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Upland Member Exhibits at Arts and Crafts Showcase

22.1.2020

Morag Macpherson will be exhibiting an upcycled kimono as part of and Arts and Crafts textiles showcase at Marchmont House

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Image by Colin Hattersley
Image by Colin Hattersley

An Arts & Crafts kimono – created by Upland member Morag Macpherson using 19th century and modern fabrics – will be at the heart of a special event celebrating Arts and Crafts textiles from 1850 to the present. 

Arts & Crafts Textiles Celebration - nature, beauty and community from 1850 to the present day, takes place at the magnificent Marchmont House in the Borders on 1 February.

The event - which connects to the landmark exhibition May Morris: Art & Life currently open at Dovecot Studios - is part of Marchmont House Director Hugo Burge’s drive to help nurture a new Arts & Crafts Movement, promoting hand-crafted work, a sense of community and an appreciation of nature. 

He said: “The original Arts & Crafts Movement embodied a purpose that could not be more important for today - celebrating nature, craftsmanship, community and a sense of purpose. Arts & Crafts textiles are at the centre of this crucible of interests, replete with hidden stories, inspiration and raw beauty. It couldn’t be more timely to dive into this field, seeking a new sense of purpose in craftsmanship.”

Morag McPherson, an international textile artist and designer based in Kirkcudbright, created the kimono for a client who wanted to upcycle a beautiful but badly deteriorated piece of 19th century Arts & Crafts fabric.

Morag said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the kimono is being shown at Marchmont House. This was a wonderful way to bring together the past and the present to create a new garment that I hope will be loved and cherished for many years to come. It creates a wonderful link to the original Arts & Crafts Movement, and shows how its ideas, values and designs are as valuable and relevant today as they were in the past.”

Alongside Morag's kimono, the exhibition will include the Cape of Clouds by Bristol-based contemporary embroiderer Louise Gardiner, a cape covered in “story clouds” made by women from around the world. Pieces by Naomi Robertson, Master Weaver at Dovecot in Edinburgh and antique textiles by Ernest Gimson and now belonging to Barley Roscoe will also be exhibited.

The speakers for the event are set to include:

  • Margaretta Frederick - Chief Curator, Delaware Art Museum
  • Kate Grenyer – Curator, Dovecot Studios
  • Dr Lynn Hulse – Embroidery expert
  • Paul Reeves - Collector & dealer renowned for his knowledge of Arts & Crafts textiles
  • Mary Schoeser – Honorary President, The Textile Society
  • Joseph Sharples - Curator of Mackintosh Collections and Applied Art The Hunterian

Local Textile Stories in the Borders:

  • Hazel Smith - Re-Tweed - using textiles for social enterprise
  • Pauline Burbidge – artist – stitch & collage
  • Andrew Crummy - Designer of the Great Tapestry of Scotland 

Tickets are available from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arts-crafts-textiles-celebration-marchmont-tickets-77640808749