February 4th, 2023A stitch in time: the Textile Palette Exhibition’s back

Words & image: Eve Lamb

If you’re a nifty needleworker with a talent for textiles then the Clunes organisers of this year’s Textile Palette Exhibition want to hear from you.

After a Covid-enforced break, the Textile Palette Exhibition is back, being staged in Clunes over April 1-29, in the Clunes Warehouse for the first time.
And the date for submission of work for inclusion has now been extended from January 27 to February 10, says the exhibition’s regional coordinator, Christine Lethlean (pictured above).
Christine, a talented textile artist who moved to Victoria from WA a decade ago, has called Clunes home for the past eight years, and runs regular workshops from her Clunes studio. She also teaches textile art Australia-wide.
“I’ve always loved stitching,” says Christine who is also a former health professional with a background that includes nursing, mental health nursing and art therapy.
Christine says submissions for this year’s Textile Palette Exhibition are being accepted from interstate as well as closer to home.
“We’re really talking about textile art as a visual art-form,” she says.
“The theme for this year’s exhibition is Time for Stitch. After the past few years
navigating the changes to our lifestyle and restrictions placed on us by the pandemic,
having endured long periods of isolation and separation, what’s spoken of now is how
the quiet time for creativity helped many of us cope.
“Sitting and stitching was a lifeline to maintaining a sense of normality, and keeping a focus and our creative motivation alive.”
With this theme in mind, textile artists intending to submit work for inclusion in the exhibition are being invited to work on ideas connected to their experience during pandemic restrictions – or simply a project highlighting a love of all things connected to textiles and stitching.
Submissions considered for this year’s exhibition may include framed and unframed works, sculptural pieces, wall hangings, costumery or surface design, with artistic soft furnishings and unique upholstered furniture also considered.
As regional coordinator of the upcoming exhibition Christine makes no secret of the fact that she’s aiming to lift the profile of the annual event, and will be applying for a Hepburn Shire grant for promotion, marketing and signage.
“When we held the first exhibition in 2016 – it was a roaring success,” she says.
“We started as a group of about 15 stitching enthusiasts and we’ve had about four
or five shows since the first.
“Now it’s going to be in April every year and I’m anticipating making it a bit
more formally recognised as part of the Hepburn Shire’s events calendar, bringing
visitation from curators, collectors, artisans and anyone interested in stitching as an
art-form. I’m aiming to put it on the calendar as a must-do event.”
Those keen to know more can go to www.textilepaletteexhibition.org and there’s also an Instagram page @textilepalette.