exhibitions
The fabric of life
Thurs 4th Sept - Thurs 30th Oct
Cheshire Artists Network
‘The Fabric of Life’ - an unusual and thought-provoking title. CAN has over thirty artists from all corners of the county. Each artist will interpret the title through their own particular genres. CAN’s professional artists specialise in paint, print, textiles, ceramics, glass, and photography etc.
Since CAN was started in 2002, they have exhibited in many prestigious venues such as The Atkinson Gallery in Southport, Castle Park Arts Centre in Frodsham, The Foxlowe Arts Centre in Leek, The Willows Gallery in Oswestry and the Grosvenor Museum & Art Gallery in Chester, to name but a few.
All the details relating to the artists and the future exhibitions can be found on their website. We also welcome enquiries from more Cheshire based artists who are interested in joining CAN.
When elmer came to Macc
Sat 21st Nov - Sat 20th Dec
Funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund
Elmer is coming to town! Who better to tell him all about the history of Macclesfield than the panda?
In this exhibition you will be taken on a whistle stop tour of the history of Macclesfield. There will be opportunities to listen to stories, touch paintings, try on replica costumes and more. It will cover everything from Silk, WW2 and football.
Macclesfield Town Council have arranged for the Elmer Art Trail to be in town at this time. 12 large scale sculptures, decorated by different artists, will be around town. The William Morris inspired elephant will be in our garden and the exhibition will be a base where you can pick up a trail or read an amazing Elmer story. Keep an eye on our listings to find out about events taking place in the space too.
We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this exhibition - Becca Smith & students, Hurdsfield Primary School, Museum Tots, Macclesfield Town Council and Macclesfield ArtSpace.
From Ancient Egypt to 19th Century Macclesfield
Using Hieroglyphs to tell the stories of Silk Weavers at Paradise Mill
Sat 13th September - Friday 21st November
We are excited to announce an exclusive exhibition by Weaver in Residence Eleanor Godfrey, visitable during tours and visits of Paradise Mill.
This exhibition is a collection of woven textiles displayed within the mill itself. During the residency, Eleanor was inspired by the aesthetics of Cartwright & Sheldon’s original silk patterns, as well as the colours, shapes and symbology of the Egyptian patterns, and fascinated by the stories of women’s roles in the collecting and production of both.
As we continue to cherish and preserve the Egyptian artefacts donated to the museum, as part of this exhibition we are offering visitors the option to also donate to the Egyptian Food Bank, which for over 20 years, has been combating the issue of hunger in various parts of Egypt.
The Egyptian food bank reaches 450,000 families monthly across Egypt and as well as providing food for families in need, also work towards ending food waste in the region.
Please consider donating to this cause and help us reach our monetary target!
GROWING COLOUR
Thurs 18th Sept - Sat 1st Nov
Michelle Ault / Ailsa Holland / Kirsteen McGregor / Aimee Spilsted / Becca Smith
An exhibition of contemporary Textile artworks using plant dyes, sewing together the museum’s Dye Plant Garden and our local textile colour history.
Launch event and meet the artists Sunday 21st September 2.00-3.30pm
After receiving a Green Shoots grant from Cheshire East Council in 2024, textile heritage expert Kirsteen McGregor and New Macclesfield School of Art director, Becca Smith, began to plant seeds with the goal of a garden bursting with growing colour which would allow visitors to directly link the plants and flowers with textile dyes.
The hard-working and knowledgeable garden volunteers have nurtured the dye plants through snow and heatwaves, and over a 100 participants of all ages and abilities have taken part in using these plants to dye silk, cotton and wool in a variety of creative workshops.
The artists in this exhibition have all used plant dyes to create their work, from carefully collected colour-swatches to surprising experiments, Bayeux tapestry-style embroidery to hand-stitched maps. This collection brings together artists excited about the potential for natural dye colour in contemporary art and textiles.
let the land draw itself
Artist - Becca Smith
Fri 7th Nov - Sat 20th Dec
We are excited to announce an exclusive exhibition by Weaver in An exhibition of small works on paper and cloth by Becca Smith, created Carnac, Gwynedd, the Peak District and Macclesfield, this year.
You will find explorations of stitch-as- drawing, cloth- as- land, emotional geology, dowsing and how to let the ancient land draw itself using found objects, automatic techniques, natural dyes and intuition.
You are welcome to the launch event on Saturday 8th Nov ( 5- 7 pm)
PROJECT INC - STUDENT INSTALLATION
Installed in the Machine Gallery
In this work made by the students of Pinc College, we have picked out an extravagant piece of machinery from within the museum to create a collaborative artwork with the Silk Museum.
One of our students has photographed the silk loom to which we have printed out on a large scale and divided up into 24 equal squares. The students have been tasked to choose a square to trace and transfer to a tetra pack, where they would etch and carve out the key factors of their chosen image. Some doing more squares than others.
The process we used is called ‘intaglio’. After the etchings were complete, they were then printed onto paper where we would arrange them all back together to create the overall image.
Unfortunately, upon seeing them all together, we realised that the overall image lacked coherency, it wasn’t clear to see how it all lined up. As a solution, we photographed each square and lined them up together digitally using a software called ‘Procreate’, making sure the image was decipherable for all who saw.
We were discussing the best possible ways to present the work when the thought came to mind, given the fact that this was to be presented in the silk museum, why not have it presented on a silk banner?
And so we all picked out a silk we thought was best suited for the final outcome and sent out a request for it to be printed Thus giving us the work you see before you right now.
By Abbie Massey
NEW CHILDRENSWEAR DISPLAY
Open now
A new display at Silk Museum reveals previously unseen garments from the childrenswear collection, which are on display for the first time.
The collection features items such as christening gowns and dresses, which have been donated to the museum over the years for them to care for – conserving clothing from as far back as the Victorian era.
It is part of a project to document and check the condition of the items in the collection and share them with museum visitors. It has been supported by a grant from the AIM and Arts Scholars Charitable Trust Brighter Day scheme.
Around 280 items have been meticulously checked and photographed by curator Emily Lashford, who is also highlighting the way that clothes were repaired and re-used in the past.
The clothing, including Edwardian sailor suits, will be displayed around the Silk Museum amongst the collections. There will be displays amongst the industrial machinery. This follows consultation with the museum’s younger visitors.
Emily held a workshop with children and young people who gave their thoughts about how they like to experience objects in the museum. Popular feedback was about interacting with objects and being able to touch things.
Emily says: “We’re obviously not able to have lots of little hands on silk dresses, but we have taken all this on board and have created a dressing up station and a panel where we display samples of fabrics. We have also got examples from the era such as facsimile copies of a Victorian school book. Hopefully, these will allow children of all ages to be able to engage more with the collections.”
Image:Geoff Findlow with the first ever Macclesfield FC team image.Celebrating 150 years of Football in Macclesfield
A new display in the Silk Museum
We have kicked off football season with a new display relating to Macclesfield’s football history, with a particular focus on Macclesfield Town FC. Many of the items have come from a private collector, Geoff Findlow, alongside relevant objects from the museum’s own collection.
Come and explore the origins of football in Macclesfield, learn about the history and significance of Macclesfield FC as it is known today and what it means to be a fan. Discover more about Macclesfield’s footballing heroes, the development of the women’s game locally, and the connections between football and silk.
The display is being funded through a partnership including Geoff Findlow and his former colleague Rob Bickerton, who was once Chair of Macclesfield Town FC.
What’s on
The Silk Museum hosts a changing programme of exhibitions and workshops all year round. From guided walks around Macclesfield to family activities we run workshops for all abilities and ages.
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