Verona Tessile 2015

Last weekend I went to Verona on a ‘mission’ to visit the textile festival which was being held for the third edition in the Italian city.

Let me tell you right away that the idea of organizing a travelling textile fair hosting textile artwork, workshops and events in different spots of the city is a winning move. Verona lends itself perfectly to this idea. First of all because the historic center is full of extraordinary buildings that are perfect for giving enriching the works of art and hosting workshops. Secondly, all of the main attractions in Verona are close to each other, so hopping from one spot to the next in the city is really simple. Piazza delle Erbe, Palazzo della Ragione, Via Garibaldi, Piazza dei Signori, the Old Market Court are only some of the exhibition locations of this fair, and all of them are wonderful and only a pleasant walk away.

Andrea Graham Monument

The first exhibition that I visited was the one by Andrea Graham, at the old church of San Pietro in Monastero. A spectacular and unusual location. Andrea is a Canadian textile artist who brought her solo show entitled Monument to Verona. This complex, colorful and very original exhibition talks about being far from home, travelling and what comes out during a separation. The memories that come to the surface transform into textile sculptures with alien-like and imaginative features. We adore Andrea’s art and over the years she has become a dear friend. We are so proud to have sponsored her exhibition.

Symphony of colors – Japan Quilts and Tra antico e moderno (Between Ancient and Modern), the works of Associazione Ad Maiora

The other exhibitions that drew my attention all had something in common: quilts, a product made with different textiles, machine-sewn together and sometimes also hand-embroidered. I am going to let the photos speak for themselves. I am only going to add that the Japan Quilts presented in this exhibition stand out thanks to their colors and the choice of silk as the base material. The quilts by Associazione ad Maiora (a community center in Verona) show the many sides of patchwork, exhibiting many works, very different from one another but all extremely beautiful and well made. The two pictures below are part of the Simphony of Colors exibition.

The next two, instead, were made by the women from the Ad Maiora Association.

Verona is a must-see city. It is welcoming, full of picture-perfect views and majestic buildings that are so different one from the other that they remind me of the patchwork I admired during my pleasant work trip. If you have never been there, go as soon as you can!

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