a space devoted to all things fibre and fabric
A public exhibition and display gallery with an operational textile studio for creative explorations with fibre and fabric.
Vision for the Studio Gallery
The vision for the studio gallery is to create a community of practitioners, appreciators, learners and supporters who are interested in and stimulated by the wide and endless variety of textile and fibre art forms. from out of the blue studio gallery has come from a lifelong dream of the owner/gallerist, viv davy, to have textile friendly artist working and exhibiting spaces. The masthead of the studio gallery complex is the gallery itself which houses a rotating schedule of exhibitions. Through this channel the gallery hopes to be able to promote an eclectic range of textile art forms and artists by facilitating exhibition opportunities for creators who often struggle to find receptive and affordable exhibiting spaces. We endeavor to be inclusive and diverse in the works offered to the public for viewing in the space.
Located on the coast of South Taranaki, New Zealand, from out of the blue studio gallery is a space devoted to all things fibre and fabric. The lower level is a purpose built gallery space with flexible hanging and display systems for textile works. Upstairs accommodates looms and other equipment for a variety of fibre techniques. These range through different types of weaving, botanical contact printing, stitching, paper and book making, knitting, basketry, collage, felt making, etc. These spaces and tools are available for public use either as part of creative workshops, one on one tuition or independent making practices during artist residencies.
How are we realising the vision
The hub of the studio gallery complex is the gallery itself which houses a rotating schedule of exhibitions – the cycle being generally on a six weekly basis. Through this channel the gallery works to promote an eclectic range of textile art forms and artists by facilitating exhibition opportunities for creators that often struggle to find receptive and affordable exhibiting spaces. We endeavor to be inclusive and diverse in the works offered to the public for viewing in the space.
As well as the main gallery exhibition space there are also other display spaces available for practicing textile artists and fibre object artists to showcase and market their works. There is The Staircase Gallery which can accommodate wall based works and then there is the studio shop area where non-wall based works and artefacts can be made available to the public.
Supporting the gallery is a learning network – either self directed, physically supported or programmed through specific workshops.
The gallery hosts many and varied workshops across the seasons. Often these learning opportunities are offered by the exhibiting artist of the time but there are also other offerings made through Social Media and the website.
Also on site we have recently re-developed the Dye Shed. Here we have all the equipment necessary to explore such wet practices as botanical dying and contact printing, paper making and basketry. Many materials are available for these practices from on our own site. The Dye Shed is an open work space for individuals wanting to explore these mediums and techniques but not having space or equipment themselves. Use of this space is by koha and public roster.
Every Thursday we have a community knitting session. This is a safe space to come and learn how to knit, crochet, spin, stitch. Everyone is welcome, support is freely given, friendships are formed and much laughter and learning takes place. Tea is always served.
Artist Residency
Our site includes a space for artist residencies as explained in this link https://fromoutofthebluestudiogallery.com/artist-residency/. We call for and receive applications for this residency throughout the year. Please contact viv directly by email: viv@blacknosugar.com for more details etc.
Environmental Policy
The gallery belongs to the international Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) which is an international membership organisation providing environmental sustainability guidelines for the art sector. The coalition’s primary targets are to facilitate a reduction of the visual art sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 50% by 2030 (in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global warming to below 1.5°C), and promote zero-waste practices. GCC believes that by aligning an international network of members with specific targets and focusing on effective action, together we can create a sustainable visual arts sector.
from out of the blue studio gallery has always had a low impact focus. We are solar powered, our building was designed for energy efficiency and used upcycled and upgraded elements where-ever possible. We practice a no plastic policy for our packaging generated internally and encourage artists to consider designing their shipping materials to be as recyclable and reuseable as possible. Because we are a ‘destination’ gallery being a little off the beaten track for the past two winters we have been engage with carbon offset tree planting on the local esplanade reserve which forms part of The Ōpunakē Loop Trail. This work will be increased with every year as the gallery grows. The grounds that house the studio gallery and artist residency are continuously being planted with trees and other plantings to house an increasing biodiversity. This work is now starting to show signs of impact having taken the original bare paddocks into a richly planted environment for creatures of all kinds.
Garland
from out of the blue studio gallery has joined The Circle – part of The Garland Magazine https://garlandmag.com/about/. This publication “is a platform for thoughtful writing about beautiful objects made today across the wider world. It is through these objects that cultures are made, by hand, every day.” Garland was launched in 2015 as a partner of the World Crafts Council – Australia, a national entity of the World Crafts Council – Asia Pacific. By belonging to this platform we are able to offer an opportunity for our artists to tell their stories through written presentations to a wider audience. The gallery is able to assist with the writing and preparation of the material to be submitted and to support the artist with any other opportunities that arise from this work.
How does the gallery operate.
All the specific details about exhibiting in the gallery space are described on the Terms and Conditions Page: https://fromoutofthebluestudiogallery.com/terms-and-conditions/.
Venture Taranaki Case Study.
The studio gallery was selected by Venture Taranaki for one of their promotional media project for Taranaki. This was a flagship project that took over 18 months to launch.
This is the case study video that was made about the studio gallery and our vision. Please enjoy it.