Dear All
Dates to diarise:
- Zoom meeting 1 August at 10 am. As Rosalie usually hosts our Zoom meetings, this will be a short 45 min meeting to discuss matters of interest. Helga will send the notice of the meeting out just before the meeting.
- February 5 - March 29, 2026. National Members Exhibition in The Gallery Ballito. More on this later
- 30 January 2026. Delivery of artworks to The Gallery Ballito. Late work will not be considered
Delivery Address:
THE GALLERY: THE STUDIOS
LIFESTYLE CENTRE
BALLITO OPPOSITE WEYLANDTS
CNR 398/445 MAIN ROAD, BALLITO, 4420
COURIERED ARTWORKS: AFTER YOU COURIER YOUR WORK PLEASE SEND PHOTO OF THE COURIER WAYBILL BY WHATSAPP TO: 072 245 8691.
- 2 - 4th of February 2026. Setting up and hanging of the work
- Thursday 5 February. Launch/opening of the exhibition. This coincides with the First Thursday event at The Studios. This event is a wonderful evening of live music, wine tasting and food offerings as well. We encourage as many participating artists as possible to attend or if not possible to encourage friends and family in the area
- 7 - 11 July 2026 Fibreworks exhibition at the National Quilt Festival in Gqeberha. More on this later
National Members Exhibition - Fibreworks XIII The Gallery in Ballito, 2026 Update:
I visited The Gallery last week on July 7 and met up with Sarah for another productive meeting. The gallery, which has expanded into another small room and provides additional space for exhibitors, is airy and light and reminded me of the chic and immaculate exhibitions of Sue Greenberg's gallery in Florida road. What a joy! There are a number of walls that would be very suitable for the display of our works and Sarah will organize the various wall spaces to highlight our work to its best advantage. How she does this depends on the number and type of work she receives from the members.
Sarah again confirmed the uniform size of the artworks - 30,5 X 30,5cm - so everyone please abide by these dimensions, and remember too that these dimensions are to include the frame. Be mindful of this.
She is also happy to hang artworks from beams in the ceiling, so suspended, 3D works are an option. Keep the weight under 20 kgs. If you are considering a 3D work or one that needs to be suspended, contact the gallery and discuss the idea directly.
- Please make not of the following points. Some of these points are in the last newsletter but there is additional information here for you to digest:
- WhatsApp Dematerialize group
Sarah will set up a WhatsApp group for the participants in the Dematerialize show, so she will need your contact details in due course. Communication with artists, such as dates for walkabouts, sales of work etc. is thus ensured. Please note that the purpose of this WhatsApp group is to keep people informed of gallery events and is not a general chat platform, like the regular Fibreworks WhatsApp group. Should you wish to talk to talk to Sarah about anything, contact her directly. Alternatively, speak to David or Bonile who deal with sales and work at the gallery
- If your artwork is soft and quilt- like, please provide the regular sleave at the back of the work so it's easy to hang. Dowel rods or sawtooth hangers will be provided by the gallery
- If you are working on a frame - the 30,5 X 30,5 we have been talking about, there is no need to provide any hanging mechanisms
- The Gallery is also happy to accept and hang artworks from beams in the ceiling, so suspended, 3D works are an option. Keep the weight under 20 kgs. If you are considering a 3D work or one that needs to be suspended, contact the gallery and discuss the idea directly. In addition, if the artwork needs more specialised hanging mechanisms, provide these together with any hanging instructions, should there be any
- All submitted work will be juried and curated by the gallery, as is usual
- We will be displaying our work alongside other artist's work, but Sarah will make sure that any work displayed alongside our work will be a good fit
- Should any work sell, it will be replaced, possibly, by another Fibreworks piece of the same size
- 3D work is welcomed and can be accommodated on plinths and/or tables
- Artist statement and biography. Please read this from Sarah:
We would like artists to supply a concise artist statement/biography which our sales assistants can use to better understand their artwork and process as we find this is a beneficial tool in the selling and many customers like to take this information with them should they purchase work. This is not a longwinded CV or life biography but rather information that is pertinent to the work that has been submitted and shines a light on the creator of the piece. We as The Gallery are the middleman and aim to connect the viewer/customer/client with your artwork and you in your physical absence.
The artist statement/bio should include a brief introduction of you as an artist and some insight into the work exhibited. Allow it to be a window into your mind and world. It should speak to who you are as an individual and so we have provided a few variations of previous ones as example. Please keep you written paragraph to no more than 300 words. These pieces will be kept on file in The Gallery and will not be stuck up on the wall as, in our experience, this detracts from the pieces, creates visual clutter and does not align with our aesthetic.
The opening of the exhibition coincides with the First Thursday event at The Studios. This event is a wonderful evening of live music, wine tasting and food offerings as well. We encourage as many participating artists as possible to attend or if not possible to encourage friends and family in the area.
Sarah suggested that we could consider having a fashion show of wearable art at the opening. I love this! Who has work? Who is interested? Does anyone know what happened to Jutta Faulds wearable artworks? Perhaps these could be displayed again, to a new audience? Sue Akerman where are some of your capes and cloaks, or have they all long gone, all been sold? Think about this. Sarah will supply the models.
Finances and costs
The costs for each participating artist is R150. This will be paid by Fibreworks. The gallery takes 35% commission on the retail price work exceeding R1,000, and 25% commission on the retail price work under R1,000. Price your work accordingly. As is usual, Helga needs to know your Artist's Asking Price so she can calculate the Selling Price/ Retail price for The Gallery.
Fibreworks exhibition at the National Quilt Festival in Gheberha.
Updates so far. Here is some information from Cathy Knox with regards to the proposed exhibition in Gheberha in July 2026. More details will be communicated nearer the time.
'We accepted an invitation from Sonja Gouveia (festival chair) to mount a satellite exhibition at the National Quit Festival next year. The show will be coordinated by Catherine Knox.
Intertidal is the name of the Fibreworks exhibition and submissions can refer obliquely or not at all to this theme.
Members were advised of the conditions and the following 12 people confirmed acceptance: Catherine Knox, Elaine Barnard, Helga Beaumont, Lynn van Wyk, Mari Claasč, Mariss Stevens, Odette Tolksdorf, Paul Schutte, Rosa Wessels, Sheila Walwyn, Tessa Armstrong and Tilly de Harde.
You are still free to participate or withdraw from the exhibition at this stage.
A WhatsApp group has been set up for the Intertidal exhibition and I was asked to liaise with Sonja. I sent her a detailed memo with the overall message:
"We aim to contribute a worthwhile element to the festival programme by curating a satellite show that will intrigue and delight audience members. In so doing, we will also fulfil our mission to promote fibre art."
Sonja's response was warm and appreciative, and we can anticipate a happy working relationship with her team!
We also have a Fibreworks chat group for the National Quilt Show in July 2026. Contact Lyn van Wyk if you would like to be added.
In summary, this is the plan so far:
- All work can be for sale (20% commission payable to festival.) Sales procedure to be agreed on nearer the time
- All work will be entered on the standard digital forms. (Tixsa is doing the festival entries and bookings so you will have to go on line to enter your work.)
- Entry fee per item is R200 (in line with all other festival entries)
- Labels will be created and printed for us in the festival style
- Sonja will work with us on adequate signage, and we will create an Intertidal poster for use online and at the festival
- Deadlines for entry and hand-ins to be observed so the festival team know how much floor space to allocate and how many display screens to order for us
- Personal delivery of work can be negotiated nearer the time
- There may be additional satellite shows mounted at the Festival. Fibreworks is exhibiting in a large auditorium (level floor) hall immediately upstairs from the competition exhibition which is in the Stevenson Hall.
- There will be an information board with some notes on textile art and the participating artists
- Walkabouts: those of us on duty will conduct on-demand walkabouts as required
- At least one of us needs to always be on duty. We will run a welcome table (good to have some work on the go). We can sell postcards or prints or whatever at the table (commission to the festival). We can possibly invite our supporters from GFI gallery and Art on Target for a little cocktail party.
- Scale: No side longer than 2.4m. Must have a regular sleeve. No restriction on materials or construction
- Mari Claasč will be co-ordinating any 3D artworks. Please liaise with her should you have queries. Contact details: theoliverose@breede.co.za. There is no size limit and tables will be supplied for exhibiting the works.
- EXHIBITION INSTALLATION Terry Urban (the festival exhibition curator) will install our show. We can tweak his juxtapositions (if necessary) on the opening day if necessary.
- Set up commences on 4 July and we can negotiate for personal (rather than courier) delivery of work (I know we would not do anything to inconvenience the festival team.)
Catherine Knox wrote text for the South African Quilt Festival brochure and this is what she sent:
SA National Quilt Festival 2026 - "Sew Awareness"
SATELLITE EXIBITION
INTERTIDAL
An exhibition of textile art by members of the Fibreworks group
Explore the ambiguous zone between earth, sea and sky where only the indefinite is definite! Leave preconceived ideas at the door and let your imagination discover an altered awareness curated by a dozen Fibreworks artists specially for the festival.
There are no rules, no boundaries here. "What if?" is the question implicit in the way materials, techniques and viewers are pulled into a space where unexpected meanings emerge.
Every encounter with the work is intuitive, personal, and unique to time and place. Like the ebb and flow of changing light, textures, intentional transgressions and dynamic colour relations shift continuously.
This is art beyond the limitations of obedient artificial intelligence. The digital world offers no substitute for the awareness roused by textile art - potently physical, present in the moment, and pulsing with the sense that human hands have been at work.
No wonder art textiles are now centre-stage in many galleries and museums throughout the world. Engaging with the expressive potential of fibre is virtually a prerequisite for every emerging (and established) artist these days.
And South Africa's Fibreworks group pre-empted this exciting development by nearly three decades, holding regular national exhibitions that have consistently broken new ground in the art world. (https://fibreworksart.com)
SAY HELLO
At least one artist will be available most of the time for on-demand walkabouts of the INTERTIDAL exhibition. This could be your chance to pause and refresh your own creativity.
Thank you Cathy for taking care of that.
Fibreworks Web site:
Helga and Rod have updated the web site for those members who sent their information. Please check your page and if a gremlin got in there, let Helga know so they can fix it.
Chat soon
Thanks
Jeanette and Helga.
|
