February 2026 Newsletter
WELCOME FROM OUR CHAIRS
Welcome to February
We hope you’ve had a creative and productive start to the year. Here at PRISM, we certainly have. All member submissions for the upcoming DICTIONARY exhibition are now in, and our selection team has completed the process of choosing the works for the show.
The breadth of submissions was truly impressive. Alongside beautifully resolved finished pieces, there was also a fascinating number of proposals and works still in progress. It seems some of our members will be stitching, making, and refining right up to the very last moment and we love that commitment.
What stood out most was the fresh energy and ambition running through the submissions. Members have embraced this year’s title with imagination and confidence, pushing ideas, materials, and skills to their limits. It’s exciting to see such momentum at the start of the year, and we can’t wait to see how these works develop as the exhibition approaches.
We’re also delighted to share that Meg Tonkin, who joined us this year as part of the PRISM mentoring programme, has written a blog reflecting on her first five months and her adventures with PRISM so far. She is very much enjoying her time with the group and is already looking ahead to the next five months. You can read all about her experience by clicking the link below.
All the best
Wolfgang Woerner, Chair
Jane Riley, Vice Chair
MEMBERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT THIS MONTH
‘It turned out nice today’ is a much-used conversational statement relating to weather of the British Isles. Climate, weather, and the Anthropocene are a constant research field within Morfydd’s multidisciplinary practice. Morfydd has been working within this research area for the past 15 years. One ongoing data collection is the recording of her local daily weather and rainfall.
Esther Ward describes her artistic practice as drawing together the threads of research of place, peoples, materials, and the making process. She is particularly interested in the curation of archives and the voices heard and absent within them, and how she can present her own work within the format of a living archive.
Often site or event specific, she considers her work an invitation for others to find space to connect with their own life stories. She has worked in diverse locations from derelict buildings, landscapes of historic interest, a shipping container and within museums. Her lifelong interest in the connective threads of place, people and materials is currently exploring the paradox of powerlessness and resilience in the narratives of place.
Catherine’s creative practice harnesses the use of text and narrative to bring to life memories of her childhood, her adult life, and Lancashire's social history. She first composes the narrative in the form of short sentences, snippets of speech or an essence of a meaning, and then shapes these into a final design.
Catherine integrates everyday objects into certain pieces, while other works follow her 'Red Square' format. This signature approach combines red thread—an homage to the Lancashire Rose—with vintage or repurposed fabrics, creating embroidered narratives contained within meticulously crafted squares. Her work is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, Textiles and Fashion Collection. She has a YouTube Channel called ‘Arnold’s Attic’ where she shares the work of fellow textile artists.
For Anna Granberg, textiles are the ultimate way of utilising materials for her expressive art. Her works pose questions around what is happening in the world today and how it influences life.
She directly interacts with people, encouraging them to consider their own life and choices. The world is constantly changing, and Anna thinks that it is important to be aware of what changes you want to have in society. She explores this by employing old and sometimes unexpected materials in different ways to express colour and form, using family history and textiles as her sources. Anna is a Swedish artist, educated at Opus School of Textile Art.
Paulene’s overriding interest is in the built environment, especially aspects that are generally overlooked - in effect, the background noise of society. She explores man’s effect on urban landscapes which are then further altered by others, either consciously (graffiti/litter) or inadvertently (pollution/overuse). Recent work also encompasses the impact of global warming on the natural world.
These works are realized in a variety of media, utilizing whatever suits the subject but principally constructed felt, and frequently incorporating site specific found objects and sound. An acute awareness of the need to lessen our environmental footprint is reflected in making work that comprises entirely of found or recycled objects and accumulated studio materials, also revisiting, reassessing, and combining media used in previous projects.
Taylor’s creativity thrives in the twilight world of carnival sideshows: those borderlands where mermaids and fairy folk mingle with carnies and Kahlos. Drawn by childhood nostalgia and the escapism of storytelling, her work often hints at a darker meaning.
Most of her materials are preloved, showing their age with worn and frayed edges, which often dictate how they’ll be used. When people mistook her hand embroidery for free-motion stitching, she taught herself to use her sewing machine like a pencil, embracing the quirks and imperfections that come with this technique. Her illustrated figures have featured in a stop motion animated story, and she dreams of building automata. Annie co-founded and curates the Profanity Embroidery Group.
PRISM DICTIONARY EXHIBITION
This year’s exhibition explores the hidden meanings embedded in words: their origins, their shifting forms across centuries, their misunderstandings, transformations, and cultural echoes. Through the magic of stitch and the limitless possibilities of textile materials, they investigate new ways of expressing ideas, developing fresh interpretations and unexpected constructs using everything from cloth to stone, silk to steel.
Business Design Centre, London, from 19-22 March 2026
The Stitch Festival will showcase over 150 top brands and indie businesses, exclusive features from leading designers, along with talks, demos, Q&As. Plus, there will be hundreds of hands-on workshops to enjoy!
Enter code PRISM26 at checkout to save £2* on tickets!
* T&Cs: £2 off standard adult / concession tickets only. Offer not valid on Afternoon tickets, VIP, Child or group tickets, or on Sunday 22nd March. Offer expires 11th March 2026. Booking fee applies.
MEMBER EXHIBITIONS AND NEWS
To see some of the events our members are currently participating in, please visit the BLOG section on our website for a full listing, and be sure to follow our INSTAGRAM for updates and highlights.
Prism is a vibrant group of 64 textile artists dedicated to exchanging ideas, developing skills, and exhibiting work at a professional level. Membership callouts take place every two years.
Learn more about our mission and upcoming opportunities by clicking here.
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