Craftsouth :: Residencies Artist Talk

 

Lisa Farrant, Almond and Marginata, 2010, Artroom5

Have you ever thought about removing yourself from your regular activities, your place of comfort and experiencing another corner of the country to get inspired. How about applying for one of the many arts residencies across Australia or even overseas?

Not sure what its all about, then head along to Craftsouth's Residencies Artist Talk to learn the benefits, opportunities and creative growth experiences of undertaking a residency from Adrian Potter who undertook a residency at Canberra School of Art and Lesa Farrant who has completed a residency at Soda Studios in North Fremantle, WA.

This Tuesday 24 April at 6pm, at Craftsouth office Level 1, 38 Hindley Street. Craftsouth members get in for free and for non-members only $15 | RSVP is essential and for further information contact Craftsouth on (08) 8410 1822 or email craftsouth@craftsouth.org.au.

And to find out where you might be able to attend an arts residency in your discipline visit ResArtis.org

To market, to market Red Thread goes...

Come see us this weekend Saturday 10 December 10am - 2pm at the Box Factory Community Christmas Market where members Luka Va, Jane Lang and Kara Growden will be selling their beautiful handmade wares including cards, wrapping paper, ornaments and lots more to get in the chrissie spirit. Plenty of things to do including workshops, local entertainment and food. 59 Regent Street South, Adelaide

Scribbles + Glitter Beginnings | Amanda McCavour

Toronto-based artist, Amanda McCavour, creates incredibly detailed and tonal drawings by sewing onto a dissolvable fabric, leaving the threads vulnerable and left to hang for themselves, and effectively subtly distorting the imagery in her works. 

Recreating more literal representations of the objects within McCavour's surrounds include Living Room and StandIn for Home whilst more organic and repetitive shapes can be found in installations Icebox and Scribble.

Amanda McCavour graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts. She has participated in a number of solo and group exhibitions in Toronto, and is currently an artist in residence in the Harboufront Centre's Studio.

As Far as the Eye Can See

Question: What happens when 22 women who work as professional designers, artists and dancers to doctors, scientists and project managers put their crochet skills to good use? 

Answer: A gallery size, giant eye artwork including 500 hand crocheted squares using 182,784 stitches all in the name of raising funds for Gap Filler, a creative urban regeneration initiative that is taking art and community to Christchurch's vacant city spaces after the city's devastating earthquake in February. 

The work is currently on display at Rodeo, 162-168 Gilbert Street, Adelaide until 28 October before heading to Christchurch to be exhibition in November. For more information and images visit the website here.

The group seeks to continue making a contribution to the Christchurch community through ongoing projects to connect artists, community and provide story.

Looking for Contemporary Textile Artists...

Recently I have been noticing a large volume of viewers of the Red Thread blog are searching for Contemporary Textile Artists. It’s fantastic to see there are so many people interested into the modern interpretations of traditional textile crafts but where can you find sources of artists for a medium that could be seen as an aged sideline in the contemporary visual arts culture? Answer: Below I have featured three titles that I have come across, each listing an amazing array of contemporary textile artists for you all to check out…

By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art

In a response to the sleek forms and perfect angles of most late twentieth century design objects, many of today's artists and designers are returning to handmade work such as hand lettering, hand drawing, and hand sewing. From books to pillows to T-shirts to toys, the pieces in this volume define an alternative view of contemporary design. Artists include Kirsten Hassenfeld, Victoria May, Kent Henricksen, Aya Kakeda, Dave Cole, Margarita Cabrera and Kelly Breslin.

Slash: Paper under the Knife

Published to accompany a traveling exhibit opening at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, Slash: Paper Under the Knife examines the resurgence of traditional handcraft materials and techniques in contemporary art and design. Highlighting the work of forty-five international artists, among them Noriko Ambe, Ben Cowd, Dylan Graham, Oliver Herring, Georgia Russell, Olafur Eliasson, Tom Friedman, William Kentridge, and Kara Walker, the book features not only cut but also burned, torn, laser-cut, shredded and sculpted paper art.

Contemporary Textiles: The Fabric of Fine Art

This book is a stunning and comprehensive look at emerging artists from one of the most exciting mediums in the fine art world today that profiles some of the most daring and innovative examples of textiles in fine art. Artists include Matthew Barney, Maria Pineres, Jennifer Angus, Elaine Reichek, Jessica Rankin, Rosemarie Trockel, Yinka Shonibare, Tilleke Schwarz, Cosima von Bonin, Ghada Amer, Annette Messager, Mike Kelley, and Christo and Jeanne Claude.

Enjoy J

Science Sewing Circle | Sera Waters

As part of Flocked: collecting bird stories from SA exhibition at the South Australian Museum, artist Sera Waters will be hosting a Science Sewing Circle on Saturday 14 August 1:00 – 3:30pm. Bring along a stitching project and bird stories to share and experience the museum’s bird collection in the Biodiversity Gallery.

This is the last week to see the Inside SAM's Place exhibition which is an ongoing collaboration between Craftsouth and the South Australian Museum. Bookings are essential so please register on 8207 7090,

Waters has spent the last several months studying bird collections in the South Australian Museum and gathering personal bird stories from the public via a blog and a nest box installed in the museum foyer. Flocked  features new textile and embroidered work presented, together with bird skins, eggs and nests from the museum collection, creating a rich and complex world of anecdote and art celebrating the colourful culture of local birds and people, and the connections between them. "After the wonderful time I spent with the bird collection, and with individual birds, it struck me how much their world is intertwined with ours, and how reliant we are upon one another," says Waters.

Image: Sera Waters, Self as Plover, 2011, printed linen, felt, crewel and sequins, cotton + card, 130 x 80cm

Crochet + Social Activism Unite

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef - "Ladies Silurian Atoll" (detail). 

Photo © The Institute For Figuring (by Margaret Wertheim)

When I conjure up images of one of Australia's great wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef, I picture an explosion of colour in the most electric hues. Whilst I haven't been lucky enough to visit the colossal reef system stretching for over 2,600kms, I am afraid I will be disappointed with what I would see. Scientists now believe with the affects of global warming, the reef will become devastated in coming years. Now you may be wondering if Red Thread has turned into a group to analyse the natural world and its many manifestations. Wrong! In 2005, sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim created the worldwide Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project to pay homage to the threat of devastation to this fragile monster. Initially beginning in their humble living room and gradually expanding throughout their house, today their are crochet communities or 'satellites' popping up in Chicago, New York, London to Dublin and Capetown. Now the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is calling for South Australian craftspeople to join in and create your own hyperbolic model which marries handicraft with mathematics, marine biology, social activism and community art on a global scale. To see the many worldwide contributions to the projects visit RiAus and get inspired and get on board. 

Craftsouth Traditional Craft Skills Workshops

After the success of last year's program of traditional craft skills workshops run by Craftsouth, they are pleased to announce their new program for 2011. Looking for a new direction in your work, or want to learn a traditional technique from a craft practitioner with a culturally and linguistical background, whilst connecting to other South Australian artists and community members, then sign up for these wonderful workshops.

Textile craft workshops running from one day to 10 week courses include Bangeledeshi quilt embroidery, Nigerian indigo dyeing, Bosnian sock knitting and Middle Eastern knotted rug weaving. Material fees are included in the cost of each workshop and Craftsouth members receive a 20% discount.

For more information on the schedule and to register for workshops email niki.vouis@craftsouth.org.au or visit the Craftsouth website

Penguin Thread Deluxe Classics

Red Thread Collective member Maha brought this incredible work to my attention last week and had to pass it on. Illustrator and cartoonist Jillian Tamaki has been secretly working on an exclusive commission for Penguin Books. For two solid months Jillian has designed and hand embroidered the covers for classics such as Black Beauty, Emma and Secret Garden. To be released in October this year, whilst we will not be able to purchase the hand stitched version, the books will be printed with a sculptural embossing technique to emphasize the stitches.

To see more images of the covers and the artist at work visit her blog post here!

Lara Torr | Feature Artist

Tell us about yourself, how would you describe your work?
I'm an artist and arts administrator. I juggle jobs in the arts and disability sector and urban renewal with my independent practice. There's a strong community focus in both these jobs and it means lots of meetings and conversations with lots of people. In contrast, my artwork is quite personal and quiet. Often small.

While I love working with other people to help them get creative projects off the ground, it's nice to have my own work to escape into.

Who or what inspires you to create?

I spend a lot of time on public transport and the combination of travel and thinking time seems to result in lots of ideas. I think it's really nice to spend a bit of time just sitting and thinking, so fellow passengers often see me smiling like a fool or making little notes and drawings on the scraps of paper in my bag.

Where was your inspiration drawn for this work?

I have been studying antique embroidered samplers for a number of years. They are primarily practical, rather than decorative, objects and I see them as a record of labour.

I’ve also been musing about the fact that portraiture often gives the impression that people in the past never moved; that life was conducted in painted freeze-frames featuring Sunday best and an indirect gaze.

What materials do you like to work with?

Paper and ink seem to be the mainstays for me with forays into fabric, plaster and sometimes metal.

What are your favourite 5 art related websites or blogs?

I mainly read cooking blogs (I think I make better art on a full stomach) but recently I've been a fairly regular visitor to these two sites:

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/electronicswatchbook a great pattern resource and http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld this site grew out of the amazing series of  podcasts 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'. Totally fascinating.

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring artists, what would it be?

Arts takes time. Be patient.

Lara Torr graduated from the South Australian School of Art in 2006 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours). She has exhibited locally and nationally, including selected work for Hatched, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art and the touring exhibition Undercover (The Artist Book). She currently works at ArtsSA for the Richard Llewellyn Arts and Disability Trust and is a project coordinator for Renew Adelaide.

Craftsouth INFORM | Jason Collingwood

As part of Craftsouth's INFORM program, established UK rug weaver Jason Collingwood is presenting an artist talk on Monday 21 March at 6pm. Practicing for over 24 years, he will be sharing his expertise and experience on his creative process as well as the challenges of running a flourishing craft practice. His visit coincides with his workshop to be presented at the TAFTA Forum in Orange, NSW. The cost is free for Craftsouth members and $5 for non members, places are limited and for rsvp email niki.vouis@craftsouth.org.au 

For more information on Jason Collingwood visit his website. The Forum is also running several other workshops still open for enrolment including Artist Books, Creative Machine Embroidery and Vintage Recycling, for more information visit the website

Our stall at Box Factory Community Christmas Market

Come see us next weekend at the Box Factory Community Christmas Market where we will be selling our beautiful handmade arts and crafts including unique christmas-themed wares to get in the chrissie spirit. Plenty of things to keep you entertained like workshops, homegrown food exchange, games and whose never to old to get their facepainted...

11 December 10am - 2pm

59 Regent Street South Adelaide

Also sincere apologies to anyone who came later on during the meeting this fortnight, we finished the session earlier than posted but we will be back in full swing next fortnight on 15 December and look forward to seeing what you are working on and meeting some friendly faces!!

For the Paper Obsessed!

The works from Paper Convention Collective completely blew my socks off so I had to pass this on. This collective is dedicated to the documentation of Paper Expressionism through paper-installations, exhibitions and paper-art, zine-making, paper-crafting, workshops and lectures. It is a simple, powerful statement that aims to encourage and harness emerging paper artists and makers. It is a message that insists on the notion of community and utilises art as a catalyst for documenting and bringing communities together. For a full interview with instigator Lisa from paper store Lox + Saavy visit The Finders Keepers and PCC website at http://www.paperconvention.com/ to join their mailing list.

The collective is also calling-out to Australian-based paper artists both emerging or established, who can display unusual techniques, curious paper materials and clever concepts, work selected will belong in a league of their own, inspiring the community in the paper arts and thrilling paper lovers of the ingenious and the imaginative to be part of our key event next year! Contact them at hello@paperconvention.com for more details.

Warp & Weft Textile Tours

Wouldn't it be incredible to visit some of the world's most interesting regions and seeing skilled artisans producing beautiful traditional textiles including embroidery, dyeing, weaving, and basketwork. Warp & Weft Textile Tours run fully equipped tours accompanied by textile specialists including Christine Pearson, Ruth Hadlow and Valerie Kirk. Tours include visiting local markets, participating in textile workshops and craft emporiums whilst sampling wonderful local cuisine. Whilst the prices may seem out of your budget, why not look at applying for Arts SA or Australia Council for the Arts grant to support your trip, as these tours would be incredible professional development opportunities. 


Future programs for 2011 include:
The Textiles of Lao and Vietnam - 17 Jan to 2 Feb
West Timor Textiles and Culture - 04 Jun to 18 Jun
The Textiles and Rural Villages of Gujarat - Sept 2011
N. E. India Tribal Textiles and Festivals - Nov 2011


To register your interest and to obtain detailed tour brochures visit www.activetravel.com.au or contact christine@activetravel.com.au 02 6249 6122

Who are we?

Red Thread Collective aims to form a supportive and encouraging network, providing information on relevant exhibitions, events, grants, awards and workshops to emerging artists, within first 5 years of establishing a professional art practice.