Get involved! The Shipley Centenary Quilt Project

The Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear will this year be celebrating its 100th Anniversary, after being founded following a bequest by local solicitor Joseph Shipley (1822-1909). The gallery holds a beautiful collection of European Old Masters, to Victorian and more modern paintings. It now is also extremely well know and highly considered for its collection of decorative art including ceramics, textiles, wood, metal and glass by local and national makers. The Shipley Art Gallery has an amazing collection of whole cloth and patchwork quilts, which the North East has a long and strong tradition in making, either for private use or as a way of making money.

As part of the celebrations, I have been asked to work with and encourage creative people to work together to make a new patchwork quilt. As traditionally, patchwork would have been made using English Paper Piecing, this quilt will also follow in the tradition. To make this quilt, we need 100, 20 cm square (plus seam allowance) hand pieced panels.

 

One finished 20 cm square patchwork panel for the Shipley Centenary Quilt.

 

If you would like to get involved, the individual patchwork panels need to be returned by the end of August, either to myself or the Shipley Art Gallery. The finished patchwork quilt will be on display for the centenary celebrations towards the end of November. So, this allows a couple of months to piece all of the panels together and to quilt it.

‘All We Are Saying’ at the Holy Biscuit exhibition.

All We Are Saying at the Holy Biscuit

12^th September to 3^rd October, 2015.

 

‘All We Are Saying’ at The Holy Biscuit is an exhibition of local artists, who have teamed up with artists from Sunderland, Gateshead, Newcastle as well as in Liverpool, Germany and the Netherlands to create a multi-sited ‘Call-Out’ for Peace, throughout the months of September and October. The philosophy for the exhibitions is apolitical, non-religious, non partisan or nationalistic, and (as far as possible) zero budgeted and non profit making. It is only through the imagination, passion, enthusiasm and commitment of Sunderland artist, Barrie West, who started the ‘Call Out’ that so many artists, makers, creatives and other peace aware individuals have come together to make this such a momentous creative event.

 

As part of this exhibition at the Holy Biscuit, there is work from textile artists, print makers, painters, photographers and silversmiths. Leading up to and during the exhibition people are also being asked to be involved in making a ‘Peace Square’; a small textile piece which will be sewn into a larger ‘Peace Blanket’. So far there has been contributions from as far afield as Sri Lanka, America and Germany and well as from nearer to home across the North East of England.

 

As well as being open to the public between 12^th September and the 3^rd October, two special events are being held:

Saturday 19^th September, to coincide with World Peace Day, visitors to the exhibition will be encouraged to make peace doves using fabric, papers and ribbons.

Saturday 3^rd October, there will be a special celebration day for the Peace Blanket and visitors will be able to see all the squares sewn together.

 

All We Are Saying would like to say a very special thank you to The Holy Biscuit for sponsoring the room hire for this event and for being extremely supportive throughout the exhibition’s development.

All We Are Saying at the Holy Biscuit has been curated by Louise Underwood

The Brownies visit for the opening of ‘All we Are Saying’

The opening night for ‘All We Are Saying’ was a great success. Many people, young and old, found the different ways the artists had responded to the ‘Call Out’ fascinating and thought provoking. There was music by two local young folk musicians, Zak and Ethan Younger Banks who helped set a lovely relaxed tone whilst playing their acoustic guitars, accordions and sometimes assisted by their sister Erin on the flute. The artists had backed cakes and biscuits, to make a truly relaxed affair.

Preview night.

Also as part of the evening, visitors also made origami cranes which were placed within the gallery.

Origami crane making.

In total eleven artists exhibited at the Holy Biscuit but across Sunderland, Gateshead, Germany and the Netherlands many, many more artists have been involved in the whole.

Within this blog post, I shall try and give you a flavour of the exhibition and artists involved at the Holy Biscuit:

Gaynor Devaney

Gaynor Devaney’s work: Dreaming of Home.

Michelle Follet

Michelle Follet’s piece: ‘Silent’.

Jayamini de Silva

Jayamini de Silva’s: Tranquility, Medley and Affection.

Esen Kaya

Esen Kaya: ‘The Conversation’

Kath Price

Kath Price: ‘The White Bird Soars and Swoops’

Louise Underwood

Louise Underwood: ‘Peace Talks’

Margery Robinson

Margery Robinson: The Lovers

Patricia Bowles

Patricia Bowles: ‘Symbol’.

Michelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson: ‘Remember’

Rob Patrick

Rob Patrick: ‘Paveway’

Angela Sandwith

Angela Sandwith: ‘Ritual’

Each of these pieces have very deep, thoughtful and emotive responses, which hopefully I shall have the opportunity to document fully along with the Peace Blanket.

The Peace Blanket has now over 60 squares to be sewn together and if you are interested in being a part of it, then we would like the pieces to be in by Thursday 1st October.

This exhibition would not have been the amazing success it has become without the help, support and guidance of Barrie West, Margaret Graham, Colleen Fernandez, all the fabulous artists involved, The Holy Biscuit team esp. Gemma, Sue Thompson, Zac, Ethan and Erin Younger Banks and all the wonderful people who have made a peace square.

Invitation to the ‘All We Are Saying’ exhibition at the Holy Biscuit.

‘All We Are Saying’ Peace Squares blanket update.

Just a quick update, showing you some of the lovely new peace squares we’ve received over the last couple of weeks for the Peace Blanket which will be part of the ‘All We Are Saying’ exhibition at the Holy Biscuit, in Newcastle upon Tyne in September.

To date, we have over 40 squares (many I still haven’t shown you yet!) that have arrived to us from around the World, to be sewn into the blanket but I also know there are many more making their way to us.

There is still time, if you would like to be involved, check out the details at the below all these beautiful Peace Squares.

Call out for squares:
We would love people to submit squares to be stitched into our blanket. These can be made in any textile media, including crocheted, knitted, embroidery, beaded, fabric painted, patchwork and quilting. They can be as detailed as you have time for and we are very happy to encourage as many young people and children to be involved in this, too. When designing your piece, please remember that this is an optimistic and positive project and we do not wish to offend anyone with the wording or imagery. The squares should be 20 x 20 cm, with an extra 1cm for seam allowance.

These squares can either be made in the gallery during the exhibition in September or can be posted to:
Blanket for Peace,
The Holy Biscuit,
1 Clarence St,
Shieldfield,
Newcastle upon Tyne.
NE2 1YH

Please send your squares before the end of September to ensure their inclusion in the ‘Blanket for Peace’.

All We Are Saying: Be Part of the Blanket of Peace Project

I am so excited that Kit Dunsmore has decided to help us create our ‘Blanket for Peace’ by making a square, as part of the ‘All We Are Saying’ exhibition at the Holy Biscuit.

Kit Dunsmore's Blog

Maybe I’m turning into a hippy as I age, but right on the heels of participating in 1000 Voices Speak for Compassion, I’ve found a group project to promote peace that I’ve decided to participate in. “All We Are Saying” is a British-based art project being organized by artist Barrie West. Collaborators are encouraged to make a block for the blanket using any textile form they like that promotes peace without focusing on political, religious, or nationalistic ideologies.

Since anything goes in terms of how you make the block — embroidered, beaded, quilted, hand-painted, knitted, or crocheted are all good — I’m not sure yet what exactly I am going to make for this project. I want it to have meaning for me with the hopes that, if it is something heartfelt, it will have meaning for others.

The deadline is September, so I can spend a little time…

View original post 64 more words

‘All We Are Saying’, Call out for Blanket for Peace textile squares.

As part of a very exciting series of exhibitions to be held in September, ‘All We Are Saying’ is an international “shout out” for peace with a series of exhibitions in Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Gateshead, Newcastle and Sunderland. It is the idea of Sunderland based artist Barrie West, who has co-ordinated and inspired many creative people across the World to become involved in this amazing project.

The ideology for these exhibitions is apolitical, non-religious, non partisan or nationalistic, and (as far as possible) zero budgeted and non profit making. This is not a commercial exercise but a cry from the heart.

Alongside the All We Are Saying exhibition to be held at The Holy Biscuit in Newcastle upon Tyne and leading up to it, we are also encouraging members of the worldwide community to collaborate with us in creating a ‘Blanket of Peace’: evoking the comfort, safety and security of the community by bringing together handmade textile squares to produce a blanket. The squares will visually evoke the meaning and feeling of peace; producing a blanket that becomes a collective symbol of peace. The Blanket for Peace will be on display at The Holy Biscuit when finished.

Blanket for Peace square ‘Happy People’

Call out for squares:
We would love people to submit squares to be stitched into our blanket. These can be made in any textile media, including crocheted, knitted, embroidery, beaded, fabric painted, patchwork and quilting. They can be as detailed as you have time for and we are very happy to encourage as many young people and children to be involved in this, too. When designing your piece, please remember that this is an optimistic and positive project and we do not wish to offend anyone with the wording or imagery. The squares should be 20 x 20 cm, with an extra 1cm for seam allowance.

These squares can either be made in the gallery during the exhibition in September or can be posted to:
Blanket for Peace,
The Holy Biscuit,
1 Clarence St,
Shieldfield,
Newcastle upon Tyne.
NE2 1YH

Please send your squares before the end of September to ensure their inclusion in the ‘Blanket for Peace’.

All the squares will be posted on our All We Are Saying at The Holy Biscuit Facebook page, so please let us know, who you are and a little bit about your peace square.