Help preserve our future
West Dean is part of a registered charity and relies on the support of generous donors, friends, legacies to help us deliver world-class education in conservation and the creative arts and maintain our award-winning gardens.
West Dean Tapestry Studio
Internationally Renowned Professional Tapestry Studio
Tapestry Studio
One of the only professional tapestry studios in the UK
Since 1976 the Tapestry Studio has worked with contemporary artists and designers to translate their images into woven tapestry. Since weaving 23 tapestries for The Henry Moore Foundation, 1976 - 1987, the Studio has worked with artists John Piper, Howard Hodgkin, Eileen Agar, Matty Grunberg, Philip Sutton, Bill Jacklin and Adrian Berg.
More recently the studio created five tapestries with Tracey Emin and worked with Martin Creed on, Work No.1683 for What's the point of it? at the Hayward Gallery. As well as artists, the Tapestry Studio has produced work for clients including the Houses of Parliament, The Mercers Company, The White Cube Gallery and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
It has extensive experience of heritage tapestry projects, including The Hunt of the Unicorn, a series of seven tapestries based on 15th century originals commissioned by Historic Scotland. It was the biggest weaving project undertaken in the UK for 100 years, involved 18 international weavers and took 13 years to complete in 2015.
Project Gallery
Artist in Residence Eva Rothschild
Artist in residence, leading sculptor Eva Rothschild, collaborated with our tutor and master weaver Phil Sanderson at the West Dean Tapestry Studio. This follows our Open Call in 2016, possibly the first UK Tapestry Open Call. This collaboration will see a unique, hand woven tapestry produced at the West Dean Tapestry Studio.
The new tapestry The Fallowfield from Eva Rothschild was on show at Collect 2018. Eva is primarily known as a sculptor, although she has always engaged with ways of making associated with textiles, most specifically weaving and rug making, and has a longstanding interest in the ways that artists have engaged with textile making. This commission, coordinated by Master Weaver, Philip Sanderson, has given Rothschild the opportunity to learn the principles of tapestry weaving with expert tutorage in the professional studio. Learning these principles has informed the final design which has been woven by Master Weavers.
The Fallowfield tapestry is now for sale
View the tapestry that was on show at Collect 2018 and the cutting of the tapestry below.
Tapestry Symposium 2017
West Dean Tapestry Studio Symposium 2017 focused on the relationship between art and craft, as well as questioning the role of making and the maker in contemporary practice.
The Symposium expolored how collaborations between artists and makers can inform each other's practice, through a number of speakers, including artists currently working with the Tapestry Studio. It will explore how tapestry can tap into a the current interest in skill-based making in contemporary art.
View the tapestry symposium presentations:
Open Studios
You are invited to view West Dean Tapestry Studio and meet the weavers at our open Studios on Wednesdays 1.30-2pm. Groups are asked to book in advance please.
Please phone the Studio beforehand to make appointments and check that it will be open. 01243 818233 or 01243 811301
Contact
For details on commissioning a tapestry, or to buy a
tapestry
please contact Alison Baxter, Head of School of Arts.
Tel 01243 818262