Welcome to
Stroud International Textiles

SIT Artistic Programme 2012 & 2013

Following this year’s festival SIT has been undertaking a review of its future programming model and artistic ambitions.  As a result of this work, SIT plans to make a significant shift from its historic annual festival model towards a more compact, but higher impact, suite of public-facing exhibitions and events. The new programming is designed to continue to highlight SIT’s reputation for excellence while  offering a more collaborative approach by working with a range of national and international artists to bring fresh thinking and innovation.

We will retain our current May slot and will be adding to that with an additional autumn exhibition and related events. We remain committed to the highest quality work; but will do this through a diverse programme of exhibitions and projects that will also encompass other points in the year, and in locations beyond Stroud. 

Spring 2012

Exhibition
‘PAIRINGS II –
conversations & collaborations’
28 April – 27 May 2012
Museum in the Park Stroud GL5 4AF

Pairings II - co-curated by Alice Kettle  in partnership with SIT artistic Director, Lizzi Walton. Alice Kettle is one of the UK’s leading textile artists with work exhibited widely. Pairs of artist/makers will come together to share new technologies and techniques that are unfamiliar and sometimes unlikely to them and their usual creative practices. Some leading names in the world of contemporary crafts will link and pair with lesser known makers to engage and explore; inspire and innovate. From a seed planted at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2010, Pairings II will expand that initial thought process introducing new pairs to work together and create exciting new work. The marriage of materials, practices and creative identities will give birth to work and ideas that redefine the nature of the object and of craft.
                                      
Ismini Samanidou, Claire Curneen, David Gates, Alice Kettle, Dawn Mason, Nigel Hurlstone, Sharon Blakeley, Rhian Solomon and Jane Webb are among some of the new pairs who will be taking part, combining traditional and new practices in and across clay, glass, textiles, metal, wood, paper, digital and film media, and computerised manufacturing technology.

On May 5th there will be a major Symposium linked to Pairings II where speakers who collaborate to push the boundaries of their chosen fields of expertise, will offer debate and exploration. Speakers include Helen Storey & Anthony Ryan (Catalytic clothing); Trish Belford (Concrete Factory); Jessica Hemmings; David Gates & Alice Kettle to name a few of the inspiring speakers who will be taking part. This will take place at Stroud College.

‘’We hope that fresh new ways to see craft and opportunities to explore their individual creative paths will emerge from these pairings’’ Lizzi Walton

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Exhibition & Symposium
‘Architecture of Cloth, Colour & Space’
New directions by textile artist Ptolemy Mann
27 October – 31 December 2012
Gloucester Cathedral

The words ground-breaking and weaver don’t often appear in the same sentence but both are unavoidable when talking about Ptolemy Mann. She is a dynamic artist-craftsman-designer who never stands still, who continually pushes at the boundaries of weaving with her imaginative embrace of new technology and who always thinks big. Ptolemy will bring colour and pattern to the dramatic setting of Gloucester Cathedral, wrapping the columns in lengths of cloth. There is a linked Symposium on 27 October 2012 Speakers to be confirmed.

Join SIT

To keep up with SIT’s programme and to support SIT why not join? Membership runs from September to September and to celebrate the future SIT is offering a reduced rate for all artists of £8.00 for one year if you join before the end of November 2011. Contact SIT for details on how to join.

Festival 2011

To view our Festival Brochure and Textile Trail booklet view our Publication page.