Contemporary British Tapestry

In addition to the simple concepts of contemporary (post World War 2), 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.^[1]

Peter Collingwood OBE challenged many traditional techniques with his macrogauze hangings^[2] 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 The 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.^[3]

The exhibition Contemporary British Tapestry^[4] was curated by Kathleen McFarlane from the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, England (30 June - 9 August 1981)^[5][6] and then toured to:

• Walsall E. M. Flint Gallery, England (1-27 September 1981)^[7][8]
• Crawford Centre for the Arts, University of St Andrews, Scotland (30 October - 22 November 1981)^[9][10]
• Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland (8 January - 5 February 1982)^[11][12]
• Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, England (13 February - 12 March 1982)^[13][14]

It featured tapestries, hangings and Fibre arts of multiple construction methods. Not all artists/works featured at all localities, full details in the catalogue.^[15]

Contemporary British tapestry by the Sainsbury Centre and published by the University of East Anglia

The exhibition Contemporary British Tapestry was coordinated by the Ernst Museum, Budapest, Hungary and Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery with tours across sites in Hungary and England. It was organised by Victoria Preston at Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery.

• Ernst Museum, Budapest, Hungary (9 August 1989 - 3 September 1989)^[16]
• Miskolc Gallery, Miskolc, Hungary (2-24 September 1989)^[17]
• Móra Ferenc Múzeum Szeged, Hungary (3 November - 10 December 1989)^[18]
• Savaria Museum Szombathely, Hungary (11 January - 12 February 1990)^[19]
• Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery (10 March - 8 April 1990)^[20]
• Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead, England (6 - 24 June 1990)^[21]
• Cooper Gallery, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England ( 29 June - 5 August 1990)^[22]
• Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, England (16 August - 1 September 1990)^[23]
• Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Birkenhead, England (19 September - 28 October 1990)^[24][25]

Contemporary British tapestry by Victoria Preston and published by Nottingham Castle Museum

• Ruskin Craft Gallery, Sheffield.(4 June 1990 to 21 July 1990) ^[26]
• The exhibition toured from the Ruskin Craft Gallery and was shown alongside the Scarborough Art Society Annual Show at the Scarborough Art Gallery (16 February 16 March 1991).^[27]

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

Woven Image - Contemporary British Tapestry^[28][29]was curated by Peter Sarginson for the Barbican Centre, London, England (19 January - 25 February 1996) and the exhibition then toured to

• Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, Yorkshire, England (9 March - 6 May 1996)
• Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England (8 June - 8 September 1996)
• Newport Museum and Art Gallery, Newport, Wales (9 November 1996 - 11 January 1997)
• Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen, Scotland (255 January - 22 February 1997)^[30][31][32]

Woven image contemporary British tapestry a Barbican Centre touring exhibition

Tapestry 08^[37] is an exhibition of contemporary British tapestry weaving selected from an open submission and curated by The British Tapestry Group.

• Bankfield Museum, Halifax (7 June 2008 - 28 September 2008)

Recent exhibitions of The British Tapestry Group include a series of exhibitions to celebrate their 20th Anniversary^[38].

• Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries (16 August – 4 October 2025)
• Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh (20 October 2025 - 14 February 2026)
• The Market Hall, Devonport, Plymouth (2 - 18 March 2026)
• Morley Gallery, London (13 - 25 July 2026)

Picking Up The Thread The Past Present And Future Of Tapestry 2025-6 (extract)