Tea Party: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria

Dr Morna Sturrock AM officially opening 'Tea Party'

Last Thursday evening a crowd of around 100 people attended the launch of Ararat Regional Art Gallery's latest exhibition, "Tea Party: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria". The exhibition includes objects from the Gallery's own collection, historic tea cosies and aprons from the Embroiderers Guild's collection, contemporary tea cosies by guest artists and works borrowed from public and private collections.

A highlight of the exhibition is an afternoon tea table setting made by the Guild's Ararat branch members featuring knitted, crocheted, felted and embroidered cakes, sandwiches, slices and, of course, tea cosies. Many of the women who contributed to this project were in attendance at the opening to celebrate the completion and unveiling of their amazing collaborative artwork.

The opening attracted a strong contingent of Embroiderers Guild members from across Victoria, including representatives from the executive committee, its entire 50th anniversary sub-committee and members of branches in Geelong, Hamilton, Ballarat and as far as Mildura. Many people heading home from the Grampians Texture textile event at Halls Gap also stopped by to attend the opening.

We were especially honoured to welcome two distinguished guest speakers at the opening - Dr Morna Sturrock AM and Janet de Boer OAM, who are both well-known and highly respected textile art identities. Their respective opening remarks were warmly received by the large audience and provided a valuable context for appreciating 'Tea Party' and its contribution to the Guild's state-wide celebration. The exhibition continues until 4 April.