Outcomes - Seminar 1
'Ambiguous Spaces 2'

Ambiguous Spaces 2, conceived as a cross-sector initiative, practitioners and exhibition programmers discussed how to work together to increase the profile of contemporary textiles. Sue Prichard (Victoria and Albert Museum) and Moira Stevenson (Manchester City Art Galleries) described the importance of textiles within their collections and the difficulties encountered when looking to programme contemporary textiles. All the speakers presented examples of different initiatives with particular reference to:

• the constraints
• the strengths
• the role educational establishments could play in developing collaborations.

It was clear from comments received at the end of ‘Ambiguous Spaces 2’ that the exchange of experience and agendas between the different interest groups was extremely revealing and informative. For many it was the first time they had been presented with the view from other sectors. The strong consensus was for wider dialogue through similar seminars across the country.

Related articles: Seminar notes | Abstracts | Comments | Paper

‘Ambiguous Spaces 2’ Seminar Panel:

• Moira Stevenson Deputy Director, Manchester City Galleries
• Sue Prichard Curator, Contemporary Textiles, Victoria and Albert Museum
• June Hill Freelance Curator, formerly Museums Officer, Bankfield Museum
• Lesley Millar Reader in Contemporary Craft Practice, University College for the Creative Arts, Curator
• Melanie Miller Manchester Metropolitan University, Co-ordinator of the Schiffli Project
• Helen Parrott Textile artist
• Paul Harper Writer on Crafts

Speaker Details

Sue Prichard, Curator, Contemporary Textiles, V&A Museums

Sue Prichard joined the V&A from the Tate Gallery, where she worked for 13 years in a variety of roles including Assistant Registrar, Operations Assistant and Change Programme Co-ordinator.

In 2001 Sue joined the Department of Furniture, Textiles & Fashion as Operations Manager, with strategic and operational responsibility for the textiles and fashion stores and galleries. In 2002, Sue accepted additional responsibility for the Contemporary Textile Collection, covering the period from 1945 to the present.

Sue has worked on three contemporary textiles displays at the V&A: 'Textiles in Context' celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the 62 Group of Textile Artists (2002); 'Recent Acquisitions 1992-2002: A Decade of Collecting Textiles' (2003-4) and 'Concealed * Discovered * Revealed' New work by Sue Lawty (2005). Sue is currently working on a major quilt exhibition, to be displayed at the V&A in 2009.

Sue has written and lectured on contemporary collecting including 'Collecting the Contemporary: Freud, Fetish or Fiber Art?' presented at TSA in San Francisco (2004) and 'Collecting the Contemporary: 'Love will Decide What is Kept and Science Will Decide How it is Kept', published in the Journal of Cloth & Culture (2005)

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Moira Stevenson, Deputy Director, Manchester City Galleries

Deputy Director of Manchester City Galleries, she is responsible for collections and building management and the development of the capital programme, this includes leading on the development of the International Centre of Excellence for Fashion/Textiles. From 1998-2003 she was responsible for the internal project management for the £35m Art Gallery expansion project. Prior to joining Manchester City Galleries in March 1998, she was Director of Macclesfield Museum and Heritage Centre, where she was responsible for the development of the silk museums.

Having graduated as a designer she did a postgraduate in Museum and Art Gallery Studies in Manchester and has spent her career working in national, local authority and independent museums.

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Paul Harper, PhD Student

Paul Harper studied furniture at Buckinghamshire College of Art and Design and completed the MA Applied Arts and Visual Culture at London Guildhall University. Since 1999 he has worked in arts management. As part of his work for the Arts Council, South West ALIAS scheme he has organised a series of symposia entitled Practice and Reflection, aimed at encouraging practitioners to contribute to critical discourse around craft. He is currently studying for his PhD at London Metropolitan University, which is concerned with developing a theoretical framework for craft practice and exploring the potential of digital video as a methodological tool to aid the analysis of practice, by which aspects of craft practice can be more roundly externalized for research, reflective and curatorial purposes.

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Dr Melanie Miller

Dr Melanie Miller is a Senior Lecturer on the BA(Hons) Embroidery Programme at Manchester Metropolitan University; she also contributes to the MA in Textiles/Fashion at MMU. In 1997 she completed her PhD 'Design and Technological change in the embroidery industry with particular reference to computerisation'.

In addition to teaching and creating work for exhibition she has also been involved in curating textile exhibitions ('Techno Stitch' at Oldham 1996; 'Machine Maid' at Macclesfield 1999}; organising conferences ('Textiles: What is critical' NWTF 2001, 'Disconnections' MMU 2003) and has written articles for publication in Selvedge, Text, and Embroidery magazine. She is a committee member of the North West Textiles Forum.

Melanie is currently co-ordinating 'Mechanical Drawing - the Schiffli Project', an initiative to raise the profile of a unique, historic embroidery machine housed by the School of Design, Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Helen Parrott, Artist

Since starting to exhibit in 1990, I have pursued the development of my own art practice as producer and exhibitor, alongside other roles. These roles have included arts developer, funder, mentor, teacher, lead artist, writer, Regional Arts Board Member, project manager and consultant.

I remain committed to the making of art through developing my own practice and through supporting the work of others artists and artist led groups and organisations. Particular interests are Open Studios and the development of group studios/workspace. Whilst at Yorkshire Arts I initiated and commissioned national research into Open Studios and their future development.

I was a member of the Quilt Art group from 1990 to 2002, exhibiting with them across the UK and Europe.

I completed an MA in Art and Design in 1995 and am currently studying for an MSc in Organisational Development.

Following a Research and Development award from Arts Council England, Yorkshire, I am working on my next solo show.

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