Exploring the fusion of wool, fashion, fine art and farming, The Art of Wool will launch at the Manning Regional Art Gallery on Friday, December 1.
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There will be something for almost everybody during this summer-long exhibition, with significant Australian paintings, avant-garde fashion garments from the International Woolmark Prize archive at The Woolmark Company, and a host of wool-inspired activities, workshops, floor talks, a collaborative residency as part of the Wall Project, and a children's art trail.
“This is an outstanding exhibition – from historic artworks to contemporary fashion, this show brings together art and fashion with a quintessential Australian feel,” gallery director, Rachel Piercy said.
“We have some very strong textile based artists and groups in the region and The Art of Wool is sure to inspire,” Ms Piercy said.
“This exhibition is not to be missed, and for the first time the gallery will be open throughout the Christmas and New Year holiday season.”
Aiming to bridge the gap between farm and fashion, The Art of Wool is a touring exhibition from the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) in partnership with The Woolmark Company.
Significant artworks drawn from NERAM’s extensive collection of Australian art, including paintings by Sydney Long, Thomas Cooper, Blamire Young and Emily Kame Kngwarreye, which emphasise the role of wool in the artistic and design imagination of Australia from the 19th Century until the present day.
The artworks are complemented by fashion garments with an emphasis on the work of young and emerging international fashion designers, including the 2013-2014 International Woolmark Prize winner Rahul Mishra and prominent Australian designers.
During the month of January, the gallery will complement the exhibition with a host of activities.
The Manning Fibre Artists will present I wool, if you wool, a collaborative residency, as part of the gallery’s artist-in-residence program, The Wall Project, which will explore all things wool in four acts titled Spinning a Yarn, Feelings Felt, A Stitch in Time, and finally, Weaving Wool Bring us Together.
The Manning Fibre Artists will play the roles of the alchemists, magicians, story-tellers, historians and artists, while friends and visitors to the gallery will play the magician’s apprentices, co-creators, audience and future story-tellers.
During the residency, there will be workshops on offer including felt-making, sculptural woven tapestry wall hangings, freestyle/free form knitting and crochet, drawing with yarn, painting with fibre, fabric collage, and basketry.
To coincide with the residency, there will be an exhibition of the Manning Fibre Artists at A Little to the Left Studio and Gallery in Taree.
The Art of Wool exhibition is presented by The Woolmark Company and New England Regional Art Museum.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Ministry of the Arts Visions of Australia program.
The launch will take place at 6pm on December 1, entry is free and the Friends of the Gallery bar will be open.
No bookings are required.
The Art of Wool runs from December 1 through to February 4, 2018, entry is free.
For more information and previews of gallery events, please visit www.manningregionalartgallery.com.au