World of Threads Festival
Amorphous
2023-24 Exhibition: Artworks
Our major group exhibition was all about abstracted natural elements. The artworks evoked organic things such as plants, leaves, trees, roots, seeds, reefs, rocks, feathers, algae, nests, soil sediment, clouds and shells. They recalled processes like new life, growth and decay. Although they evoked these elements, the artists did so in a non-literal way through abstraction. Many of the works were made using repurposed or recycled materials. They were filled with life and vitality. They were amorphous and bursting off the wall as they lunged out towards you. Works ranged in scale from massive to tiny and used a variety of materials and fibre and textile techniques. This exhibition was the spiritual successor to our 2012 show De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things).
Photography by Gareth Bate
Deborah Kruger
Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico
Curators
- Canada: Ontario: Toronto: Gareth Bate
- Canada: Ontario: Oakville: Dawne Rudman
Artists
- Canada: British Columbia: Vancouver: Thomas Roach, Victoria: Martina Edmondson. Ontario: Barry's Bay: Anna Wagner-Ott, Burlington: Svetland Turov, Caledon: Elizabeth Babyn, Howe Island: Leisa Rich, Peterborough: G. Annie Whitty, Richmond Hill: Melanie Siegel, Simcoe: Mary Ann Rich, St. Catharines: Hannah Rothschild, Toronto: Elaine Whittaker, Sarah Elizabeth Creskey, Susan Farquhar, Walter's Falls: Julia White.
- India: Goa: Gopika Nath.
- Mexico: Jalisco: Chapala: Deborah Kruger.
- New Zealand: Whanganui: Kate Sellar.
- South Korea: Seoul: Eunsun An.
- USA: Illinois: Forest Park: Gretchen Jankowski, Oak Park: Karen Gubitz, Oregon: Salem: Darilyn Bennett, Rhode Island: Cranston: Sonja Czekalski, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh: Stefanie Zito.
Melanie Siegel
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Gallery
- The Gallery at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre.
City
- Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Dates
- Oct 10, 2023 - Jan. 14, 2024
Darilyn Bennett
Salem, Oregon, USA
Synchronistic Curating
Something that's different about World of Threads Festival is that we let the art guide us. Festival curators Gareth Bate and Dawne Rudman don't have predetermined curatorial ideas or impose our concepts on the artists. Each new festival is a blank slate. Shows develop entirely out of the submissions we receive.
To find our main exhibitions we look for connections and common themes between thousands of artworks. These works were made by hundreds of artists from around the world. Often artists seem to be on the same wavelength during a particular period. Over time, through many hours of sorting through artworks, the exhibition themes just emerge and become clear to us. This method has been very successful and resulted in compelling and unique exhibitions.
Hannah Rothschild
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Martina Edmondson
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Gretchen Jankowski
Forest Park, Illinois, USA
Kate Sellar
Whanganui, New Zealand
Elaine Whittaker
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sonja Czekalski
Cranston, Rhode Island, USA
Sarah Elizabeth Creskey
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Elizabeth Babyn
Caledon, Ontario, Canada
Lourdes Elizalde
Pasaia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain
Karen Gubitz
Oak Park, Illinois, USA
Leisa Rich
Howe Island, Ontario, Canada
Eunsun An
Seoul, South Korea
Svetlana Turov
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Susan Farquhar
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Margery Amdur
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Thomas Roach
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Anna Wagner-Ott
Barry's Bay, Ontario, Canada
Stefanie Zito
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Julia White
Walter's Falls, Ontario, Canada
G. Annie Whitty
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Mary Ann Rich
Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
Gopika Nath
Goa, India
