The Embroiderers' Guild is the
UK's leading educational charity promoting
embroidery
Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...
. The New South Wales branch was formed in 1955.
History
The guild was formed in September 1906 at a meeting of sixteen ex-students of the
Royal School of Art Needlework, under the name ''The Society of Certificated Embroideresses of the Royal School of Art Needlework''. Miss Wade, head of the Royal School of Art Needlework was invited to be founder President, and Miss Scott who hosted the inaugural meeting and Beatrice Paulson Townsend, wife of
W.G. Paulson Townsend, design master at the school, were invited to be vice-chairs.
They separated during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
but reunited after the war and began teaching embroidery to
shell shock
Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe symptoms similar to those of combat stress reaction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which many soldiers suffered during the war. Before PTSD was officially recogni ...
ed and disabled servicemen as a form of
occupational therapy
Occupational therapy (OT), also known as ergotherapy, is a healthcare profession. Ergotherapy is derived from the Greek wiktionary:ergon, ergon which is allied to work, to act and to be active. Occupational therapy is based on the assumption t ...
.
In 1920 Louisa Frances Pesel (1870-1947) was appointed as the first President. By the time of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the Guild was well established and continued to promote the therapeutic value of embroidery.
An Australian artist
Margaret Oppen came to study at the
Royal School of Needlework and she joined the Embroidery Guild. When she returned to Sydney she led a group who decided to open a branch of the guild in New South Wales. With permission of the guild's patron, Queen Mary, the branch was formed in 1955.
The NSW Embroiderers Guild have an open competition every other year to celebrate Margaret Oppen.
In the 1960s an offshoot of the Embroiderers' Guild was developed as a platform to exhibit professional embroidery to the public. Founded in 1962 and originally named 'The Professional Group of the Embroiderers' Guild', the group brought attention to textile art nationally and internationally. Around twenty years later the group was later renamed
The 62 Group of Textile Artists when the group decided to extend beyond embroidery and encompass other textile disciplines.
[Beaney, Maries & Walker in Millar, L. (ed.) (2011) Radical Thread. The 62 Group 1962-2012. Tunbridge Wells: Direct Design Books]
The Guild's centre at Bucks County Museum is a registered
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
and holds a nationally significant, global collection of embroideries from early times to the present day.
The Guild and its members have created and exhibited works inspired by the 2012 London Olympics (over 2000 postcard sized images of participating nations); in partnership with the British Library and Ruskin College, Oxford led the design and creation of a piece designed by Cornelia Parker commemorating the 800th anniversary of
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...
; in partnership with the Landscape Institute/National Trust/
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
the Guild created over 40 exhibitions of work inspired by the life and times of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown (2015/2016) and in 2016 the Guild was commissioned by the London representatives of HBO Television to create a piece 3.3 metres high and 5.5 metres long depicting the WhiteWalker from 'A Game of Thrones' - 'The Hardhome Embroidery'. This piece was exhibited at 10 venues throughout the UK.
Financial crisis
In 2021 it was reported that the Guild was in financial crisis.
Local branches had had their bank accounts frozen by the Guild.
Some members had been unhappy for years about the way the Guild was run.
Some members criticised the high salary received by the CEO, who was not himself an embroiderer, and who has been described as "a highly paid male specialist in corporate turnarounds" running an organisation whose members are mostly women.
Some Guild members used
craftivism
Craftivism is a form of activism, typically incorporating elements of anti-capitalism, environmentalism, solidarity, or third-wave feminism, that is centered on practices of craft - or what has traditionally been referred to as "domestic arts". C ...
to make their concerns public.
The meeting held by trustees for members to discuss this and to vote on the future of the branches has been called "At the very best ... a PR nightmare. At the worst, it was the outward expression of a charity that was already eating itself whole".
The trustees' proposal to close the branches was carried.
Each branch will have a grant of at least £250 to establish itself as an independent group.
References
Further reading
*''Embroidery: the journal of the Embroiderers' Guild''; Diamond Jubilee 1966; foreword, John L. Nevinson; p. 1
External links
Embroiderers' Guild official site
{{Authority control
Private companies limited by guarantee of the United Kingdom
Embroidery in the United Kingdom
1906 establishments in the United Kingdom