A.Z.’s leading weavers show their work

Press, 27 July 1976, Page 13

A.Z.’s leading weavers show their work

Until the international exhibition of three-di-mensional weaving appeared at the Robert McDougall Gallery last year, not many Christchurch people were aware that the ancient art of weaving had taken off in such unusual — even bizarre — directions. That similar liberties are being taken with the medium in New Zealand is apparent in the First National Weaving Award exhibition, now showing at the C.S.A. Gallery in Gloucester street. Together with the traditional flat pieces of weaving are some startling sculptural forms, fashioned through offloom techniques. The exhibition comprises 27 pieces entered for the Dowse Art Gal-

lery’s competition, embracing wall-hangings, rugs, free-standing threedimensional forms, and off-loom techniques. Of the 44 entries, 17 were rejected by the panel of four judges. The Dowse Gallery hopes to make the award an annual event. The award of $750 for traditional loom weaving went to Georgia Suiter, of Auckland, who comes from Minnesota and studied weaving at the School of Art Institute in Chicago. She worked in Elsie Regensteiner’s studio before coming to New Zealand four years ago, and is now a full-time weaver. Her winning piece was bought by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry has also bought the loom-woven wall-hanging by Kathleen

Low, of Wellington, which won a special merit award for loom techniques. She was a spinner for many years before progressing to weaving the products of her wheel. The $750 award for offloom techniques went to Margaret Thompson, also of Auckland, for a work entitled “The Tear.” She has been weaving for nine years, and attributes her manipulative skill in some part to her training as a school dental nurse. Another wall-hanging in the exhibition, “Triptych,” by Joan Calvert, of Lower Hutt, has been bought by the National Gallery. It is a dark blue, green, and red weaving, done by the off-loom technique. The exhibition will be open until Saturday, July 31.