info@arc-centre.org

Wendy Roby: Materials, Mark Making & Minimalism

An Exhibition of Contemporary Textiles in Stockport

Saturday January 29th – Friday March 11th 2022

Local artist Wendy Roby was featured in our Stockport Together Again exhibition in autumn 2021. We thought her work was really striking and were fascinated by her processes, so we have invited her to display her work in an exciting exhibition of contemporary textiles in Stockport town centre at Arc at Hat Works.

Two of our aims for Stockport Together Again were to connect makers and to provide opportunities for artists to bring their work and accessible artmaking to the region’s communities, so we are very happy to be able to offer guest spotlights at the centre. 

As an industrial textile region and with Stockport’s long hatting history, we are very excited to have a predominantly textile-based artist with strong values around responsible materials-sourcing kicking off 2022 with work in our Gallery Cafe. We are very pleased to welcome Wendy, whose print and stitch artworks explore order, geometry and texture, predominantly using repurposed materials. 

A lifelong maker, Wendy left a career in writing to study printmaking, shoemaking and draping. From her studio in Houldsworth Mill – Roby Workshop – she experiments with free, waste and vintage materials to find new techniques and construction methods – some are used for art and some for products. 

“Being resourceful; making

something out of nothing; is something

I have always admired.”

Using easily accessible materials – like ink made from Reddish oak trees and wood offcuts from a local Stockport carpenter – Wendy encourages us all to make something beautiful. Visitors will be invited to add their own stitches to a new collaborative artwork made specially for the exhibition, or to have a go at some giant embroidery, using needles as big as drum sticks. You are invited to interact with the art, which will hopefully inspire you to experiment and improve confidence in your own creativity.

Materials, Mark-Making & Minimalism will launch with a Saturday Art Club on January 29th 2022. We’ll have three activities available for you to explore on the day, inspired by Wendy’s work, so anyone of any age who is open to having a go is welcome to come along and try their hand at some art! Rag Rug Letters, Plastic Bag Collage Pictures and Weaving. You can also join Wendy for Screen Printed Stitch Doodles, an adult 2-session workshop at Arc!

The exhibition will then be open to the public 10:00-16:00 on Thursdays and Fridays until 16:00 on Friday March 11th. It will also be open from 11:00-15:00 on Saturday February 26th during our Saturday Art Club.

Explore Wendy’s work at www.robyworkshop.com or connect with her on Instagram @roby_workshop

Wendy would like to say a big thank you to Plastic Shed. The organisation is a huge part of recycling endeavours locally, running arts projects and recycling materials to use for both art and practical purposes. It supported Wendy by sourcing Manchester International Festival banners, providing her with some to experiment with.