Fibreworks 2022

Call for Submissions: FIBREWORKS 2022

Cambridge Art Galleries | Idea Exchange

Submission deadline: Monday, February 21, 2022

Submit online here

Cambridge Art Galleries invites submissions to Fibreworks 2022, a biennial juried exhibition of contemporary Canadian fibre art. Submissions of artwork in which fibre or textile is the principle element are welcomed from Canadian artists at all stages of their careers.

Now in its 19th year, Fibreworks was established in recognition of the regional textile industry that once flourished along the Grand River. The exhibition has also played a critical role in the development of Cambridge Art Galleries’ permanent collection of contemporary Canadian fibre art. Fibreworks 2022 will be juried by Yasmeen Nematt Alla (artist, writer, facilitator) and Hitoko Okada (fibre artist, curator).

Fibreworks 2022 is scheduled to be presented at Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen’s Square, from June 20 through September 11, 2022. Exhibition dates are subject to change in accordance with provincial regulations and public health guidelines. Artists presented in Fibreworks 2022 will receive artist fees in accordance with CARFAC fee schedules. Cambridge Art Galleries will coordinate and cover costs of shipping.

Submission Guidelines

  • Each artist is welcome to submit up to three works.
  • Artwork must be completed within the last two years.
  • Artwork must be ready to install and available to ship within Canada.

Please submit online:

  • Images of up to three artworks (maximum 10 images/media files total)
  • Title, date, medium, and dimensions (height x width x depth) of work(s)
  • Installation requirements (if any)
  • Artist statement/description of submitted work(s) (maximum 100 words per artwork)
  • Biography (maximum 100 words)
  • CV (optional)

Cambridge Art Galleries welcomes submissions from members of equity-seeking communities including women, Indigenous and racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

For questions or assistance with the online submission portal, please contact Karly Boileau at [email protected] or 519.621.0460 x160.

All artists will receive notification of results by April 18, 2022.

About the Jurors:

Yasmeen Nematt Alla (she/her) is an Egyptian immigrant and settler living in Tkaronto, Turtle Island (colonially known as Toronto, Ontario). Her practice centres alienated collectivist narratives from an immigrant’s and an interpreter’s perspective. As someone who lives between cultures, she deciphers language barriers attached to togetherness through textiles, performance, and reactive sculptures that are often situated in social practice. She wonders how translation, experiences, and visuals intertwine with care, grief, and community building. She has most recently exhibited at the Grebel Gallery, Gladstone Hotel, Xpace Cultural Center, and ACRE Projects. As an artist worker, she supports art organizations in creating accessible and anti-racist modes of communications in their day-to-day operations.

Hitoko Okada is an interdisciplinary fibre artist, storyteller and curator currently living in Hamilton, Ontario. She has continued to develop her craft practice through artist residencies and workshops at Haystack School of Craft in Maine, USA and Kawashima School of Textiles in Kyoto, Japan. Her projects, exhibitions, performances and programs have been publicly presented in Vancouver, Toronto, Burlington and Hamilton. She is a recipient of Hamilton City Arts Award for Established Artist in Craft; a core member of the Hamilton Seven Storytelling Collective, and a member of the Burlington Handweavers and Spinners Guild. She is currently developing a research-based body of work exploring the history and ancestral knowledge of cultural heritage craft of Japanese indigo, kakishibu dye, and shifu weaving, supported by the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council of the Arts.

Contact:

Karly Boileau, Gallery Assistant, Cambridge Art Galleries

519.621.0460 x160

[email protected]

Cambridge Art Galleries | Idea Exchange presents contemporary art from two galleries in the City of Cambridge: Preston and Queen’s Square. We serve our regional and broader communities through the delivery of contemporary art programs that foster critical cultural dialogue. Our artistic activities engage, embrace, and empower people of all ages and abilities from diverse backgrounds.

Cambridge Art Galleries is situated on the traditional land of Indigenous peoples dating back countless generations. We recognize that it is part of the Haldimand Tract, the traditional land of the Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.