A Tall Order Exhibition

Sound of the Mill and Worker Bees

I’m please to announce that I’ve been invited by curators Dr Derek Horton and Dr Alice Correia to take part in A Tall Order exhibition at Touchstones Gallery, Rochdale.

The artworks selected for exhibition are ‘My Rochdale Lad‘ Pocket, Worker Bees and Sound of the Mill.

The exhibition runs in Galleries 1, 2, 3 & 4 from 4 February to 6 May 2023.

Artists taking part in A Tall Order exhibition
Artists taking part in A Tall Order exhibition

This invitation follows a wonderful conversation I had with Dr Horton when I shared my work at Touchstones in September 2022.

A Tall Order
A Tall Order

In the 1980s, Touchstones was known as Rochdale Art Gallery. Its daring and innovative approach to exhibition and education programming positioned it on the national map.

Led by Exhibition Officer, Jill Morgan, the focus on exhibiting artists engaged in critical and socio-political practice gave a platform to those who were not being offered the opportunity to show their work in other high profile institutions.

A Tall Order! is an invigorating look at the artwork made and exhibited here during the 1980s by a generation of artists, many of whom were women, young, working class and Black.

Featuring key works from this time and demonstrating how this period influenced many artists, the show will include loans from both public and private collections brought together from around the UK. Alongside selected works from Rochdale’s own collection, the exhibition will also present a series of three new and exciting commissions by contemporary artists, Lubna Chowdhary, Sarah Joy Ford and Jade Montserrat.

Generously supported by a grant from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, and Arts Council England and Friends of Rochdale Art Gallery funding, A Tall Order! is curated by independent research curators Dr Derek Horton and Dr Alice Correia.

A Tall Order
Touchstones logo
Touchstones

Gratitude Exhibition

Close up of the stitching - Giant Cauliflower Harvest - embroidered word, red thread about my father and his allotment

I’m pleased to announce that “Giant Cauliflower Harvest ” has been selected for the Gratitude Exhibition at Canco Park, 47 Dey Street, Jersey City, NJ 07306, USA. This is a public arts event where pieces from artists from around the world are printed onto vinyl and hung outside in public spaces.

Gratitude exhibition poster
Gratitude exhibition poster

Cities gain value through public art – cultural, social, and economic value. Public art is a distinguishing part of our public history and our evolving culture. It reflects and reveals our society, adds meaning to our cities and uniqueness to our communities. Public art humanizes the built environment and invigorates public spaces. It provides an intersection between past, present and future, between disciplines, and between ideas. (The Public Art Network Council explain it best in their Green Paper) ….. Gratitude is something we have learned to appreciate and be more considerate of since the pandemic, it has been amazing to receive such a diverse range of styles and subject matter. Walk Bye has become a platform that the people of Jersey City not only recognize, but crave. People send messages asking when the next show will be coming… To be able to celebrate, discover and enjoy artists and cultures from around the world while you walk in your own city is an incredibly fulfilling thing that encourages you to value the diversity and beauty of your own place.

Catalina Aranguren, Founder & Organizer, Walk_Bye
Artwork shared by Walk Bye on Instagram
Artwork shared by Walk Bye on Instagram

The exhibition is curated by artist Catalina Aranguren in conjunction with Walk Bye, Canco Park Conservancy & Bergen County Audubon Society.

The artwork will be unveiled on Sat Jan 14th, 2023 12-2pm in conjunction with a local event supporting Wildlife at the park.

This is second large scale Walk Bye exhibition I’ve taken part in.

Free for All at Touchstones Rochdale

I’m please to announce that I’ve been invited by Artist Harry Meadley to take part in Free for All at Touchstones Rochdale – in an activity called ‘Stitched Memories‘. I’ll be in Gallery 4 from the 7-10th September collecting your words for a new site specific artwork based on Rochdale’s memories from 2022. Pop along and take part!

The final artwork – Summer 2022 – will be a companion piece for Summer ’76.

Free for all - Touchstones Rochdale
Summer ’76 will be on show at Free for All – Touchstones Rochdale

I’ll be bringing several of my artworks to share and inspire you.

MY Rochdale Lad
My Rochdale Lad Pocket | Hand Embroidered Textile Art | 31 x 20 cm

Stitched Memories – Touchstones Rochdale

What are your memories from Summer 2022?

Multi-award-winning textile artist Catherine Hill will be at Touchstones from the 7th-10th September and is looking for your help for a new artwork she’s designing.

Catherine creates hand stitched embroideries all about her own childhood memories growing up in Rochdale during the 1970’s; and for her latest artwork, she’ll be collecting and stitching Rochdale’s memories all about “Summer 2022”. Anyone can take part and all responses are anonymous. Pop along, write a phrase or a sentence or two and they could end up being stitched into a new embroidery. Catherine will have lots of art to share and inspire you.

“Summer ’76” journals the hottest summer of the 1970’s, and nearly fifty years later with more heatwaves, Catherine plans to stitch and document Rochdale’s experience of 2022.

Touchstones Rochdale

I look forward to seeing you there.

Update: January 2023

There’s some wonderful event coverage including a video about Free for All on Harry Meadley’s Website.

Image courtesy: Harry Meadley
Image courtesy: Harry Meadley
Image courtesy: Harry Meadley
Image courtesy: Harry Meadley