Each room will offer a symphony of colour, texture, and style, the work of artists exploring the many ways these historic and essential arts can be reimagined.

 Co-organizers Bear Epp and Bay Woodyard are also responsible for “Gather in the County,” an annual textile-focused event that takes place in the first week of June at Picton’s Crystal Palace.

“The County Museums are thrilled to partner with Gather in the County on the Textile Takeover of Macaulay House!” said Museums Curator Jessica Chase.

“Events like this help bring historic spaces to life, providing opportunities for visitors to both actively engage with the past and celebrate the rich and ongoing tradition of the textile arts in our community.”

Choosing Macaulay House as a venue was a natural fit for Mr. Epp and Ms. Woodyard, who note that the many-storied house is a testament to the County’s storied built heritage and cultural fabric.

They felt a contemporary layer would complement Macaulay House’s own collection of historic textiles which include quilts, clothing, hand-hooked rugs and embroidered linens.

The “Textile Takeover” is a free event designed to build community while raising awareness and promoting understanding of the woven arts.

Visitors will be able to speak directly with the makers and have opportunities to watch or participate in demonstrations of several techniques, including rug hooking, quilting, and natural dyeing. Hand made works will also be available for sale.

Both artists want visitors to have the chance to interact with local textile artists, to learn more about how things of this “slow” craft are made.

“We are lucky to have so many professional artists, makers and farmers whose work encompasses textiles in some way – from hand-dyers, spinners, and sheep farms producing wool, to rug hookers and weavers, to name a few,” said Mr. Epp.

Viktoria Brave, for example, pays homage to weaving in the context of a daily practice that existed in pre-industrial households, especially those located in more rural areas of Quebec and the prairies.

She notes how we have become disconnected from how things are made and where things come from. Weaving offers a meditative practice.

“It is about the poetic in me. I join the flow of the universe when I weave. The multiple threads, the fabric of existence, all the different things, the structure and the action. You give your full attention to create something that is stable and beautiful, something that embodies your cultural identity.”

Textile Takeover is part of Flashback February, and presented by both Gather in the County and the County Museums. It’s at Macaulay House, 35 Church St., Picton, Saturday & Sunday February 15th & 16th from 1-4 pm.

Macaulay House will also host a Historic Textile Arts Residency featuring Bear Epp and Bay Woodyard, who will offer workshops in natural dyeing, knitting and rug hooking. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 1-4pm in February.