(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)
Tuesday 14th January
The art of making something look effortless is probably one of the most difficult things to learn. Skipton Branch is very fortunate to be able to draw upon the expertise of member Gail Marsh to curate our latest exhibition which will be on display at Craven Museum and Gallery.
With her trained eye, Gail went through a process of auditioning pieces, trying them this way and that, moving them around in number of permutations before finally settling on an arrangement that she was happy with. Gail told me that in her former role as curator of the Rachel B Kay-Shuttleworth textile collection at Gawthorpe Hall, she would sometimes start with a room-full of exhibits only to whittle them down to a select few for a display cabinet.
The theme for the display is 'bright and colourful' and the chosen work shows a cross-section of skills and techniques: some traditional, some contemporary. Also on show are the Story Cloths made by the Broughton Road Women's Group with support from Skipton Embroiderers' Guild and led by artist Jackie Lunn.
Two new display boards provide visitors with information about the work of the Guild. Enid Pyrah and Gail worked hard to collate and arrange photographs with text. The Guild gratefully acknowledges the support from Catherine Johnson, Arts Development Officer at Craven District Council for these boards.
With the exhibition running from now until May 3rd, there is time to change the exhibits and display more examples of our work. Watch out for the characterful art dolls that we made on Kathryn Thompson's workshop last Summer!
We are also planning two free workshops open to all ages and abilities. They will take place on Saturday 5th and 12th April 2014. More details to follow.
Craven Museum and Gallery can be found at Skipton Town Hall. The exhibition is located in the museum foyer next to the Tourist Information.