Artbank has partnered with the Australian Tapestry Workshop (ATW) to present 'Weaving Together', an exhibition celebrating the significant number of tapestries in the Artbank Collection. The tapestries will be contextualised and supported by original prints used as tapestry designs and preparatory studies, as well as experimental tapestry samples and work in progress photos from the ATW studio.
Several large-scale tapestries designed by Australian artists were commissioned by Artbank in the 1980’s in a period of burgeoning support for Australian voices and the “craft art movement”. This exhibition includes tapestries across both venues designed by Dale Hickey, Max Miller, Stephen Griffin, Rae Ganim, John R Neeson and ATW weaver Merrill Dumbrell. 'Weaving Together' reunites these tapestries to present a snapshot of contemporary textile practice in Australia in the 1980’s and celebrates the ongoing relationship between ATW and Artbank.
Image: Grevillea (1981), designed by Lesley Dumbrell, woven by Cresside Collette, Carol Dunbar and Iain Young, wool and cotton, 1.6 x 2.5m. Photograph courtesy of Australian Tapestry Workshop.