Curator's Notes - Autumn 2013

I am amazed to see it is a year since I last wrote this page, and now I have come to it, it is to say that this is a 'holding' page, as we are currently updating the gallery. The time has flown by, taken up by the totally absorbing 'Cloth & Memory {2}', again at Salts Mill. The selection, interviewing, catalogue writing and editing, exhibition preparation, installing, opening, education programme and finally de-installing, all have been incredibly rewarding (see www.clothandmemory.com) but have left little time for other activities.

23 artists were selected for Cloth & Memory {2}, including from the web gallery: Machiko Agano, Masae Bamba and Koji Takaki from Japan, Jeanette Appleton, Maxine Bristow, Philippa Lawrence, Celia Pym and Karina Thompson from the UK. I was very happy to re-connect to wonderful artists I have worked with before, and to have the opportunity to work with some I have always wanted to. The exhibition also introduced me to some exceptional artists I had not seen before, particularly young emerging artists. And I am delighted that some will be joining us shortly, with some really exciting new artists.

The exhibition was extremely popular attracting more than 15,000 visitors, and some of the works will remain at the Mill to be a part of the History Gallery. The whole exhibition was a very rewarding, joyful and, ultimately, moving experience, because, as with 'Bite Size', it was a once in a lifetime event. The Mill is not a 'regular' venue for exhibitions, the collaboration we have had with the owners and staff over the past three years, was for those three years only, and as we took down the work, it very much felt that we were returning the space back. Also, the funding climate is such at the moment that it becomes harder and harder to organise and bring to completion such large scale enterprises. So we are now looking in different ways to promote contemporary textile practice, and it means that the Transition & Influence Web Gallery is more important than ever.

Come back in a few weeks, to see our new artists!

Lesley Millar
Professor of Textile Culture
Director, Anglo Japanese Textile Research Centre
University for the Creative Arts