Interlace collaboration

Posted in Collaborations, Exhibitions, Interlace by Ruth Singer

My collaboration Interlace with Bethany Walker is going from strength to strength!

In 2016 we ran Urban Growth an exciting community project with 8-13 year olds to create a permanent piece of concrete and cloth outdoor work of art in Leicester. This project was funded by the Joyce Carr Doughty Trust.

Over the Spring and Summer we were pleased to be showing at Jennifer Collier’s contemporary craft gallery Unit Twelve in an exhibition of collaborations. I was also showing my work with Jan Garside.

We followed this with exhibiting at all three Knitting & Stitching Shows in London, Dublin and Harrogate which was a great success. Our popular Spectrum piece grew from 27 bowls to 45.

2016 was rounded off really well with Made in the Middle. Early in the year we were delighted to be selected for this high-quality and well-respected touring exhibition. Our new piece HALO, our largest to date (4m wide) was awarded a prize at the opening night of the show in December.

Made in the Middle continues at The Herbert Museum & Art Gallery until 19th February and then tours throughout 2017 & 18.

3Nov2014

Cyanotype workshop with Hannah Lamb

Posted in Art Textiles, Work With Me by Ruth Singer

I’m never quite sure if a day spent at a creative workshop counts as a day off or as work, when it is both enjoyable and professional development. Either way, I don’t do it enough and always resolve to do it more. A couple of weeks ago I spent a day experimenting with cyanotype under the guidance of textile artist Hannah Lamb at my favourite independent gallery, Unit Twelve.

Cyanotype workshop with Hannah Lamb (photo by Ruth Singer)

My test pieces on paper worked well but the pieces on fabric weren’t the most successful. They got exposed to light before I had them ready and then they got rained on! I have ended up with a couple of pieces that I will use in my own work at some point, even though I don’t often work with blue. The hands pieces in the top left image will become part of a new series of Criminal Quilts and I have ideas to play with from the other pieces. It is a wonderful thing to spend a day experimenting with no particularly end, to simply to find out how things work and to stretch yourself to come up with new ideas, outside of the usual comfort zone.

9Dec2013

New exhibitions

Posted in Collaborations, Exhibitions by Ruth Singer

Two pieces of my collaboration with Alys Power are now on display at Unit Twelve Contemporary Craft Open (the show that I won a prize at last year!). They’ve been beautifully displayed as usual, and the rest of the show looks stunning. I’m looking forward to getting over to see it. The show continues until 1st March 2014.

At Unit Twelve

The whole collection made by Alys & I will be displayed next year in a gallery in Dorset, which is very exciting. More on this soon.

I’ve also got pieces from my collaboration with Jan Garside on display at Pedestrian, a small gallery in Leicester just up the road from my studio. There are also a few of my paper Christmas decorations available there too. The show is open until 23rd December.

Collaboration with Jan Garside

5Nov2012

Award Winner!

Posted in career, Exhibitions, My work by Ruth Singer

I won the Craftspace prize at Unit Twelve open contemporary craft exhibition!

I couldn’t be happier with this award from the lovely folks at Craftspace. It is exactly the creative boost I need to get cracking with some new work.
The pieces, Monumental Folly that I entered in the show, and won the prize for, relate to a very unhappy period of my life three years ago, and it is so intensely personal that I didn’t show the work to anyone for a long time, and even after a couple of people had seen and admired it, this is the first selected show I have actually submitted the work to. I can’t imagine a better ending to the story of making this work than to win a prize for it! The unhappy stuff is long over, so now I can just enjoy the positive reactions I get to the work.

I have done lots of community projects and teaching with Craftspace in the past and I really like them personally and hugely respect the work they do, and they have always been incredibly lovely and supportive to me, so it really is a delight to win this prize. I’m going to frame the certificate and hang it above my sewing table to remind me of how good things can be.

I’ve said before how marvellous Unit Twelve is, but I will say it again. It is the single most inspirational place I know after my other home, the V&A. I only wish it was nearer to me…

The exhibition continues to 25th November and it is well worth going to see it, as there is a huge amount of amazing work in the show. These are just some of my favourites

Alix Swan Little Bit of Printy Things

Contemporary Craft Open exhibition at Unit Twelve

Posted in Exhibitions, My work by Ruth Singer

I am delighted to have be accepted to show two pieces of new work at this lovely craft gallery run by my good friend Jennifer Collier in rural Staffordshire. I’ve exhibited and taught there several times and it is a truly magical place to visit. Not only is there a great gallery with changing exhibitions, there are four studio spaces which you can nosey around!

Jennifer’s studio space

My work (Sewn Up) in the First Anniversary: Paper exhibition at Unit Twelve in 2011.

Unit Twelve fabric manipulation workshop

Teaching in the studio space at Unit Twelve

Ties That Bind exhibition at Unit Twelve

My aprons in Ties That Bind, 2011

Everyone is welcome to the exhibition private view on Saturday 3rd November 2-4pm at Unit Twelve. Prize winners will be announced at 3pm. The exhibition showcases the best in contemporary craft, both amateur and professional, and was selected by www.madebyhandonline.com and www.craftspace.co.uk, who have also kindly sponsored prizes, along with Jo Hall, Editor of Embroidery Magazine andwww.printgarage.co.uk. Details of how to find the gallery are here.

The exhibition will continue until 25th November.

I am exhibiting these two pieces

Monumental Folly

15Oct2012

Unit Twelve Craft Open Exhibition

Posted in Exhibitions, My work by Ruth Singer

I’m ever so pleased to have had my work accepted to the Unit Twelve open exhibition, and it sounds like I am in very good company, from the snippets I’ve heard…

I’m showing two pieces from my Monumental Folly series and this will be their first proper exhibition outing. I am excited and nervous to be showing more of my new work, at last.

Unit Twelve is quite possibly the nicest gallery in the Midlands – a brilliant selection of contemporary craft exhibitions and also designer-maker studios to nosey in. I am entirely biased because the gallery is run by my dear friend and maker-extraordinaire Jennifer Collier. I am pretty confident that I would think this gallery is amazing even if she wasn’t my friend. And no, she wasn’t involved in the exhibition selection, so no deals were done!

The Private View, awards and general fun stuff for the exhibition will take place on November 3rd. Please join my mailing list for an invite to this event.

Detail photos are by the fantastic Nine Photos. Top photo is by the not-a-fantastic-photographer Ruth Singer…

Ruth Singer

Ruth Singer textile artist

Tag Archives: unit twelve