Tapestry weaving

Tapestry is one of the oldest forms of woven textiles, dating back to 3,000 BC. In Europe in the Middle Ages, weavers worked in workshops designing and weaving large and colourful tapestries for wealthy clients. In the Renaissance artists were commissioned to produce cartoons for workshops to copy, giving weavers less freedom of interpretation.

In the UK, there were weaving workshops from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with many of these weavers coming from the continent, mainly Brussels and the low countries. In the nineteenth century there was a revival with the Arts and Crafts movement and the designer William Morris. The twentieth century saw the birth of the Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh around 1912 under the patronage of the Earl of Bute. In the 1960s the then director of the Dovecot Studios, Archie Brennan, set up the Tapestry Department at Edinburgh College of Art, which subsequently gave opportunities for students to become practicing tapestry weavers – however this closed in 2008.

Today, tapestry weaving is practised across the UK, although there are a high number of weavers in Scotland, due to the Dovecot Studio and Edinburgh College of Art and in the south of England, due to the workshops at West Dean College, Sussex. Except for Dovecot and West Dean, the craft is dominated by individual weavers producing their own designs. Traditional fibres (wool, silk and linen) continue to be used, together with cotton and other more modern materials.

The weft weaves in and out of the warps and is pushed or beaten down so firmly that it entirely covers the warps. Tapestry can be formatted in small miniature form in a fine sett (the number of warps per inch) to large wall hangings – metres high and wide as well as three dimensionally.

Tapestry weaving has a variety of traditional techniques such as hachure, demi duite, eccentric weaving, textural techniques such as soumak, knotting, loose and open weaving, to name a few. Once they have learned the basic techniques, individual artists then develop their own style and techniques. Increasingly, tapestry is moving into broader dimensions from sculptural to ‘off-loom’ constructions or political and social observation or linking with other mediums to explore elements of expression.

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• Market issues/perception of the craft: There is no lack of materials and raw materials, ideas or willingness from weavers to produce. However marketability and appreciation of this art form is often difficult as tapestry weaving often falls between art and craft.
• Market issues/perception of the craft: Because tapestry weaving is often thought of as a hobby, there is the perception that artists should not be pricing their work so high. There is little understanding of the time it takes to weave a piece and the consequential hourly rate. In addition, commission and gallery costs can add anything from 33 per cent to 80 per cent onto the final price.
• Market issues: It is very difficult to make a living from tapestry weaving. There are a dozen or so people who are well known internationally who have a sustainable market for their work, although a number of them also subsidise their income from teaching classes. There is probably a further dozen or so people teach classes, however their tapestry art is not their main source of income.
• Perception of the craft: There is a reluctance to judge tapestry weaving on an equal footing with other art forms in mainstream exhibitions, and the difficulty of getting national exhibition spaces to hold tapestry exhibitions.
• Training issues: Individual weavers do not have the safety net of guaranteed work (commissions) to be able to train and sustain an apprentice weaver. The majority of trainees are largely self taught, complemented by attending short courses and workshops run by individual tapestry weavers. This is self-funded by the trainees, unless they are fortunate enough to get a bursary through something like the Theo Moorman Trust for weavers.
• Training issues: There are now no full time courses available and only very limited apprenticeships through the only two weaving studios in the UK.
• There is also a lack of awareness, patronage and demand in generating enough regular large-scale commissions to economically sustain running a professional workshop. This impacts on future Master Weavers and younger trainees.

• British Tapestry Group – the British Tapestry Group has regional groups which meet locally in the South East, the Midlands, and Scotland.
• Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers
• Theo Moorman Trust for Weavers – grants for weavers living and working in the UK
• Peter Collingwood Trust Fund – provide an annual grant for the most innovation relating to a loom based textile.
• Weave Shed – the professional weavers website
• Morley College – part time courses
• Weavers Bazaar – an online store selling weaving yarn and equipment, online information, regular newsletters and annual sponsorships.

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There are two large tapestry weaving workshops in the UK:

• Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh
• The Tapestry Studio, West Dean College, in West Sussex

There are also numerous individual weavers.

Status: While the craft has been classified as ‘least concern’, in terms of professional weavers and people making a living from the craft may be considered ‘endangered’. For example, the British Tapestry Group has around 250 members, and probably less than 20 of them make a full time living from the craft.

It is estimated that there are around 30 full time makers in the UK in total.

Minimum number of craftspeople required: The British Tapestry Group feels that there needs to be between 201-500 people actively working in tapestry weaving, whether full time or part time, in order for the craft to be exhibited and seen – not only in craft centres but in mainstream exhibitions, exhibited alongside other arts, painting, sculpture, ceramics etc. This would be the minimum to practise and promote this craft to a high enough standard that it is viewed on a par with other art genres.

Number of trainees: There are very few formal trainees. Dovecot in Edinburgh offers a apprenticeship although this is not appointed every year and West Dean currently offers a self-funded 2 year Foundation Diploma in Tapestry Weaving with one trainee working alongside the Studio Master Weaver. The majority of informal training is through a network of local and national tapestry weavers offering short courses.

Number of skilled craftspeople: There are skilled art college trained people and amateur weavers who can practise without supervision. The British Tapestry Group believes that the number of skilled craftspeople in the UK sits around 50 – 70 but they are not all making a living from craft.

• The British Tapestry Group