Curator's Vantage Point
Textures of Canada
Contemporary Fibre Artists Explore Canadian Identity
From the dawn of time, textiles have kept us warm, dry, comforted and protected. We wrap ourselves in symbolic cloth – uniforms, flags, ceremonial dress – to represent culture, heritage, authority and national pride. For right or wrong, textiles also indicate wealth, status, roles, identity and relationships in society. They provide beauty, utility and decoration, and they are a highly valued record of human life. They are markers of identity and culture.
For Textures of Canada, the Grand National invited Canadian textile artists to reflect on the contemporary, multicultural and geographically dispersed society we call home. Our aim was to encourage dialogue about Canadian identity, through the voices of textile artists. This theme resonated…
We received the largest number of entries to date for a Grand National touring exhibition. Within that large field of entries, the quality and variety of artworks was truly breathtaking. Although not all could be accepted, the submissions ranged from weaving to felting, from electronic design to basketry, from book forms to sculpture and more. Viewers are in for a treat!
In selecting works for the exhibition, I looked for common threads. Which unifying elements appear in the artists’ sources of inspiration? What themes were important or lasting or meaningful? And for textile artists, what materials or processes inspired or informed the artworks?
The entries seemed to sort themselves into five groupings of subject matter. I have titled these Grounded, Rooted, Coast to Coast, Naturally Connected, and Inspired. These groupings are described in both signage at the exhibition venues, in catalogue and on this website. Overwhelmingly, subject matter and inspiration came either from family connections, personal history and pastimes; or from a deeply-rooted connection to the landscape – our place within our country’s natural spaces and ecology.
The Grand National is grateful to all the artists who answered the Call for Entry. Your responses allowed me to create an exciting visual display of your subject matter, your textile genres and media and your artistic practices for viewers across Canada. It is a privilege to share your individual viewpoints, cultural commentary and dynamic artwork for the next year. Through your artwork, and the support of galleries and art spaces in various provinces, I invite viewers nation-wide to participate in the dialogue on what it means to be Canadian.
Judy Weiss
Curator, Textures of Canada
About the Curator:
Judy Weiss, Curator
Judy is an independent curator based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Textures of Canada is her first curatorial engagement with The Grand National Fibre Art Exhibition. Her curatorial experience began with organizing a travelling exhibition for Fibre Art Network (Western Canada) in 2011, and she has organized or assisted with many solo and group exhibitions at a range of gallery venues since then.
Weiss brings a range of training and academic credentials to her curatorial portfolio. She has recently completed course work with the NODE Centre for Curatorial Studies (Berlin, DR). She also holds a Certification in Fine Arts with Distinction (University of Alberta), a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Alberta) and Diploma in Communications (Mount Royal University College).
Her art practice specializes in narrative mixed media textiles. Her artworks include felting, layered textiles, surface design for wall pieces, 3-dimensional textiles and installations. Her work has been exhibited in Canada, the US and New Zealand.