Women's Domestic Needlework Group facts for kids

The Women's Domestic Needlework Group was a special group of Australian artists. They started in 1976. Marie McMahon and Frances Phoenix created the group. They were part of the Sydney Women's Art Movement. These artists wanted to show that traditional crafts made by women were important art forms. They felt these crafts were often not valued enough. Other members of the group included Joan Grounds, Bernadette Krone, Kathy Letray, Patricia McDonald, Noela Taylor, and Loretta Vieceli.

Artworks and Exhibitions

Phoenix and McMahon started collecting d'oyleys. D'oyleys are small, decorative mats, often made from lace or crochet. They found them in second-hand shops and also received donations. The group then started weekly workshops. These workshops were open to everyone. They first met at the Tin Sheds and later at the South Sydney Women's Centre.

Learning New Skills

The goal of the workshops was to share and learn craft skills. These skills included crochet, embroidery, lacemaking, and weaving. The group wanted to teach people how to make these beautiful items.

The D'Oyley Show

The group received money from the Crafts Council. This helped them create a big exhibition. It was called The D'Oyley Show, An Exhibition of Women's Domestic Fancywork. This show opened in October 1979 at Watters Gallery in Sydney. After that, it traveled to other galleries in regional New South Wales in 1980.

The group also worked with the Earthworks Poster Collective. Together, they made screenprints about women's needlework. These prints were used as wall panels for the exhibition. You can find examples of these posters in the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Valuing Craft as Art

The Women's Domestic Needlework Group wanted to change how people thought about craft. Many people believed craft was not as important as other types of art. The group chose needlework to show how traditional patterns and techniques have been used for a long time. Many women could connect with these common methods.

The exhibition showed many traditional d'oyley styles. These included Teneriffe lace, Rose and Shamrock patterns, and filet crochet. They also displayed designs with plants and animals, and different types of lace like Limerick lace.

The Exhibition Catalogue

The exhibition had a detailed catalogue. An Australian writer named Anne Summers wrote in it. She said that everyday life is where women have a clear and recognized place in culture.

The catalogue did more than just list the artworks. It also had information about Aboriginal crafts. It covered Australian designs from 1890 to 1940. There were stories about past exhibitions and competitions. It also included poems and histories of women's work in the textile industry. This covered both European and Australian history. The catalogue also talked about how craft guilds developed and how to care for textiles.

Dissenting D'oyleys Exhibition

In 2021, another exhibition took place. It was called Dissenting D'oyleys: The Women's Domestic Needlework Group. This show featured ten of the original screenprinted posters. It was displayed at the New England Regional Art Gallery in Armidale, New South Wales.