Dear All
Dates to diarise:
- 25 April - send theme suggestions for the National Members' exhibition in 2026 to Helga. See below for more details.
- Zoom meeting July 2025 - to confirm details closer to the time.
- 2026 Feb - March: National Members Exhibition in The Gallery Ballito. More on this later
Minutes of the Zoom meeting held 17 March:
Present: B Murray, S Lemmer, C Lemmer, J Gilks, C De Villiers, O Tolksdorf, L Van Wyk, T Horan, S Walwyn, S Wessels, M Schindler, T De Harde, Sue Akerman, A McMaster, K Arbeter, L Von Wielligh, J Hearn, K Tedder, M Claase, H Beaumont
Ap: S Clark, M Pretorius, C Knox, P Schutte and R Snyman Wessels
Fibreworks would like to welcome three new members - Alex Hamilton, Lein Smuts and Angeline-Ann le Roux. Thanks for the impressive and professional presentation of your CV's.
National Members Exhibition - Fibreworks XIII The Gallery in Ballito, 2026
After a very productive discussion with Sarah, the curator of the gallery - Sue Akerman's daughter - we decided that the Ballito venue would be suitable for our national show, despite the size of the gallery. This is the smallest space in which we have ever exhibited, and there will be some challenges, but we need to be open and flexible to changes and to embrace new ideas. Here below are the salient points you need to know about this decision, in no order of importance:
- We will be exhibiting in the gallery from early February to the end of March 2026.
- All submitted work will be juried by the gallery's exhibition/hanging committee, as is usual.
- We will not be able to exhibit our work in a gallery that is designated to our work only. We will therefore be sharing the space with other artists as the gallery owners are not sure of the saleability of our work and they want to hedge their bets. This is completely understandable as they are a commercial gallery, and they need to make money.
- This said, Sarah would make sure that any work displayed alongside our work would be a good fit, for example, ceramics and fibre make good bedfellows.
- We will need to scale down our work considerably to a uniform size of exactly 30 X 30 cm. This must include the frame, should you choose to frame the work. This is marginally larger than Major Minors, and like Major Minors have been displayed successfully in the past, they will be exhibited on one of the gallery walls as a composite. Individual works gain strength and power displayed this way.
- Should any work sell, it will be replaced by another Fibreworks piece of the same size, so there will be no gaps on the wall.
- 3D work is welcomed and can be accommodated on plinths and/or tables.
- There are also beams in the ceiling from which artworks can be hung, provided they are not too heavy. Should you be considering a 3D work or one that needs to be suspended, I think it would be a good idea to contact the gallery and discuss the idea with them directly.
- The gallery will provide all the signage and promotion of the show and photography.
- They coordinate and pay for the opening event.
- We can have a speaker to open the show if we wish, but Sarah is happy to do this. She usually does.
- The staff hang the artworks. This is a great relief! Hanging artworks is an arduous and time-consuming affair as many of us know.
- There are always staff in the gallery, and they handle all the sales during office hours.
- No Fibreworks member needs to be present in the exhibition.
- Walkabouts by the artists in the gallery are to be promoted as they are a drawcard.
- The gallery is very upmarket and sees a lot of foot fall, especially during the time we will be exhibiting. Sarah tells me there are a lot of overseas tourists who will be roaming around the lifestyle centre. Good.
- We need a final list of possible themes. Please send Helga your ideas by 25 April as the gallery wants them then.
The costs for each participating artist is R150. This will be paid by Fibreworks. The gallery takes 35% commission on work exceeding R1,000, and 25% commission on work under R1,000. Price your work accordingly. As is usual, Helga needs to know your Artist's Asking Price. She will calculate the Selling Price for the gallery.
Odette Tolksdorf, Sheila Walwyn and Susan Wessels are happy to investigate the possibility of exhibiting at wine farm galleries in the Cape, possibly later in the year. This could be a second venue for our Fibreworks national show. We could then perhaps exhibit much larger work. Think about this.
Additional shows and events
Calico Dress Project
I believe everyone received the information about the Calico Dress project that is being coordinated by Ronel Pistorius. This looks like a very exciting and interesting project, and if any Fibreworks member wants to take part in it or several Fibreworks members want to run with the idea as a group, they are free to do so. I believe Mari Claase will be contacting Ronel Pistorius about participation in this envisaged five year project and Sandra Lemmer, Elaine Barnard and Jenny Hearn have expressed an interest in participating. Contact Ronel ronelpistorius@gmail.com, Helga and Mari if you are keen .
Please note though, that the Calico Project is not a Fibreworks project. Our biennial Members' exhibition is the only exhibition in which all the membership are encouraged to participate.
Many of our old members know this, so I am saying this chiefly for the benefit of the newer members of the Fibreworks who perhaps feel obliged to take part in any textile show that comes up on the horizon.
National Quilt Festival 2026
Fibreworks have received an invitation to take part as a satellite event at the National Quilt Festival. However, we have decided to decline this invitation to exhibit as a group as there are several constraints. See below the conditions of the National Quilt Festival that Fibreworks will have to adhere to.
This said, should any Fibreworks member want to exhibit as an individual, once again they are free to do so and I know several Fibreworks members regularly exhibit at the National Quilt Festival anyway. Good!
Below please see are the proposed terms and conditions for the exhibition:
- Fibre art entries must be new and not previously exhibited in Gqeberha at any venue. It would be wonderful be see items on display in line with our Sew Awareness Theme - A celebration of quilting and textile art as a medium for promoting environmental awareness. This theme lends itself to so many wonderful ideas. In addition, we will be happy to display any other items as well.
- All entries must be wall art as they will be displayed on shell scheme stands, these are the same as those used at Expo's. For this reason, heavy embellishments, framed works, work blocked onto canvasses and tricky hanging mechanisms will not be accepted.
- We will accept 3-D items, which we will display on tables. We believe that 3-D items will add an interesting dimension to the exhibition and as such will welcome these.
- Maximum size for any item displayed should not be bigger that 240cm.
- All entries must have a regulation sleeve of 10cm wide and stitched to the top edge, 2cm short on either side.
- All entries must have a label stitched to the back with the title, name of maker, address and contact details.
- You are welcome to sell any items on display, however, an official of Fibreworks must handle all sales and payment to artists.
- A handling fee/commission of 20% will be levied on all sales.
- All costs relative to the delivery of items to the Festival and return thereof, must be managed and borne by Fibreworks.
- Our Exhibition Curator will hang all items. We will also print all labels with the relative artists' statements.
- We would also request that the Exhibition be minded by a representative of Fibreworks at all times.
- The entire venue will have 24hour security.
- An entry form for all entries will be provided by the Sew Awareness Committee to ensure that all the necessary information is received.
- An entry fee of R200 will be charged for each entry.
- If required we will provide white gloves for inspection of entries, by viewers along with a responsible person to perform white glove duty.
- Remuneration for regional shows
- The end of Project 'Running Thoughts': KZNSA GALLERY
- Many teenagers worked on the pieces. These blocks were displayed with the exhibition. See below.
Much discussion at a Fibreworks meeting as to where to place the blocks - Leonie Malherbe and Rosalie Dace.
Thanks Sarojani for organizing this.
Fibreworks Web site:
Helga and Rod have undated the web site for those members who sent their information. Please check your page and if a gremlin got in there, let Helga know so they can fix it.
Chat soon
Thanks
Jeanette and Helga.
