Creative Cloth shares Museum London’s rich holdings of fabric-based works, gathering items from both the regional history and art collections. Objects from the historical collection illustrate the range of fabrics available to us. The art selections, which include new acquisitions, are further enhanced by loans of work from a variety of contemporary Canadian artists. Taken together, the art and objects reveal not only the diversity of textile based art made in Canada but also the evolving stories behind our clothing, implements, housewares, and décor.
Learn about the myriad skills and processes involved in working with fibre; and the social, cultural, and labour values associated with this type of work. This exhibition explores weaving, stitchery, quilting, and other methods often denigrated as “craft.” Visitors will see both natural and synthetic materials used in handmade artworks as well as mass-produced goods.
Each object is an intriguing document helping us to explore a number of questions. What assumptions do we make about both makers and products? What is the role of cloth in our homes and on our bodies? Do we recognize the sheer adaptability of cloth as a medium that supports all aspects of our lives while allowing us to express ourselves?
Artists in Creative Cloth include Robert Davidovitz, Sky Glabush, Sharmistha Kar, Janet Morton, Ed Pien, Sarah Hartland Rowe, Mina Weettatluk, and Joyce Wieland, among many other historical makers, both known and anonymous
Image: Sky Glabush, Shadows, 2018, acrylic, cotton, and wool, Collection of Museum London, Purchase, 2018