Making as Learning: The 62 Group of Textile Artists

Making as Learning is an exhibition that is curated by Claire Barber and Ealish Wilson and brings together work by the artist-led organisation, The 62 Group. It offers an insight into the vibrant field of contemporary international textile art, and an appreciation of the knowledge acquired in the making process.

The exhibition is dedicated to Audrey Walker's memory and influence, an inspiring textile artist and educator, and member of the 62 Group who sadly passed away aged 92 in 2020. The exhibition brief was designed to be sympathetic to Walker's approach to learning, while remaining open for members to interpret in relation to their own research and making processes arising form an intimate engagement with textiles or textile-related media.

During this process, critical reflection pushed some artists towards self-enforced boundaries such as avoiding a dominant technique in their practice, working to a radically different scale, or employing materials that are only reclaimed. Walker's influence maybe also felt in how the constituent materials of each artwork are stretched and pulled towards a new understanding of their conceptual possibilities.