Ipswich Threads

23/01/2025

Deborah shared this review of the exhibition. Give it a watch.

We traveled to the Bristol Art Museum to see a wonderful textile art exhibit, Parallel Threads, Untangled Ends curated by Deborah Baronas and Dr. Janice Hanl...

11/01/2025

Looks fabulous. A bit far away though.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1628xeYxj8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Until 30 March 2025

22/12/2024

Check out the works of Australian Artists at Parallel Threads.

The page link below shows snapshots of the works and from there you can click through to artist statements and video interviews. Congratulations to all.

I so enjoyed interviewing each artist, then spening more time with each ‘virtually’, getting up close by editing footage, and seeking out the essence of each story.

None of the artists worked at the mills themselves, and for many the mills were already closed when they came to Ipswich, but connections were made in various ways.

Lynda Flewell-Smith’s piece connects with her father’s mill work, and includes a local cotton strain “Cooneanna” from the from the 1860s.

Hennie Cote’s painted warp piece of the mending room at North Ipswich mill connected with her own associations as the daughter of a pastoralist in Western Australia and the impact of Albany Mill’s closer.

Ang Martinez’s triptych focuses on the North Ipswich Mill, referencing First Nations people’s use of land, the mill itself and after its closure.

Three are upcycling stories. There’s the a much loved picnic rug by Carolyn Kerr. Then a discarded blanket coat by Belinda Whitehouse. Both rugs were from the Ipswich mills. But then from Damaris Parker is the artful weaving a fabric from teabag strings.

Mieke Den Otter produced beautiful eco-dyed pieces with her felted cape and ‘spotted gum’ wrap.

There is also the eco-dyed baby blanket, by Lynda, and Annamaria, a gift for Deborah Baronas’s first grandchild.

You’ll find a masterclass in eco-dyeing by Mieke and Annamaria Mays Vermeer. A beautiful dyeing alternative as opposed to the damaging industrial chemical dyes that would end up in the Bremer river. Two of the pierces from the day - a pale green raw silk price donated by Trish Fitzsimons, and a silk chiffon scarf were created at that eco-dyeing day.

You”ll also find a a lovely screen piece print by Kellie Nolan inspired by Deborah’s scrims from the Ipswich Threads exhibition.

There is also a hand-woven top by Dorothy Walsh.

Finally we include a timeline exhibit created by myself and Ang Martinez for the foyer of the exhibition to graphically depict the parallels.

Follow the link below to see these works and view the video clips.

Works by Ipswich artists formed a significant part of the Parallel Threads Exhibition in Rhode Island. This time, the artists and Janis Hanley, the Australian co-curator were working remotely, rely…

18/12/2024

Waverley Mills in Launceston, Tasmania, opened its doors in 1876, the year before Queensland’s first mill opened. It’s the only woollen mill in Australia from that era still running.

I love the rugged imagery for the field blanket.

Actually, that lichen would give some lovely purple/pink shades in the dye pot!

Built for Today

30/10/2024

All boxed and ready to send artists works to Rhode Island for ‘Parallel Threads: Entangled Ends’ exhibition

16/10/2024

Such an honour today to interview these wise women of fibre arts.

04/10/2024

How good is it that Ipswich artists are participating in this US exhibition with New England artists, exploring the parallels around what became of our past textile manufacturing industries. What might we discover?

We thank Bristol Art Museum for this exciting opportunity.

𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗻. 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗨𝗦𝗔, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗿. 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮, 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗜𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗽𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗵, 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮, 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟬𝘀 -𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟬𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀.

Last year Deborah worked with artists and community members in Ipswich, creating an exhibition based on Janis’s doctoral research on the region’s textile heritage. Through contemporary art-making and interpretation of archival materials, participants explored the many facets of the heritage of textile production in their community.

The exhibition also addressed the relationship between the historical significance and contemporary uses of these mill buildings, to encourage heightened awareness of the importance of these mill structures and the spirits of the workers within them.

This was funded by a Regional Arts Development Fund Grant provided by the City of Ipswich and the Queensland government.

Now, Parallel Threads – Entangled Ends is coming to Rhode Island. The project is a multidisciplinary exhibition featuring an art installation, individual artworks, archival research, video, sound, and panel discussions. A series of documentary films, lectures by Scholars and Filmmakers from Australia and the USA will be held throughout the run of the show.

This bi-national exhibition tells stories of loss for the workers and their communities, and the impact of that loss on local culture and economies. The themes explored are: the parallel timelines between Australia and the USA; workers’ experiences; mill closures and their impact; adaption and renewal.

02/10/2024

This is the artefact from Ipswich Historical Society inspired Deborah’s creation of both Ipswich Threads and Parallel Threads logos.

The woollen textile samples were from the former Ipswich Woollen Company situated in East Ipswich … and previously a cotton mill.

30/09/2024

Here are the works of local artists who participated in Ipswich Threads in 2023. It’s a diverse range of work, and some interesting re-interpretations of Deborah’s approach to scrims.

Some of these works will be reprised as part of Parallel Threads.

Follow the link and click on an artist’s work to see more detail.

Works by local artists formed a significant part of the Ipswich Threads Exhibition. Many artists contributed also to getting the show up and running, from many hands at work creating the scrims, to…