Collaborating on an exhibition
My friend and fellow tapestry weaver Fiona Hutchison and I are in the process of planning an exhibition which will open with a private view on the evening of the third of May. All exciting, of course, but as other artists have commented, making the actual work is only a small part of it all.
With this show, we are in total control, which is unusual. Usually a gallery or curator has the final word on what is included, how pricing and commission with be set, what the publicity will consist of, etc. All that takes the burden off the artist, but it also comes at a cost.
Our exhibition will be at the Patriothall Gallery in the WASPS Studios in Edinburgh. Because this is an artist-run space, we had to apply for the use of it, but once accepted, we were able to do what we like. Thankfully both of us have long experience in organising exhibitions large and small, of of our own and of other people’s work, so we know the ropes.
We have also known each other for decades, having woven side-by-side on tapestries, know each other’s work inside out and trust each other to collaborate, not dominate. Another collaboration was with my sister, Peggy Issenman, an excellent graphic designer, who provided us with two beautiful posters and invitations, one each showcasing our work.
From deciding on the title (a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche) to the compilation of mailing lists, it has been a series of coffee-shop meetings to agree how to proceed. Items to consider have been as important as the content and layout of the tapestries to the more mundane, for example, what to serve at the private view.
‘Invisible Threads are the Strongest Ties’ was an apposite title for the exhibition, since it refers to tapestry itself and how the medium is about linkage, but also to the connections between Fiona and me and between us and all the tapestry weavers whose work we know and admire. Collaboration is about the ties that bind.
Invisible Threads are the Strongest Ties: Contemporary Tapestry
Fiona Hutchson and Joanne Soroka
4-19 May 2024
Patriothall Gallery, WASPS Studios, Patriothall, Edinburgh EH3 5AY
