Gallery officially opens the 6th Tamworth Textile Triennial
The Tamworth community are invited to experience the biggest event on Tamworth Regional Gallery’s calendar, the 6th Tamworth Textile Triennial: Nature Machine, which officially opens on Friday 18 September.
Recognised as one of the most significant platforms for contemporary textile practice in Australia, the Tamworth Textile Triennial returns with an exciting opening weekend program featuring artist talks, curator-led tours, workshops, panel discussions and family-friendly experiences designed to connect audiences directly with some of the nation's most innovative textile artists.
The celebrations begin at 6pm on Friday 18 September when Tamworth Regional Gallery opens its doors to the public for the official opening of the exhibition. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet and hear from the 18 exhibiting artists, curator Blake Griffiths, Tamworth Textile Triennial founders and members of Tamworth's rich and diverse arts community while enjoying light refreshments and entertainment. The event is free and open to the public.
Bringing together leading and emerging artists from across Australia, Nature Machine examines how makers are responding to environmental, technological and cultural change. Some artists experiment with growing, harvesting, recycling and reimagining textile resources, while others embrace artificial intelligence and machine production to explore and challenge the changing role of textiles in a rapidly evolving technological age.
Exhibition curator Blake Griffiths said the opening weekend has been designed to create meaningful connections between artists, audiences and contemporary textile practice as well as honouring the history of Textiles in Tamworth.
"One of the most remarkable things about the Tamworth Textile Triennial is its legacy. For over five decades, it has documented and championed the evolution of textile practice in Australia, while continuing to create space for new voices and ideas.
“This year's exhibition demonstrates the incredible creativity of artists working across the field today, and the opening weekend invites audiences to be part of that conversation through talks, workshops and direct engagement with the artists themselves,” Griffiths said.
The weekend program begins on Saturday 19 September with a curator-led exhibition tour and artist talk hosted by Blake Griffiths from 10am to 11am. Throughout the day, visitors can participate in a range of free workshops, including Rebecca Mayo's Plant Sensibilia Machine installation in the Gallery forecourt, Ellen Ferrier's Biotextiles workshop, and Jacky Cheng's Lucky Charm Tassels workshop.
Saturday will also feature two curator-led panel discussions. Textiles: A Way of Thinking will explore how textile thinking shapes contemporary art and culture, while Hand. Body. Machine will examine the evolving nature of textiles and the ways craft and cultural knowledge are shared through textile practice.
The conversation continues on Sunday 20 September with a full day of workshops and artist discussions. Highlights include the panel discussion Material as Collaborator, exploring whether materials can be viewed as creative partners rather than simply resources, Janette Murrungun's Weaving Masterclass, Anita Johnson's Felt Making Workshop, and a thought-provoking panel on Technology, AI and the Future of Textiles.
University of New England Vice-Chancellor and CEO Professor Chris Moran said UNE is proud to support Nature Machine: The 6th Tamworth Textile Triennial and its national tour.
“The University has a long-standing belief that regional cultural institutions are essential to the intellectual and creative life of the nation – a belief manifest in our partnership with the Tamworth Regional Gallery.
“In the woven, printed, stitched and coded works that this exhibition puts on display, there is a lot to consider - about nature, about machines, and about the communities we are all working to sustain.”
The Australian Government has also backed the Triennial through the Visions of Australia program that awarded Tamworth Regional Gallery $121,128 in July. The funding will support the national tour of the exhibition, commencing in early 2027, to the following venues; Glasshouse Port Macquarie, Craft + Design Canberra, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, Griffith Regional Art Gallery, Fabrik Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills, Swan Hill Regional Gallery, Rosny Farm in Tasmania, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Wangaratta Art Gallery and the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie.
Community members are encouraged to attend the opening weekend and discover why the Tamworth Textile Triennial continues to be one of Australia's most celebrated contemporary art exhibitions.
For program details, bookings and more information on the Triennial visit Tamworth Regional Gallery's website, www.tamworthregionalgallery.com.au/kms/events/Workshops/ or contact the gallery team on 02 6767 5247.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program