Gallery Oldham will be holding a number of textile based workshops to celebrate the On the Grid exhibition by artist Ann Sutton, which runs until 4 March.
Ann Sutton’s career began in the 1950s, when she trained as a weaver. Although Ann’s work has a strong element of craft, she doesn’t describe herself as a craftsperson, but as a maker.
She is fascinated by the potential of the materials – in the 1960s she worked with plastic, a new material which had yet to be explored.
In her latest explorations, her interest in experimenting with new techniques and processes is clearly visible.
Having spent much of the past six decades testing the boundaries of weaving, Ann felt she had done everything she could with this technique.
In this exhibition, the grid is the starting point for nearly all of the pieces. Ann’s fascination with the grid structure, which is fundamental to weaving, is evident in her new work which she describes as “spatial drawings”.
These three dimensional drawings appear different depending on the angle from which you view them.
To celebrate On the Grid, the gallery are holding a number of artist led textile based workshops for adults.
Over a series of three evening sessions on 2, 9 and 16 February, local artist Claire Louise Mather will offer participants the opportunity to create a visual response to Ann’s work, capturing observations and opinions and addressing aspects such as line, shape and colour.
Working within the gallery space, students will be shown a variety of textile and mixed media techniques used by Claire in her contemporary textile artwork and combine their interpretations of the two artist’s work to inspire their own textile piece.
This may include hand stitched, embroidered and printed works and individuals will be encouraged to combine a variety of techniques in their final piece.
On 25 February, Stitched Up will be bringing their upcycling workshop to Gallery Oldham, showing how to get more from your clothes than you thought possible.
So gather up those forgotten garments that have fallen to the back of the wardrobe and bring them along to a workshop to upcycle, customise and create some new looks from your old clothes.
Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Co-operatives, said: “These workshops are a great opportunity for people to come and try something new or develop their skills, in a relaxed and informal setting.
“We live in such a disposable world and learning how to give old clothes a new lease of life sounds wonderful.”
For more information on Ann Sutton’s exhibition, details about workshops and how to book, visit: www.galleryoldham.org.uk or call 0161 770 4742.
