Founding members of AGSM come together in exhibition, The Long and Short of It

The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba is pleased to announce a spring Community Gallery exhibition, The Long and Short of It featuring the Brandon Embroiders. The exhibition runs from March 30th until June 3rd, 2023.

For 25 years, the Brandon Embroiders group have gathered regularly to share their skills and experience practicing an art form with a 20,000-year history. One of the original founding groups of the AGSM, they have gathered there bimonthly for the past decade to share traditional and innovative
contemporary embroidery techniques, and to present their recent projects to one another.

The Long and Short of It features nearly 80 new embroidered works from 17 current members, showcasing an array of techniques, perspectives, legacies, and modernisms. The work is unified in its
material and the incremental speed of progress necessitated by the medium of needle and thread. That slowness links the practice to a rich history, recalling the commitment to creation required of all domestic arts,” which have traditionally been executed simultaneously to other tasks such as
housework and childcare in the service of the family unit or home.

The Brandon Embroiderers describe their ongoing project as “a group of needlework artists who focus
on teaching and improving our skills while learning with like-minded people. It can be enjoyed alone or in community. Long term friendships develop – as our signature sampler says ‘Birds of a Feather stitch together’!” When asked about their upcoming exhibition, the group replied, “It is exciting for us to
exhibit our work as there is a resurgence of interest in embroidery as an art form. With easier access
to materials and different techniques, embroidery has become more diverse and creative.”

The Opening Reception for the exhibition will be in conjunction with Drawn Together in the Main
Gallery, on Thursday, April 13th at 7 PM, and the group will be hosting two “stitch-ins,” where the public can experiment with embroidery techniques free of charge, at the AGSM on Saturday April 15 and Saturday, May 6, from 1:30 – 3 PM.

The AGSM would like to thank the Kayes Family Fund, City of Bandon, Manitoba Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support of their programming and exhibitions.