ExhibitionsAvid Collectors

16 Hughes St, Mile End
1 May - 31 Jul 2023

This exhibition is a celebration of collecting and the fascination with the intricacy of embroidery, the stitches, the patterns and the stories they tell. They give us an insight into the cultural background of Greece and Turkey. Barbara Rowney and Elena Dickson were both avid collectors.  Barbara Rowney studied the different types of Turkish embroidery. For this exhibition, we are concentrating on the Turkish embroideries from Barbara’s extensive and diverse textile collection. Elena Dickson’s interest in handwork was nurtured by her mother. When Elena married, she was introduced to dandella or knotted lace by her Greek mother-in-law. She taught Mediterranean knotted lace and Bebilla knotted lace flowers in Australia and the United States & had three books published.