Winchester Cathedral Broderers, Anna Diamond and Arlene Shawcross, have been selected to showcase a piece each at the upcoming Broderers Exhibition: The Art of Embroidery after submitting their work to a panel of experts for consideration.
Submitting four pieces in total, the Worshipful Company of Broderers accepted ‘Flower Meadow’ and ‘The Sea Itself’ for the exhibition, after reviewing photos of the pieces, the detail and the accompanying descriptions.
‘Flower Meadow’, created by Anna Diamond is a whimsical rainbow piece of handmade felt, with organzas applied as flowers, beading and a variety of stitching including Appliqué and couched threads. Arlene Shawcross created ‘The Sea Itself’, a piece comprising hand-dyed, printed silks and tissue paper in contrasting colours of blue and green, with free machine embroidery and a variety of stitching techniques such as Free-motion, Straight and Scribble. The piece was inspired by music, specifically Vaughn Williams’ A Sea Symphony.
Taking place at the Bankside Gallery, London from the 22nd – 27th February, The Broderers’ Exhibition: The Art of Embroidery is an open-submission art exhibition, organised by the Worshipful Company of Broderers; one of the ancient Livery Companies of the City of London. It was formed to regulate the standard of embroidery, a major City trade in the Middle Ages.
Arlene Shawcross, a voluntary member of the Winchester Cathedral Guild of Broderers said “It’s incredibly exciting to have a piece of work accepted for such a prestigious gallery. I’m really looking forward to seeing the exhibition with friends, and having my work showcased in such a wonderful exhibition that will hopefully encourage many people to come and see the skills, expertise and creativity of established and emerging embroiderers from across the UK”.
The exhibition will showcase embroidery both as fine art in the modern sense, and also reflect the centuries of heritage which form the current craft of embroidery today. Embroidery is a precise skill and is very much in tune with the idea of ‘living slowly’. The exhibition will reflect the ideals of heritage, excellent precision and fine art all coming together in one place, and provide artists with a platform to gain exposure, display and sell their artwork and connect with art lovers.
Established by Anna Diamond in 2010, the Winchester Cathedral Broderers is made up of 12 volunteers who meet once a week to work on various Cathedral projects. Currently, work is being carried out on new kneelers, the restoration of an altar frontal for the Gardiner Chantry Chapel, restoration of cushions in the Quire which were originally designed by Louisa Pesel, and the stitching of hares for the Holy Trinity banner that will be finished later on this year for use in future services.
