A SLIVER OF TAPESTRY HISTORY

The current tapestry movement is mostly influenced by the European and the indigenous weaving tradition. Historically tapestry goes back as far as to the Pre-Columbian and Egyptian Empire times.
Medieval European tapestries now mostly found in prominent museums and castles tell stories of culture, history, war and celebrations, a form of communication documenting the current events at that time.
It often took decades for the many weavers simultaneously to work on one tapestry making it a prized possession of the elitists who used tapestries for wall coverings and upholstery. As the architecture changed and people lived in smaller spaces, the need for mural sized tapestries died.

Weavers started to interpret and weave the images of paintings of famous artists with such perfection, that it was difficult to tell the painting from the tapestry. The medium was dying a slow death.

In 1962 Jean Lurcat, a painter wanting to revive tapestry established a forum at the Lausanne Biennale. It did not take long till the textile movement of the70's and 80's no longer included tapestries in exhibition in general. Fiber Art moved off the wall

and into experimental textiles including fiber sculptures. Tenacious artists continued weave in solitude. Members of various scattered tapestry guilds support each other or organized group shows as well as international exhibitions also including miniature tapestries.

Unfortunately, formal training for tapestry in North America is very scarce. Most artists with art or other background informally learn tapestry weaving in workshops, train in isolated tapestry classes in colleges, or apprentice in Europe, Australia or Japan.

TODAY - WHAT IS TAPESTRY - WHAT IT IS NOT?

Tapestry is a medium of expression for textile artists. The piece starts with a conceptual design that is transformed into a unique, woven, pictorial hanging using traditional tapestry techniques. The narratives vary from nature, figurative, play on words, personal or political issues, abstract, graphical or photo images like in any other medium. Most of the tapestries are designed and woven by the same individual. Tapestry is a solid fabric construction; the design goes through and through. Tapestry is an indulgence for the rich who purchase it and for the striving artist who creates it and “donates” the time.

Tapestry is not a copy of a famous artist‘s painting although an artist may chose to interpret another art form. Tapestry no longer is a mural medium. Many miniature tapestries are woven as well.