Dear All
NB. Please find attached three Entry Forms that need to be completed for the Exhibition at The Gallery in Ballito, February 5 - March 24 2026
Dates to diarize:
- 15 December 2025 Deadline for Fibreworks Members' exhibition Entry Form for the Ballito gallery. This is the Fibreworks entry form so we can sort out the paperwork for the gallery. Send to helga@adoptimise.com
- 30 January 2026. Deadline for the delivery of work to the Gallery.
- Late work will not be considered
- 30 January 2026 Ballito Gallery; send or deliver the Artist's Application Form and the Supply Contract Form for The Gallery as well as a verification of banking details letter with your work to Ballito.
- Delivery Address: The Gallery: The Studios
Lifestyle Centre, Ballito opposite Weylandts
cnr 398/445 Main Road, Ballito 4420 - NB Couriered artworks. After you courier your work, please send a photo of the courier Waybill by whatsApp 072 245 8691.
- Don't forget Sarah wants a short CV from us. See below for more information. Send this with the delivery of your work or email it to The Gallery. Email: info@thegalleryballito.co.za
- 2 - 4th of February 2026. Setting up and hanging of the work by the gallery staff
- Thursday February 5 - March 29, 2026. Opening of the Members' show in Ballito.
- February 5 - March 24 2026. National Members' Exhibition in The Gallery Ballito. More on this later
- NB There is a chance that we will be taking the exhibition down in Ballito on 24th March and sending it off to the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (the KKNK) in Oudtshoorn. Barbara Murray has a friend who owns a gallery there and he's keen to exhibit our work. Lots of foot traffic and there could be good sales! Should this exhibition pan out, Fibreworks will pay for the shipping of the work from Ballito to Oudtshoorn as this will be the second leg of our National exhibition. We will confirm via WhatsApp if this works outl
- 30 April 2 Entry forms for the South African Quilt Festival (SAQF) We will be sending these out in the next newsletter.
- 31 May - 3 June 2026. Delivery of work to the SAQF Terry Urban, telephone number: 082 920 8471
48 Vitry Avenue, Lorraine, Gqeberha 6000 - 7 - 11 July 2026 Fibreworks exhibition at the National Quilt Festival in Gqeberha. More on this later
Present: T de Harde, K Tedder, J Hearn, J Gilks, O Tolksdorf, L Smuts, M Shindler, B Murray, S Walwyn, C Knox, H Beaumont, T Horan, L Van Wyk, E Barnard.
Apologies: S Naidoo, S Scot, M Pretorius, M Claasč, C Lemmer, C De Villiers.
EXHIBITIONS. We discussed the two planned exhibitions for 2026 in detail. Below is a summary of what was discussed.
- National Members Exhibition - Fibreworks XIII The Gallery in Ballito, 2026
Finances and costs of the Ballito exhibition
The hanging fee for the National Members' exhibition in Ballito next year is R150 per submission. This year, we have decided that should a member's work be selected and it is hung, Fibreworks will pay the hanging fee. In addition, Fibreworks will also pay for a member to submit a second artwork, if it is hung at the show. The Gallery will send Fibreworks the invoice. If you want to submit a third artwork, this will be at your own cost. Hope this is clear.
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. Helga will be handling all the paperwork, as usual. Thanks, Helga, for your efficiency in this domain.
Entry Forms for The Gallery
Please find the two forms for this gallery:
a) 15 December - Artists Exhibition Entry Form. We need this Form for our Fibreworks records and working out the prices.
b) 30 January - the second one is the Artist's Application Form and
the Supply Contract Form for The Gallery.
Read it through this carefully as they also need your banking details and a letter from the bank confirming your details.
These forms must be sent to the Gallery with your work.
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. Do not exceed the specified dimensions
- 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 with the gallery staff. In addition, if the artwork needs more specialised hanging mechanisms, please 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.
Jenny Hearn sent a letter to say that The Viewing Room in Pretoria is keen to host another Fibreworks show at the end of 2026. We have a poll of 21 members keen to exhibit so we are following up with the gallery. Possibly exhibit there for our 30th anniversary! We will let you know.
- Fibreworks exhibition at the National Quilt Festival in Gheberha 6 - 11 July 2026.
Cathy will communicate further details nearer the time.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NOW ABOUT "INTERTIDAL" -- a satellite exhibition of textile art by members of Fibreworks in response to an invitation from the SA National Quilt Festival (NQF) 2026.
THE NQF runs from Tues 7 July to Sat 11 July 2026 at Collegiate Girls High School in Gqeberha.
STATUS: this is not an official Fibreworks exhibition but members are free to take part - so far 12 are confirmed and other members can jump aboard as late as April 2026.
THEME: We can submit work on any theme - the title "Intertidal" throws the territory wide open. NQF would be delighted with responses to their theme of "textile art as a medium for promoting environmental awareness" but this is not obligatory.
STYLE: FREE! Wall art and 3-dimensional pieces are included. Chat to Mari Claase about "special needs" 3-D pieces as she is the co-ordinater. Her email is theoliverose@breede.co.za. Artworks do NOT need to conform with the competition requirements for art quilts (e.g. three layers with some stitching right through). Apart from the NO GLASS rule, all artworks will be hung. Intertidal is not juried.
LIMITATIONS:
All artworks must have a label with the title of the work, the full contact details of the artist and the entry code (supplied once you've entered).
No work framed under glass (or featuring glass in other ways) will be accepted.
No side of the work may be longer than 2.4 metres.
Wall art must have a hanging sleeve on the back, 10cm deep and about 2cm short of each side of the work.
ENTRY: R220 per artwork, payable online with your entry to SAQF.
ENTRY FORMS: 30 April
You must fill in two forms FOR EACH WORK SUBMITTED:
- one on the NQF website which opens for booking in February (we will remind you of the link later). This is when you pay R220 per entry.
- a second Fibreworks entry form which must be emailed to Helga along with a clear photo of the artwork. No payment due. This entry form will be sent to you in Feb/March.
48 Vitry Avenue, Lorraine, Gqeberha 6000
LOGISTICS
- The admin (digital forms, entry codes and entry fees) will be handled by NQF via the online portal.
- The Intertidal venue is the auditorium directly above the main show of competition quilts. Some may remember the Tent Makers of Cairo making their debut in this auditorium. There will be other satellite exhibitions of art quits (as opposed to art textiles) in the space
- The NQF will provide exhibition screens and display tables for our work.
- The NQF curator, Terry Urban will receive our work and hang it for us - assisted by any exhibiting artist who might be around.
- One of us needs to be present at the exhibition during opening hours (9h00-16h00 tbc): Sheila Walwyn will be co-ordinating the duty roster nearer the time.
- We will be supplied with tables and chairs for a strategically placed "Welcome" hub. Artists on duty are welcome to sell small items like reproductions or postcards of their work.
- Fibreworks will handle sales of the exhibited works, ensuring the NQF receives the stipulated 20% commission and retaining a further 10% for Fibreworks. (More to follow later re pricing and phone payments.)
- Closure: The exhibition will come down at 15h00 on Sat 11 July. Work that is not collected personally will be packed and returned to the artist concerned via courier, the courier charges being for your account.
In her capacity as NQF liaison person, Catherine Knox wrote this piece for the NQF festival brochure:
Welcome to Intertidal - an exhibition of textile art by Fibreworks group members
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.
v 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.
We hope that all this will work for you!
Kind regards
Catherine
Thanks, Cathy, for this comprehensive letter. Please contact Cathy directly should you need any further information.
Further information pertaining to the sleeve on your artwork as prescribed by the SAQF. It is available on their web site.
At the AGM Jeanette announced that Fibreworks would contribute R3,000 to assist the promotion of the satellite exhibition.
Fibreworks Finances:
The Fibreworks financials was sent to every member the day before the AGM. If anyone wants to see it again, please contact Helga.
Please note only 18 members have paid for their subs for 2025, and now 2026 is due. If you want to exhibit next year, your subs must be paid in full.
Fibreworks Web site:
Helga and Rod have undated 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.
Achievements of members:
- Barbara Murray
I am fascinated with plants. My collection of pressed flowers/leaves and plants is far more than my fabric stash - ha ha !
I recently hiked the Breedekloof Vallei (near Rawsonville / Worcester) which were breath taking. With permission I walked last in our group so I could collect leaves, flowers etc. (I include a photo of my backpack - no food but PLANTS). In our group were two ladies from Windhoek, Namibia. Their company won an award for the best interior design by Visi magazine - 3 times in a row if I am not mistaken. Their company is called Unleashed by design. (They are on Instagram). They came to ask me why I collect all this plants. I explained and then they asked if I could show them my work, which I did. To cut a long story short - they asked me to make botanical prints in a specific colour palette. They specifically asked me not to do anything but print. They took my fabrics and incorporated it in their designs by making cushions and other products with them. This was photographed by the Visi magazine for the next issue. I am currently busy with other botanical prints for them where I also included paper. I feel so blessed to have met them. I strongly believe people cross our paths for a reason. Included some pictures.
Thanks Barbara well done.
Chat soon
Thanks
Jeanette and Helga.
