Material Women

The story of the elegant, crisp and artistic textile designs that burst upon the world in the 1950s - the period now known as Mid Century Modern. It looks at the women who created them and in doing so became part of the first cohort of women to dominate any field of design, and it thinks about how these fabrics transcended their function and became a symbols of peace and better times.   

I provide a full transcript, pictures, links to the work of the contributors to these podcasts, and a list of resources that have inspired me on my website at: www.hapticandhue.com/listen.

If you would like to sign up for your own link to the podcasts as they are released, for extra information and a chance to access the free textile gifts that I’ll be offering for each podcast in this series then please fill out the very brief form here or find it on the Haptic and Hue Listen page above.

If you are interested in a long read or two, or want to know why and how cloth speaks to us then you can find writing at www.hapticandhue.com/read 

You can follow Haptic and Hue on instagram on Facebook or Linked in under the Haptic and Hue name. You can see more of my work and that of other makers there or on the website.

And if you’ve got a great idea for Series Two (coming in the New Year!) then drop me a line via the website.

Have fun and enjoy your own making practice or just listening to the chatter of cloth! 

With heartfelt thanks to the contributors for this episode

Nicola Wood who shared her amazing memories of being a successful textile designer in the 1960s. Nicola’s paintings can be seen here.

Ashley Gray, Director of Gray MCA – an expert in mid-century textiles and co-curator of the recent exhibition on Modern British Female Designers at Messums, Wiltshire. Instagram: @GrayMCA

Shanna Shelby, Curator and Director of Shelby Fine Art, who can be found here

Kirk Brown III and Jill Wilste, whose generosity and foresight have ensured that the legacy of these textile designers is preserved. See what they keep on their walls at home and read more about their collection: here