Artist Resource - Featured Artist
The featured artist's page will give us a little more space to introduce an artist's work in more detail. This will change - so keep checking back!
Our first artist has lived and worked in Fife for over a year, having arrived to take up position early in 2006 as the Fife Arts Co-operative's Partner's Artist in Residence. As well as organising and running a highly popular series of workshops for schoolchildren from Newburgh Primary School, masterclasses in various textile based techniques for local artists, and various talks and demonstrations in the town, she has also been creating a new body of work which is shown in Fife this summer and autumn.
Jeanette Sendler - textile artist
Jeanette Sendler's background is in designing and making theatrical costume. As such, she has a deep fascination for the history of fabrics and techniques that are applied to them. By luck, she discovered Newburgh's manufacturing history from the 16-18th centuries was itself based largely upon linen weaving and has spent much time researching this further as well as being inspired by it to create contemporary textile works in response to it.
In January 2008 the first stage of this process was exhibited in 'The Great Exhibition 2008 - a contemporary response to Victoriana worked in felt and other textile techniques' at Patriothall Gallery, Edinburgh, with a textile group, Frayed Edges. The group explored details of the Victorian era and its costume, ultimately making individual pieces of work relating to the theme. Jeanette Sendler curated the exhibition (see below for images and information).
Mapping the Body and Newburgh on the Map
Mapping the Body
After people came to terms with ready-made clothing, the paper pattern became popular.Previously, pattern drafting systems relied on the tailor's personal observations of the human body only. Later, instruction manuals were published. In the 1840s industry was set up for mass production of garment patterns. Small diagrams of pattern shapes were popular and were printed in various women's magazines which provided inexpensive access to the latest fashion. Manuals with full size patterns were available to everyone, some specifically published for the charitable ladies sewing for the poor. As early as 1841 full scale fold-out patterns in periodicals were introduced and by 1871 at least five pattern companies were established. Alongside the patterns, sewing machines were promoted. These were expensive and not yet affordable by many families.
Newburgh on the Map
Across the Forth Rail Bridge train services came to Newburgh in Fife in the 19th century.
A young lady is travelling to Edinburgh to take up a position as part of a large Victorian household. One of her duties will be to look after the linen and to make up clothing for the children and servants of the house. She is carrying a reference with her provided by a society with which she was associated making charitable clothing for the poor in Newburgh. She is taking some of her precious paper dressmaking patterns with her, as well as her valuable sewing machine. In Edinburgh at night time in her chamber her mind travels back to Newburgh were she is wandering through the lanes and alleyways of the town.
Further Information
Jeanette Sendler has had successful residencies at Petajavesi, Finland; the Sir Harold Hillier Arboretum, Hampshire; Freswick Castle, Caithness; Prestongrange, East Lothian; Drummond Community High School, Edinburgh, and on Shetland. For full details and images, go to her website:
Website: http://www.sendler.co.uk
Curriculum Vitae: Download Jeanette Sendler's CV [10k PDF]
Artist Resource ...
Find Us ...
FCA&C
The Town Hall
Queen's Gardens
St Andrews
KY16 9TA
Tel : 01334 474610
See our Contact Us page for more detailed information.
