The Long Note, Cork 2009

An exhibition of textiles by members of the Cork Textile Network, is currently taking place in The School of Music, Cork, from Monday 23 November - Friday 18th December 2009.

Opening hours: Mon - Fri 10am-7pm / Sat 10am-5pm

www.corktextiles.com

Monday 23rd November - Thursday 17th December 2009, at 6pm.

ALL ARE WELCOME

Mounting your Fibre Art

Mounting is a very important aspect of any type of art, including Fibre Arts. It should preserve and enhance your artwork, but it can take away fromit just as easily.

Picture Framing Magazine have some interesting articles on mounting textiles. From Mounting Textiles to Creative Object Mounting Design, Concepts for Float Mounting, to Mounting a Sheer Silk.

They are well worth a read.

Fibre Arts Magazine

Fibre Arts is a fantastic magazine of Contemporary Textile Art and Craft. An Interweave publication it is US based, but does have very interesting articles and reports from around the world.

"In each colorful issue, you'll enjoy meeting the artists and discovering new techniques. Each issue also includes fascinating interviews and portfolios, useful news and reviews, current exhibition listings, competitions to enter, and an education and travel directory. For thirty years, Fiberarts has been both inspiring and exciting. 

Our readers include artists, craftspeople, collectors, curators, and lots of folks who simply love looking at and reading about exciting contemporary and traditional textile work including weaving, surface design, quilting, needlework, basketry, fiber, sculpture, knitting, papermaking, and wearable art."

It has a section about competitions and opportunities. If you work in Fibre Art, this is a great resource to see about getting commissions, exhibitions and residencies abroad. The current issue Nov/Dec 09, not only has the latest news and reviews from the Fibre Arts world, but an article 'How to Photograph Your Fibre Art'. An essential part of working in any area of the arts these days.


Subscriptions currently cost $26 for 1 year (5 issues), or $39 for 2 years (10 issues), roughly 18 and 27 euro respectively.Well worth the price.Perhaps Santa will be nice this year!



For more information, to subscribe to  www.fiberarts.com

The Golden Fleece Award

There are too few awards given to traditional craft workers, but The Golden Fleece is a rare exception. Have blogged about it on The Woolly Way of Ireland if you are interested.

www.goldenfleeceaward.com

Visual Arts Ireland

If you want to know what's happening in the Arts circles in Ireland, then you should look no further than Visual Artists Ireland.

"Visual Artists Ireland is the all Ireland body for professional visual artists. As a membership organisation, it provides services, facilities and resources for artists, initiates artistic projects and publications and acts as an advocate on behalf of individual artists".

There are different types of membership:

Professional Membership: – For any artist who fulfils three or more of the professional status criteria listed below.

Associate Membership: For any emerging artist who does not yet fulfil these criteria.

Organisations or non-artists may also sign up as ‘Friends’ in order to receive a subscription to magazines or other services.

Standard Rate - €50 / STG £35
This is the standard rate for professional and associate membership for artists living on the island of Ireland.
Concessions Rate - €25 / STG £18
The concessions rate is available for unwaged or students living on the island of Ireland

The concessions rate can also be availed of by members of the National Sculpture Factory (NSF), Architectural Association of Ireland (AAI) and Northern Ireland Visual Arts Forum (NIVAF)

International Rates
Britain – STG £40
Europe: €65
Rest of World: €70
There are no concession rates for international members

Friend Rate
Friend: €60

Free E-bulletin
They produce a news-sheet VANS (Visual Artist's News Sheet) twice a week, with all the latest opportunities, submissions, exhibitions, and general arts news. You don't have to be a member to receive this news-sheet by email, simply sign up from here.

www.visualartists.ie

What is Fibre Art?

According to Wiki: Fiber art is a style of Fine Art which uses textiles such as fabric and yarn and natural and synthetic fibres. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labour involved as part of its significance.

"Fiber artists face the same dilemma of all artists; determining "what is art?" More so with fiber arts, in that even if a particular potholder or doily is pleasing aesthetically, does that make it art? Typically, pieces like potholders, which just follow patterns without doing anything more, are not considered works of fiber art. Fiber art works are works of art that communicate some sort of message, emotion or meaning and go beyond just the literal meaning of the materials. Fiber arts face the challenge at times of the message or meaning of the work of art being eclipsed by the study of the materials used and their history, rather than what they contribute to the overall work of art."

What do you think?

Fibre Art Suggestion Box!!

The Woolly Way of Ireland is expanding with another blog to take over the Blogosphere!

It was hard trying to fit everything on The Woolly Way of Ireland blog, so we are expanding into here, our sister blog, Irish Fibre Arts.

The aim of this blog is to promote Fibre Art in Ireland. To create a network for textile groups and individual artists. To foster serious discussion and not so serious chat among artists working in the medium of fibre. We plan on having the latest news on opportunities, exhibitions, the latest thoughts and trends in the Fibre Arts world.

We have lots of ideas, and plans for this blog, but all help is gladly received! If you want to help directly with the blog, would like to become a regular contributor, please get in touch.

Use this post as a Fibre Art Suggestion Box, leave comments on what you would like to see, what you don't want to see, articles that would interest you, etc...