Cambridge Art Galleries is celebrating the critical role the textile industry that once flourished in Cambridge played in putting the city on the map.
Fibreworks was established in 1982 to recognize the bustling textile industry along the Grand River. The exhibition has also played a critical role in the development of Cambridge Art Galleries’ permanent collection of contemporary fibre art.
The gallery is now turning to the community to submit their take on the world of fibres to get a chance to be displayed at the Queen's Square location inside the Idea Exchange.
"This latest iteration of our fibre-based group exhibition Next In Fibre: 20th Anniversary of Fibreworks combines the strengths of Cambridge Art Galleries’ two biannual exhibitions: Fibreworks and SHOW (the emerging Ontario-based artist exhibition) to present works by emerging artists working with fibre as a medium," wrote the gallery in a press release.
"To celebrate a rich history of spotlighting fibre artists, we seek to inspire the next generation of artists to challenge and innovate the future of fibre art. We encourage artists to push what is known as textile art by introducing viewers to a thought-provoking contemporary experience."
This group exhibition will also run concurrently alongside a selection of works from Cambridge Art Galleries’ permanent fibre art collection presented at its Preston location.
A selection jury, comprised of the gallery director, the curator, a guest juror and the Gallery Advisory Committee will choose one artist from Next in Fibre: 20th Anniversary of Fibreworks to enter into an acquisition discussion.
The gallery does not guarantee any purchase of artwork from any submissions or exhibiting artists.
Next In Fibre: 20th Anniversary of Fibreworks will be exhibited at Cambridge Art Galleries, Idea Exchange, Queen’s Square, from August 25 to November 10. Exhibiting artists will receive exhibition fees in accordance with CARFAC Guidelines.
To be eligible for submission, artists must be based in Ontario and be in the early years of their professional careers with between three to seven years of exhibition experience. They must also be committed to the ongoing development of their artistic practice.
Artworks should be completed at the time of submission, have not been previously exhibited and be available for the period of July 19 to December 1.
Artist submissions will be reviewed by the Cambridge Art Galleries' curatorial team with artists receiving notification of results by April 8.
To view a checklist for submission details please visit the galleries' website for more information. Deadline to submit is February 25 by 11:59 p.m.
