14 February – 9 June 2024
Alice-Marie Archer
Stitch Field: Alice-Marie Archer’s Agritextiles
Benton Museum of Art, 120 W. Bonita Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
Our rapidly changing climates and expanding populations have challenged the pre-existing structures in place for meeting the demand for food and water. Stitch Field offers an alternative to the plastic-filled warehouses of plants associated with hydroponic systems by using knitted sheep’s wool as substrate and replacing engineered crops with locally occurring plants. Alice-Marie Archer hand-knits fiber sculptures that are each embedded with seeds, creating patterns suited to the needs of each seed species—whether it grows best in a divot, pocket, or row. For this site-specific installation at the Benton, the artist has chosen seeds of locally occurring California plants with either edible or medicinal properties.

17 February – 4 May 2024
Alice-Marie Archer, Lou Baker, Oliver Bliss, Jane Colquhoun, Nina Gronw-Lewis, Julie Heaton, Helen MacRitchie, Joy Merron, Lydia Needle, Angie Parker, Linda Row, Nicola Turner, Penny Wheeler
A Visible THREAD
Llantarnam Grange, St David’s Road, Cwmbran NP44 1PD
A Visible THREAD continues its tour, each exhibition is different, with different works, methods of installation and even different artists exhibiting! You are warmly invited to the opening in the gallery on Saturday 17 February 12 – 2pm, where you will be able to meet some of the artists. A Visible THREAD aims to encourage viewers to rethink their relationship to thread, be aware of its materiality, its sustainability, its possibilities, and limitations. Through a diverse range of textile disciplines and perspectives, this exhibition brings new work from 13 seam artists together to stimulate thought, connection, and conversation. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

24 February – 14 April 2024
Nicola Turner
Eight Sculptural Interventions at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Jermyns Lane, Ampfield Nr. Romsey, Hampshire SO51 0QA
An exhibition by artists selected for the CAS Emerging Sculptors Development Award. Nicola Turner is one of the eight sculptors selected from over 50 applicants based in the South, Southeast and Southwest of England, and London, as well as those who were in their first 1 – 5 years of professional practice and who could demonstrate a commitment to outdoor work.

2 March – 6 April 2024
Nina Gronw-Lewis and Nicola Turner
Casting Shadows
ACEarts, Market Place, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 7NB
Nina Gronw-Lewis and Nicola Turner have both had work selected for Casting Shadows, a selection of works by members of the Royal Society of Sculptors. This exhibition celebrates contemporary sculptural practice and its many forms. Sculpture is arguably the most diverse of artistic mediums allowing unrivalled freedom in materials, process, form and scale. Crossing boundaries between architecture, design, manufacturing and craft, sculpture is a constantly evolving art form that pervades our lives like no other.

7 March – 11 May 2024
Nicola Turner
Death in Venice
Cardiff, Llandudno, Southampton, Oxford, Bristol, Birmingham
Nicola Turner is the designer for Welsh National Opera’s new production of Britten’s Death in Venice. Inspired by the original Thomas Mann novella, Britten’s magnificently atmospheric opera comes to life in this new production from WNO, creating images of ravishing beauty, as well as exploring the grotesque hidden beneath the search for the sublime. As poetic worlds of the imagination collide with reality, the early 20th century acts as a mirror to our times.

13 April 2024, 10am – 4pm
Helen MacRitchie
Bags of Fun workshop
Llantarnam Grange, St David’s Road, Cwmbran NP44 1PD
As part of the seam collective touring exhibition A Visible THREAD, discover the fun of wet felting with wool and make a seamless pouch or sling bag with artist Helen MacRitchie. You will learn how to lay out wool fibre to make felt, understand felt shrinkage, and incorporate a resist layer to turn the felt 3-dimensional. This activity is for adults and young people aged 16+ and includes a break for lunch. Places are limited and pre-booking is essential. Please contact reception on 01633 483321 or email hello@llantarnamgrange.com to book your place. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

4 May 2024, 10am – 3pm
Julie Heaton
Feeling through drawing workshop
Llantarnam Grange, St David’s Road, Cwmbran NP44 1PD
As part of the seam collective touring exhibition A Visible THREAD, Julie Heaton is leading a workshop to discover the joy of drawing to connect with how you feel. In this creative activity, artist Julie Heaton will guide you through some of the process she has used when trying to overcome her fear of drawing. Surprising things can happen when you close your eyes and touch guides your mark making. It will include discussions around mental health and wellbeing. Places are limited and pre-booking is essential. This activity is for adults and young people aged 16+ and includes a break for lunch. Please contact reception on 01633 483321 or email hello@llantarnamgrange.com to book your place. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

11 May 2024, 10am – 3pm
Lydia Needle
Needle Felt + Stitch British Bees workshop
Llantarnam Grange, St David’s Road, Cwmbran NP44 1PD
As part of the seam collective touring exhibition A Visible THREAD, Needlefelt and Stitch a British Bee with artist Lydia Needle. This activity is suitable for complete beginners or for those looking to develop their skills. In this creative activity you lean the basic principles of 3D needle felting as you look at the anatomy of bees, and explore how they can be represented in wool and stitch. Please bring a small tin or container for your finished bee. This activity is for adults and young people aged 16+ and includes a break for lunch. Places are limited and pre-booking is essential. Please contact reception on 01633 483321 or email hello@llantarnamgrange.com to book your place. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

12 May 2024
Julie Heaton
Free machine embroidery workshop
Creative Space Bristol, 56-58 North St, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1HJ
Learn the art of free machine embroidery with Julie Heaton. In this one day workshop, Julie will guide you through the techniques that she uses to create her stitched drawings on water soluble fabric. Using your own sewing machine, Julie will help you to select a design/drawing that can be used for the exploring the experimental processes. Julie will discuss stitching techniques, how to work on dissolvable fabrics and the endless applications for this engaging art form.