EG Collection at Bucks County Museum

There was no catalogue or additional written available when I visited, but I gather this is being addressed. However, the stewards were very enthusiastic and helpful – I was really impressed with how delighted they were about the Collection’s arrival and the potential opportunities it opens up for the future.

I will be returning to this exhibition to explore more of it in more detail. Fortunately it continues until October. As far as I know the space will then be closed until January 2018, when it reopens as the permanent display space for the EG Collection. A fitting home I think.