August 2026 Newsletter
Artwork: Amanda Bloom. Photo © Jonathan Dredge
WELCOME FROM OUR CHAIRS
Welcome to Summer!
We hope you’re all enjoying the sunshine and finding time for some well deserved rest, creative exploration, or simply a chance to recharge.
A quick reminder that our new members call out remains open until 31 July, so there are just a few days left to submit your application. We are really looking forward to seeing your work and welcoming new members into PRISM. New voices, fresh perspectives and different approaches help keep our organisation vibrant, inspiring and evolving, and we can’t wait to discover what this year’s applicants have to share.
This month we’re continuing our series highlighting the work of PRISM members. We’re delighted to feature Kim Winter, whose extraordinary basketry and weaving techniques are transformed into intricate sculptural forms; Kim McCormack, who translates her daily walks through the Scottish landscape into beautifully observed stitched works; and Sharon Kearley, whose woven pieces explore structure, form and material in innovative and engaging ways.
Looking ahead, we’ve recently completed the selection for our Out of the Box exhibition at Knit + Stitch in London and Harrogate this autumn. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming you to the exhibition this autumn and hope to see many of you there. If you’re planning to visit the show, don’t forget to make use of the PRISM discount code included below.
In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer. We hope you’ll find time to experiment, start something new, revisit an idea that’s been waiting in the wings, and return refreshed with plenty of creative energy.
We’ll be back next month with more news from across PRISM.
With best wishes,
Wolfgang Woerner, Chair
Jane Riley, Vice Chair
PRISM NEW MEMBER CALL OUT 1 - 31 JULY
Applications available via CuratorSpace from 1 July
We hold membership callouts every two years. You can find out more about our group and our mission by clicking here. PRISM is a well-established group of textile artists, set up to give opportunities to exhibit at a professional level. This opportunity is open to all artists using textiles as a part of, or major influence in, their work.
Membership is maintained by successful submission of work for group exhibitions, renewal of annual membership fee and active participation in the life of the group.
Please remember that your commitment as a member will involve you not only in exhibiting on a regular basis, but also offering the group your time towards administration, publicity, setting up exhibitions, stewarding etc…
Please enquire about our graduate membership scheme.
MEMBERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT THIS MONTH
KIM WINTER
Kim uses traditional basketry techniques in innovative ways to create contemporary sculptural pieces. Sometimes these may be functional vessels, but mostly they are artworks – she loves the challenge of pushing the boundaries to make original basketry forms.
Kim lives in Brixton, south London, which offers plenty of opportunities to observe the interaction between urban life and nature, providing inspiration and sometimes materials for her practice – she often incorporates found objects in her pieces. Nature is often ephemeral, but Kim relishes trying to capture its essence in more permanent form in her work.
With a strong focus on form and materiality, Kim loves to echo structures and processes from nature in her art, from the mathematical basis for a spiral shell to the chemistry of leaf prints on pavements.
KIM McCORMACK
Kim’s work is deeply rooted in her surroundings near Beauly in the Scottish Highlands, reflecting the ever-changing landscape through texture, pattern, and process. Inspired by the seasonal shifts observed on forest walks, she gathers natural materials that directly inform her creative practice.
With a background in printmaking, the act of creating an imprint has always been central to her process. Her current work explores themes of layering, fossils and the distinctive geology of the local terrain, visual dialogue between landscape and memory.
SHARON KEARLEY
Sharon Kearley is a textile artist, educator and author, who sits at the intersection of textiles disciplines. A playful and innovative perception of weave that pushes at the boundaries of woven textiles, considering the impact of materials on the land. Her work focuses on the potential of the emotional, physical and hidden line within the landscape, perceiving the linear as a ‘connector ’of people, place and time.
Sharon draws on ephemeral, spatial qualities and narrative to produce artworks for contemporary spaces and exhibition. She has worked nationally and internationally as a woven textiles artist and an experienced lecturer, sharing her skills through exhibiting, discourse, writing, teaching and mentoring. Sharon is a firm believer in dual professionalism, where education, community and making are deeply intertwined. She has undertaken a number of funded residencies at universities, galleries and museums, researching heritage weave and looms.
PRISM: Out of the Box
Textile Galleries at Knit + Stitch
This autumn, PRISM Textile Group presents Out of the Box in the Textile Galleries at Knit + Stitch London (8–11 October) and Harrogate (19–22 November 2026).
The exhibition invites each artist to respond to a simple yet thought-provoking challenge: creating a finished piece that fits within a box while exploring ideas that extend far beyond its physical limits.
