Alice Kettle
Alice Kettle is a contemporary textile/fibre artist based in the UK. She has established a unique area of practice by her use of a craft medium, consistently and on an unparalleled scale.
Her stitched works, many of which are the size of huge figurative tapestries, exploit the textures and effects made possible through the harnessing of a mechanical process to intuitive and creative ends.
Her work is represented in various public collections such as the Crafts Council London, the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, the Museo Internationale delle Arti Applicate Oggi, Turin, Italy.
She has consistently worked in architectural spaces. Commissions include the National Library of Australia, the Scottish High Court in Edinburgh, Gloucester and Winchester Cathedrals and the School of Music & Drama at Manchester University. She has recently completed a vast piece measuring 3m x 16.5m for the Winchester Discovery Centre.
Born 1961 Winchester
Education
1985–1986 Postgraduate Diploma in Textile Art, Goldsmiths’ College
1979–1984 BA (Hons) Fine Art, University of Reading
Awards
2008 The Discovery Centre, Winchester, RIBA Award
2007 Arts Council of England South East Award
2006 Textile Artist of the Year Award, Creative Exhibitions
Arts Council Craft Development Award
2005 International Art Embroidery Challenge, Pfaff, 1st Prize winner
2002 Arts Council National Touring Programme award for solo touring exhibition (co-ordinated by Calderdale MBC: Museums and Arts)
Arts Council of England South East, Major Development Award
Recent Solo Exhibitions
2010 Telling Fortunes, Platt Hall, Museum of Costume , Manchester
2009-2011 Allegory Craft Study Centre, Farnham and tour
Dorchester Museum; The Gallery in the Bay Cardiff; Farfield Mill Sedburgh; The Willis Museum
2009 A Pause in the Rhythm of Time, Belger Arts Centre, Kansas City, Surface Design Association, USA Work acquired for permanent collection
2006 Salisbury Arts Centre
2003-5 Mythscapes : Bankfield Museum, Halifax;
mac, Birmingham; The Gallery, Ruthin Craft Centre; Southampton City Art Gallery; Hove Museum
and Art Gallery; Brewery Arts, Kendal; South Hill Park, Bracknell; Cheltenham Art Gallery; Grace
Barrand Design Centre ,Surrey,Myles Meehan Gallery, Darlington; Harley Gallery, Worksop
Selected exhibitions
2011 KAUNAS BIENNIAL TEXTILE'11 Rewind-Play-Forward,
Lithuania
2011 Loss, Chichester Cathedral with Jules Findley
2011 2 person show with Claire Curneen, CAA London
2010-11 T he Manchester Gallery, Manchester City Art Gallery
2010 Honest Pots, York Art Gallery with Alex McErlain
2010 Machine Stitch Perspectives, Knitting and Stitching Show Alexandra Place, Dublin, Harrogate
2010 The Narrative Line 2 person show with Bernie Leahy,
The National Gallery, Crafts Council of Ireland, Kilkenny
2010 Collecting Stitches, Forge Needle Museum, Redditch
2010 4th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennal, Global Intrigue, Museum of Decorative Art and Design, Latvia (catalogue) Work acquired for permanent collection
2010 Pairings, exhibitor and curator Special Collections Manchester Metropolitan University and tour (catalogue)
2010 Power of Copying-2010 ‘ International Contemporary Design from Selected Art Academies’ Xuzhou
Museum of Art, China. 14th May – 14th July 2010.
2010 Bending More Lines 62group Rijswijk Museum, The Netherlands, The CoIIins GaIIery, GIasgow
2010 Affordable Art Fair, represented by Murphy MachinArt
2010 Not So Fast, the Octagon, Bath (catalogue)
2010 Artefact, Platform gallery, Clitheroe
2010 Re-Imagining, Treasures of Hyde Abbey, Link Gallery Winchester
2009-10 European Prize for Applied Arts, World Crafts Council, juried exhibition, Brussels (catalogue)
EUNIQUE 2010 – International Fair for Applied Arts & Design in Karlsruhe / Germany
2009 Lets Travel, Pfaff international juried exhibition, Special Commendation. Alexandra Palace London, Bibliotheque Forni, Paris. Museum de Kantfabriek Horst, The Netherlands (catalogue)
2009 Florence Biennale, Firenze, Italy (catalogue)
2009 Northern Art Show, represented by Murphy Machin Art, Harrogate International centre
2009 Clay and Thread, Place Settings with Helen Felcey, Talking Matters with Alex McErlain, Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace and Harrogate International Centre
2009 CAA, London
2009 Collect, represented by the Flow Gallery, Saatchi Gallery, London (catalogue)
2008 Reflective Stories, Holden Gallery Manchester
2008 ‘Art In Action’, Waterperry Oxford
‘Place Settings’, Helen Felcey, Alice Kettle, Special Collections, MMU
‘Fabricate’, Rye Museum and Art Gallery
‘Art of the Stitch’, City Art Gallery Birmingham, European tour
2007 ‘China show’, MMU
‘Mechanical drawing’, Schiffli project, Holden Gallery MMU and tour
‘Inspired’, Grace Barrand Design Centre
2006 ‘Artefact’, All Saints Building MMU
‘SOFA’ , Chicago, with Blue Coat Display Centre
Selected commissions
2011 Coats threads, 5 banners
2010-11 Birth of the Motive in Clouds, School of Music and Drama, University of Manchester
2010 Wisdom ond Lor, University of Winchester
Design Award 2010 Public Art Award Commendation,
City of Winchester Trust
2005-7 Looking Forwards to the Past, The Discovery Centre, Winchester, RIBA Award,
Public Library Associations of Britain and Ireland, the best public library building in 2009.
Design Award 2010 Public Art Award Commendation, City of Winchester Trust
2005 Coeus Official Gift for Inauguration of VC,
Manchester Metropolitan University
2005-6 St Georges Church, Thorney Hill
2004-5 Red and Blue Movement in Three, School of Music and Drama, Manchester University
2004-5 Chapel Commission Bankfield Museum, Calderdale
MBC: Museums and Arts
2001 Chagall Column, Paul Foster
Selected public collections
Museum of Decorative Art and Design, Riga, Latvia; Ararat Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia; Belger Collection, Kansas City USA; Hove Museum & Art Gallery; Portsmouth City Art Gallery; The Otter Art Gallery, University College Chichester;The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester;Crafts Council of Great Britain;The Embroiderers’ Guild
St Mary's College, Baltimore, USA;The Prudential Collection;The Broadgate Club, London;Hampshire Museums Service
Calderdale MBC: Museums and Arts;The Embroiderers' Guild, NSW, Australia; Museo Internationale delle Arti Applicate Oggi, Turin, Italy; Manchester City Art Gallery, (ceramic collaboration with Alex McErlain); Special Collections Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University (ceramic collaboration with Alex McErlain);Platt Hall Gallery of Costume. Manchester;York Castle Museum Gallery (ceramic collaboration with Alex McErlain)
Selected recent publications
Machine Stitch Perspectives, co authored with Jane McKeating A&C
Black June 2010
Hand Stitch Perspectives, co authored with Jane McKeating A&C
Black June 2012
Telling Fortunes, oct 2010 Platt Hall , Manchester City Galleries
The Narrative Line, Crafts Council of Ireland, oct 2010, catalogue
essay
Allegory, Simon Olding Craft Study Centre UCA Farnham Nov 2009
Art of the Stitch, 2007 The Waterhall City Art Gallery Birmingham, The Deutsches Textilmuseum, Germany, Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, Hungary, The Fundacion Valentin de Madariaga-MP, Seville, catalogue essay 2008