The idea for the Festival started being developed last May being founder members of Itchy Fingers Textile Group we had realised there was a wealth of textile groups in Swansea that could come together to make the Festival work.
We contacted exhibiting venues and the textile groups we could identify. It was a very positive response and this was a starting point for gathering groups and venues together. The Itchy Fingers exhibition in Ceri Richards Gallery at the Taliesin, starting the 5th August 2016, gave us the foundation dates for the Festival.
Swansea Council has previously provided venues for textile exhibitions and our sister group Stitches Coven were already booked into The Grand Theatre and then ContexArt confirmed exhibiting with Swansea Museum with the Embroiderer’s Guild being allocated The Civic Centre. Our stunning village of Llareggub inspired Dylan Thomas’ ‘Under Milkwood’ will be at The Dylan Thomas Centre.
We were left needing a home for Swansea Quilters exhibition of quilts and were delighted to be offered the Colonnade by the National Waterfront Museum of Wales.
We had previously had support from Tapestri Café Bar and Bistro we visited them and they were happy to provide us with exhibition space and use of their courtyard for the Textile Street Art. The Wednesday Stitchers will display their work here for the Festival fortnight.
A fellow committee member had the vision of creating textile tableaux around Swansea to connect all the exhibiting sites. The route was planned and sites identified and this was a key element to promote the stitch extravaganza in the centre of Swansea. We decided a big pink button would be used as a marker for the textile trail around Swansea.
Our fund raising morning on February brought many of the Street Art groups together. We are delighted that there are so many strands of stitchers coming together…
Swansea Quilters, Itchyfingers Textiles, Contexart, Stitches Coven, Linden Piece Makers, Swansea Bay Regional Equality Council, Swansea Embroiderers Guild, The Stitching B from The National Botanic Gardens of Wales, an Adult Health Group From Cefn Coed Hospital, Wednesday Stitchers, Swansea Prison. Each group has a textile street art story to tell…
www.swanseafestivalofstitch.co.uk