I’m pleased to announce that “Moors of Home ” has been selected by Shannon Skye Robinson curator at Curating Futures, for the Arcadia Exhibition. This virtual exhibition will be available to view from 1st August 2021 via this link.
Size 21 x 27 cm. Hand embroidered and hand stitched with vintage Sylko thread onto cotton cloth Eco printed with leaves and petals from my lockdown garden in Summer 2020.
“Curating Futures is the brainchild of Shannon Skye Robinson- a curator, designer, and project coordinator.
The project was planned to bring together artists, create a supportive network of like-minded individuals, and generate an inspirational environment for creatives- and their practices- to grow.
The Curating Futures community are a multi-disciplinary group of creative individuals from around the world. We are passionate about art, creativity, culture, and sustainability; together, we work to learn new skills, gain new experiences, and seek new inspiration.
Within our community we collaborate, share ideas, and support one another to produce blogs, workshops, exhibitions and online events.”
One of the many things I have rediscovered in the past year is my love of books and in particular reading Lancashire dialect poetry. This new piece of work titled Worker Bees was designed after reading one of these poems.
A little about ‘Worker Bees’.
The growth of cotton manufacturing during the industrial revolution changed the landscape of Northern towns forever. Workers lived in rows of terraced homes within earshot of the Mill they worked in, each long day of work starting with the call of the factory bell. By 1860 there were 2650 cotton mills in Lancashire, employing more than 440 000 people and producing half of the World’s cotton.
The outer border of the piece features an excerpt from a poem by Lancashire Dialect poet W. M. Billington – first published in The Blackburn Times in July 1864. The poem tells the tale of a chap who overslept and was abruptly awoken by the sound of the factory bells. The central panel of worker bees has been symbolic of Manchester’s historic textile industry since 1842.
In the 1800’s Manchester was full of cotton mills and hundreds of hard-working people went to work in these buildings. The mills came to be described as ‘hives of activity’ because they were so busy, and the employees were likened to worker bees as they put so much effort into their jobs.
This piece is a nod to James and Jane Nixon, my ancestors who worked as weavers in the Mills in Blackburn at the time this poem was written.
Worker Bees is part of a body of work about my Lancashire roots.
Size 11.75 x 11.75 cm. Hand embroidered and hand stitched using vintage Sylko threads onto cotton cloth which has been eco rust printed.
Update
Worker Bees are off on exhibition with Swiss Fibre Art in Germany and Switzerland.
Update
Worker Bees have been invited to take part in ‘A Tall Order’ at Touchstones Rochdale.
Update
Worker Bees have been accepted for exhibition in Brazil!
‘In Natura‘ is a captivatinggroup art show that delves into the profound beauty and fragile interconnection between humanity and the natural world. As a celebration of the World Environment Day (5 June 2023), the exhibition serves as a powerful platform to raise awareness about pressing environmental issues and promote positive action.
By bringing together 23 artists from 13 different countries, ‘In Natura’ presents a diverse range of perspectives and artistic expressions that transcend borders and cultures. Established and emerging artists are showcased side by side, fostering a vibrant dialogue that illuminates the urgent need for global collaboration in addressing environmental challenges and envisions a future where humans and nature exist in harmonious balance.
I am pleased to announce that ‘Pandemic Object 2020‘ has been selected by curator Polly Bates for the ‘Artists Responding To’ Postcard Project Exhibition. The Exhibition will take place on the weekend of 14th August – 15th August with an event on the opening night of 14th August between 18:00-21:30.
The event is to be held at 147 Stoke Newington, Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0NY. For further information on the event follow this link.
In November 2020 my work was accepted for inclusion in the project book. Since then, Polly has been waiting patiently to be able to share all the artworks in a physical exhibition.
“To make sure that our exhibition will be enjoyed in a safe space we will be implementing precautions such as a one-way route through the show, and we will be acting on any government guidelines that are current for August. We have also made the opening night of the exhibition a ticketed event, so that we can limit the number of visitors to make a safer environment.” Tickets are available via Eventbrite.
“At the beginning of November 2020, and the start of the UK’s second national lockdown, ARTISTS RESPONDING TO … sent 200 postcards across the UK to 200 artists. These artists were invited to reflect on the year 2020 and create artwork directly onto the postcards. The postcards involved in this project have been curated into an Art Book. The artworks in this book share personal experiences that we can all relate to, and although they are small in size, they are hugely powerful.” – Polly Bates curator at Artists Responding To.
Pen drawing onto card ; Size 10cm x 15cm. This is one of three piecee of art I completed during Lockdown #2 in November 2020. The others are ‘4 Hours in History’ and ‘Self Portrait’.