Tapestry Weaving

Margaret Jones.
Dissertation - Academic year 2014/15





The place of the work of the British artist-weaver in the contemporary art-world.


or


An exchange between
Gwendoline, a tapestry
and
Mr Owlswick Jenkins, gallery owner





      Dear Sir
      I am a tapestry of remarkable beauty and am approaching you to ask if you would exhibit me in your gallery.
      Many galleries are unwilling to exhibit any textiles, let alone tapestry but I hope you are capable of looking beyond these prejudices and so attach a self portrait for your perusal. [Fig 1]
      Kind Regards
      Gwendoline

  [pic] Fig.1

Dear Ms Gwendoline,
Thank you for your email, regrettably I must disappoint you. We do not exhibit any textiles as there is no public interest in them.
Regards,
Owlswick Jenkins.

      Dear Mr Jenkins
      How do you know the public has no interest in textiles or tapestry if you do not exhibit them?
      Gwendoline


Dear Ms Gwendoline,
A fair point but I have had much experience of textiles exhibitions which have not been successful. They are well attended but full of predominantly middle- aged ladies who take huge amounts of notes; I suspect they go home with the intention of making something similar to match their interior decor[i]. They buy nothing and as a commercial gallery owner I do need to make a living, as do the artists I represent. Textiles are such a tricky area and tapestries are particularly difficult; you do not sit quite under the textile umbrella because you are not traditionally a feminine ‘lap’ pastime and yet nor do you sit with painting etc. in the fine art arena. Have you thought of trying a craft gallery?
Regards,
Owlswick Jenkins.

      A craft gallery? Are you mad? I am the result of years of study in fine and visual art. Is that the best you can offer?
      Gwendoline

Dear Ms Gwendoline,
We have many paintings submitted which are also the result of such an education but most of them do not get to exhibition stage. We have open...