These are a few of my Favourite Things part two
Phoenix member Maria Walker continues her blog about her retrospective exhibition at The Horton, Epsom which took place in January 2025.
Once Christmas was over, I knew it was time for me to start to gather all my exhibition work together for my solo exhibition which was going to be installed at The Horton Arts Centre in Epsom on 3 January 2025. So in that period, which they now call betwixtmas, I started to fill our small drawing room with boxes of my artwork, a treadle sewing machine and several other smaller sewing machines, my dolls house and a vintage typewriter.
I didn’t know exactly how the gallery would have been set up as I had gladly left that up to the curators, but I did know that it would be a series of artist rooms and would have a domestic feel to it. I had already selected the main pieces of artwork which I knew would work together but also added some additional pieces in case they would be required too.
On the morning of 3 January, my husband and I started to load the car. We knew it would take at least two trips because there was no way the treadle sewing machine and my large dollhouse gallery would fit into the car at the same time.
We delivered our first load at 9.30 am, unpacked and then went back home to collect a second load, which I delivered on my own so that I could spend the rest of the day helping to install the work as the exhibition was opening the next day.
As I had expected, a series of artist rooms had been built in the middle of the old chapel, with each room having been designated a specific theme; for example domesticity, collections, workspace, intimate space. As the visitor made their way through the space they would move into a more private intimate area of the exhibition where artworks with more challenging themes were displayed.
Pieces of furniture which belonged to the Horton had been dotted around the rooms which would be used to display my work and these included an altar and a lectern from when it had been a chapel, tables, a bookcase, a desk, a couple of chairs and a wardrobe.
I spent the rest of delivery day installing my exhibition with the staff of The Horton and we did not finish until 7pm.
The exhibition opened the next day on 4 January and would run until 23 January. I popped in the next day to add some extra pieces to dress the exhibition and was delighted to see that it was already receiving a lot of interest with people exploring the artwork.
The work in this exhibition spanned a period of 20 years and all is linked by the common themes of memory, collections, narratives, domesticity and everyday life which I keep going back to. I find inspiration from my own experience of being a woman, from stories I hear and from things I find. I am always surprised when I discover my artwork resonates with other people and we have had shared experiences.
On entering the exhibition, the visitors found an entrance hall with portraits of family members on the wall and a hall table. To the left a washing line of baby clothes, an ironing board and aprons suggested a kitchen area and domesticity. On the righthand side in the study area and displayed on the altar was my collection of protective amulets and talismans, and a vintage typewriter with a three-metre cutwork textile soaring from up to the ceiling.
The key piece of my artwork in the exhibition was my installation of a treadle sewing machine surrounded by a pool of blood-red cords and threads, called Womens’ Work. This work along with my dollhouse gallery and a looping textile sculpture made from vintage bedsheets, created a darker atmosphere in more intimate space at the back of the gallery. My dollhouse had turned into a rather sinister gallery full of miniature artworks which I make to explore more challenging subjects such as the death and domestic violence. (There was even a miniature version of Women’s Work in it).
A worktable had been set up in what was meant to be my studio, and I was invited to use this as a workspace during the exhibition. On a couple of occasions, I went into the gallery intending to sit at the desk and do some stitching but there were so many visitors to the exhibition I never got a chance to do much stitching.
On the second Saturday I gave an artist’s talk at a Meet the Artist event and was delighted that so many people attended and were really interested in stories behind my exhibition and my work.
The following Saturday, I ran a hand-stitching workshop, showing people how to transfer designs they had drawn or traced from photographs onto fabric using hand stitching techniques. My workshop was fully booked, and some wonderful work was produced during the day by the attendees of the workshop.
Over the course of the exhibition, I went into the gallery on numerous occasions and was always delighted to see so many people engaging with my work. I chatted to many people; I met up with old friends and made many new ones too.
On 23 January, I took down the exhibition to make room for the next event. It all came down quicker than it had gone up, but it still took me two car trip loads to deliver it all back to my house.
Images Courtesy of @elishacolensophotography