Textiles have long been a vehicle for protest and resistance, from the embroidered tapestries made by Chilean women during the Pinochet dictatorship to the monumental quilt memorialising those who died in the AIDS pandemic. This talk, hosted by Crafts magazine, will explore fibre art’s relationship with politics and activism, and the makers and artists – both historical and contemporary – who use it to call for social change.

Dominique Heyse-Moore, senior curator (Textiles & Wallpaper) at The Whitworth Art Gallery, part of the University of Manchester, will chair a discussion between a panel of artists including our January/February issue cover star Anya Paintsil, whose deeply personal wall hangings are threaded with biting critiques about racism; Ibrahim Mahama, whose large-scale installations, made using jute sacks and other found materials, explore themes of migration, trade and exploitation; and Aram Han Sifuentes, who founded the US-based Protest Banner Lending Library after the election of Donald Trump.

Read more about how textiles can speak across divides by getting your copy of Crafts' January/February issue now.

This talk will take place on Zoom - you will be sent a link on the day of the talk.