Member Article

Newcastle art gallery welcomes tapestry prize finalists

An independent North East art gallery has woven together its new summer line-up, which includes finalists from the prestigious Cordis Prize for Tapestry.

The Biscuit Factory, located in Newcastle’s Ouseburn Valley, welcomes the shortlisted finalists from the 2016 Cordis Prize for Tapestry - the biggest international prize for the textile art form - fresh from their exhibition at The Royal Scottish Academy.

Launched by Cordis Trust to celebrate the city of Edinburgh as a centre of excellence for tapestry weaving, the prize is now in its third year, and attracts entries from all over the globe including Japan, Australia, Denmark and France.

The Biscuit Factory will exhibit work from the nine finalists, including Demetra Browning, Linda Green, Rachel Johnston, Louise Martin, Anna Ray, Philip Sanderson, Katharine Swailes, Patricia Thompson and the winning artist Jo Barker; showcasing the amazing innovation and diversity that can be found in this historical medium.

Alongside this, the gallery’s seasonal exhibition will incorporate artwork from more than 200 artists, including Yorkshire-based painter Stephen Heward, who headlines the summer show. Stephen’s new collection of paintings conveys the inextricable connection between the land, sky and sea.

Other highlights this summer include figurative portrait painter Josh Bowe; landscape painter Rob Van Hoek who names his artworks after musical lyrics; and an irreverent new jewellery collection from maker Rebecca Wilson, inspired by confectionery.

The summer exhibition opens with a free launch event out of hours on Friday 2 June 6-9pm, open to the public. The tapestry show runs until 14 July, with the wider summer exhibition running until the end of August 2017.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alexis Forsyth .