Contemporary British Tapestry


In addition to the simple concepts of contemporary, British, tapestry, there were a number of major exhibitions bringing together artists who were from Great Britain or who had made their lives there. The broader topics of tapestry technique cross borders and are dealt with elsewhere. A number of very similarly named exhibitions in the 1980s and 1990s highlighted the reemergence of the art and craft of tapestry weaving, some exhibitions permitted a broader scop including embroidery and stitchery but many aimed to focus the minds of the viewer of contemporary design, using both traditional craftsmanship and challenging the boundary into art.
Peter Collingwood OBE challenged many traditional techniques with his macrogauze hangings which took textiles from the floor and wall to a new dimension hanging from wall or ceiling depending on the individual piece. Mary Farmer's leadership and mentorship within the MA Tapestry course at the Royal College of Art during this period was a precursor to other developments such as more distributed learning opportunities and the development of British Tapestry Group in 2005 which emerged from peer-to-peer support of a handfull of tapestry weavers to a wider group based on similar principles.

Contemporary British Tapestry (Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts) 1981-2

The exhibition Contemporary British Tapestry was curated by Kathleen McFarlane from the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, England and then toured to:
It featured tapestries, hangings and Fibre arts of multiple construction methods. Not all artists/works featured at all localities, full details in the catalogue.

Featured artists

  • Liza Collins
  • Jennie Moncur
  • Sarah Farrow
  • Jeni Ross

Woven Image - Contemporary British Tapestry (Barbican Centre, London, England) 1996-7

Woven Image - Contemporary British Tapestrywas curated by Peter Sarginson for the Barbican Centre, London, England and the exhibition then toured to

Tapestry 08

Tapestry 08 is an exhibition of contemporary British tapestry weaving selected from an open submission and curated by The British Tapestry Group.

Picking up the Thread: the Past, Present and Future of Tapestry

Recent exhibitions of The British Tapestry Group include a series of exhibitions to celebrate their 20th Anniversary.