Textiles into 3-D, organized by Helen Duffy and Claire Watson circulated In 1973-74 by the Extension Department, Art Gallery of Ontario.

Textile Into 3D opened at October 4 - 21 1973 at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery then Rodman Hall in St. Catharines on Oct. 31 and continue to Nov. 2 Its itinerary included the Sarnia Public Library and Art Gallery, Dec. 21 to Jan. 13; Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Kingston Jan, 26 to Feb. 17: Rothman’s Art Gallery. Stratford, March 8-25; London Public Library: and Art Museum, April 4-28; the Robert. McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, May 4 June 2: Art Gallery of Ontario, June 7-30, Art Gallery of Hamilton, July 5-28 and Oakville Public Library and Centennial Gallery, Aug. 2-23.1974

left to right: [high] the Bat by Joanna Staniszkis, [below] Decorated Woman by Madja Van Dam, [hanging tube] Thicket by Brenda Campbell, [panel] Sarabande by Helen Francis Gregor, [hanging] A Million and One Knots - Organized Chaos by  Guerite Steinbacher [on the floor] Set Piece/ part two by Mia Westerlund

Twenty-six works lent by the artists to represent their own concept of textile in three dimensional form.

The use of textiles and other fibrous materials in the planning and construction of three dimensional art forms is a comparatively recent development The division between art and craft has raised a whole set of new questions today, and answers are to be found in the combination of the two related fields where artistic and imaginative freedom is expressed through expert control, knowledge, and the craftsman’s skill.

In many countries new forms and techniques are continually being explored and developed. In Canada artists are now creating dynamic forms out of fibre - wool, silk, cotton, hemp, sisal, rope, twine, synthetics and other familiar materials.

In this exhibition, twenty-six artists from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia define their own concept of textile into the third dimension. Their contribution expresses their individual understanding of the challenge to move away from the wall into space, away from the now familiar format of the wall hanging, into the area of sculptural possibilities

The present collection is not the result of an open competition, nor was a jury called to judge the merit of the works submitted. Instead, during an extensive search through the provinces, fifty-two artists were considered for representation, and thirty-eight were invited to send in pro in the preliminary form of detailed sketches or maquettes. Alter the most promising projects had been selected, the artists accepted the responsibility of creating a work according to their skills, imagination, and choice of materials and technique. For ninny this freedom was an opportunity to explore now potentials, at it meant a sacrifice of time, an interruption from other professional commitments. Work of this nature requires a willingness to experiment, combining spontaneity of concept with patience and sell discipline. The works themselves need no interpretation, although several of the techniques used cannot be described in familiar terms.

Textile into 3D was produced with the generous support of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and with the encouragement of the directors of provincial galleries who booked an exhibition of unknown proportions and accepted the challenge of installing if. The staff of the Extension Department solved the technical problems which at times threatened the successful presentation of the collected works. Above all, the collaboration of the artists, in their enthusiastic response to the theme of textile info the third dimension, made this event possible.

Helen Duffy

Toronto, August 1973