Bits and Pieces

This blog is a mixture of small exhibitions either textile or with a textile link starting with one I think I will miss as it closes this week:

The Museum of the Order of St John is a small museum in Clerkenwell, which as the name suggests, tells the story of the Museum of the Order of St John.  Most people might recognise the order for its links to St John's Ambulance.  Despite being on since October I only learnt about a week ago that they had a small (free) exhibition relating to Caravaggio's The Cardsharps, called Caravaggio: Fashion and Fabrics.  Actual textiles are displayed alongside the painting bringing the artwork to life in a very real way.  The exhibition finishes on Tuesday 31st January 2017, but mention it in case some else may do so.

However last week I did manage a visit to a modern textile exhibition by a group Texere at Gallery 50, Craft Arena, Barleylands in Billericay.  Texere  is a textiles education working group, working within European Textile Network (ETN) who have a programme of events and activities across Europe.  Although the exhibition is small, there were some excellent pieces of work on display including some weaving and embroideries.  Texere: celebrations - 25 years of Texere continues until 12 February 2017.

I was also very fortunate to be able to be invited to the Private View of Life in an English village at Braintree District Museum, Braintree in Essex.  This is an exhibition of print and drawings by the internationally famous Bardfield Artists.   I went with my friend and fellow EAST member, Susan who knew a lot about the artists and Bardfield.  Susan had used the work of Bawden and the village of Bardfield for the inspiration behind her contribution to EAST's Threads of Time project made for the millennium and now part of Braintree Museum's collection.   The collection will be the subject of a talk EAST are giving later this year at Chelmsford Embroiderer's Guild.   (Thanks to Susan, as well as Claire at the museum, for permission to use the image at the top of this page.)

Life in an English Village continues until 15 April 2017, and really shows what a beautiful county Essex can be.  It was also interesting to learn a little more about the Bardfield Artists and their wider community.

Past, Present and Future

My present situation means that I have not been blogging lately.  Partly down to distractions in the past (ie, successfully finishing my degree) and partly as I was busy preparing for my future (studying for a higher one), something that is now my present.  It means visits to galleries and exhibitions have been severely limited.  I did manage a quick trip to Opus Anglicanum (V&A) but I'm hoping to return as it is an exhibition that needs more time.  I have also been to Bedlam at the Wellcome Collection which includes two interesting embroideries - again I hope to return so I will try and write something about both these exhibitions when I revist.

This week however, I did manage to get to an exhibition by my friend and fellow textile artist, Chris Spencer.  Chris is also thinking about the Past, Present and Future as that is the title of her exhibition.

Chris has put together a small retrospective and alongside pieces I knew, there were others that were new to me.  She is a talented felter and embroiderer.  It was good to see work made over the the last few years altogether.  It was also small enough for my mum to enjoy and made for a very pleasant afternoon.  We took our time and examined everything closely.

One set of work that was new to me was a set of six panels featuring the caps of the six wives of Henry VIII.  I have recently been re-reading Peter Acroyd's History of England, so I felt I knew the story of each queen reasonably well. This collection of panels illustrates how each queen was an individual with a different story to be told rather than just a set of wives.  Sadly their lives were often tragic but not all. The Tudor period is such a major part of English history.  The major repercussions of the need for Henry VIII to have a son or two (an heir and a spare), changed not just the lives of those involved but affected the lives of everyone.  Changing the church affected even the lowest of the people at that time. 

I also enjoyed revisiting Chris' 18th century work that relates to her research at Rainham Hall, and her bird pictures, which I had missed when Material Girls exhibited at the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes.  The sea, sea life and woodlands are also strong themes in this exhibition.  

Chris' work is on display at Gallery 50, Craft Arena, in Billericay Barleylands (craft village), Essex and continues until the 30 October 2016.  Based in a gallery within a craft store, a visit can be combined with a bit of retail therapy - what's not to like!