Stitched Up Textile Festival Program
After running annually since 1999, the festival committee voted in early 2010 to take the festival biennially, with the next one to be held in 2011. The decision was made to give the committee more lead time to prepare each festival, and an opportunity to explore some new ideas & directions for the festival and refresh after 11 fantastic years.
2011
The theme for the 2011 festival is Fabric of Our Community, celebrating Wangaratta's Textile Heritage and the continued strength of the textile community and industry. Exhibitions and workshops will include a focus on handweaving with looms set up for visitors to try.
The 2011 festival program is still in development but some exciting plans already made include:
- a 10 day festival from 1-10 July 2011
- a return to the Wangaratta CBD with the competition entries, displays and demonstrations to be held at the Workshop Space @ Wangaratta exhibitions Gallery
- other displays will be held in key CBD locations including the Library
- an opening weekend jam-packed with workshops
- a closing weekend featuring a Makers Market in the new Town Hall at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre to showcase the best handmade textile goodies from the region
Stay tuned for more details as they are announced!
2009
The 2009 festival theme was Entangled and featured needlefelting through workshops with acclaimed artist Jenny Romano. Needlefelting is where wool and other fibres are magically formed into non-woven fabric and solid three-dimensional figures and objects. The fibres are forced to tangle together, hence the theme of Entangled.
In 2009 exhibitions at the airport included "Entangled Sculpture" by Beechworth artist Frances McDonald, and "Under Flynn's Wings" - 20 quilts celebrating the 80th aniversary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
To view the 2009 program, click here.
