A Celebration of Textiles

If you love textiles, then you should definitely head to Stroud in May. The Stroud International Textiles Festival, now in its 5th year, has all sorts going on, from exhibitions and talks to workshops and open studios.

I've been getting updates about the Festival in my inbox for a while now and thought it was about time I shared them with you all! Here's the latest news, hot off the press:

"The festival has leading names from the world of textiles alongside emerging, new talent. Norma Starszakowna, Jo Barker and Sara Brennan are joined by Mary Schoeser, Studio Seven Textiles, Matthew Harris and other big names from he world of contemporary textile arts and crafts. New this year is 'Students in Stroud', with 16 shops exhibiting work from 2009 graduates from three of the UK's top universities and also new this year is the link to the Highlands of Scotland's crafts. There's also a two day conference on 'Slow Textiles'..."

For all the details, go to the Festival's website.

Knowing that I write a blog, the Festival's Director, Lizzi Walton, kindly sent me some photos of some of the artists and work that will be at the Festival...

This is Norma Starszakowna in her studio. During the festival she'll be exhibiting her work in the foyer of the Museum in the Park.

I saw Matthew Harris's work at last year's festival and rather liked it. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what work he has in store for us this year.

Kate Blee, a student at Edinburgh School of Art, will be exhibiting with Jo Barker, Sara Brennan and Henny Burnett at the Museum in the Park during the Festival.

Deirdre Nelson is the very first Artist in Residence at the Museum in the Park. She'll be unveiling the work she's created in response to the Museum's collections and her time during the residency. You can read her blog here.

Go along and be inspired!