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International Call for Submissions 2026

SUBMISSION OPENS: Sun. Feb. 1, 2026
DEADLINE: Sat. Feb. 28, 2026, at midnight Toronto time.

2026-27 Festival Dates:
Starts: Wed. Sept. 23, 2026
Opening Reception: Sat. Sept. 26, 2026
Ends: Sun. Jan. 17, 2027

Be sure to subscribe for updates about future calls.

Artists and curators at the opening of Festival 2023-24. Installation view from the exhibition Amorphous.

Installation shots from the 2023 exhibition: Amorphous.

Installation shots from the 2023 exhibition: Amorphous.

We're excited to see your new work!

Artists from around the world are invited to submit bodies of work, installations or individual pieces to the Festival. The curators will draw from the pool of submissions to create different thematic group exhibitions as well as many solo shows and installations. We are open to submissions of artwork that have been made between Apr. 2023 and Jan. 2026.

The World of Threads Festival is a leading international showcase of contemporary fibre and textile art. We are a not-for-profit initiative with charitable status run by a few dedicated volunteers and paid contractors. Some of the most exciting and compelling artwork being made today is happening in the field of fibre and textile arts. Through our initiatives we have discovered some remarkable artists and brought them to the attention of Canadian and international audiences.

Since we are representing the world of fibre and textile art, we are willing to exhibit individual artists from all countries. We acknowledge the State of Palestine. World of Threads Festival artists do not represent nation states, but rather are in solidarity as artists of the world. We encourage First Nations, Inuit, Métis and other global Indigenous artists to apply. 

To see examples of our past exhibitions and artwork start with our Festival Artwork Greatest Hits. We are working on adding full shows all the way back from 2007 to our new website. Also check out our Instagram reels @worldofthreads. Be sure to follow!

Festival 2026-27 will be focused around our usual venue Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Admission is free. In addition to the beautiful gallery, we will also be using the Display Area Gallery, the Corridor Galleries, lobby and open public spaces of the entire facility.

We will not exhibit artwork that uses generative AI imagery. We are interested exclusively in human creativity and human-made imagery. Please do not submit work to us made using generative AI imagery.

Your work can be for sale and we will try to sell it. There will be a 40% commission on any sales. This year we are not able to sell work made in the USA because of the ongoing trade war tariffs. When the Festival ends, all artwork originating in the US will be returned.

Please share this Call for Submissions with anyone you know around the world who might be interested!

 

Installation shots from the 2018 exhibition Flow.

Three Options for Submitting

• Body of Work – Maximum 10 pieces + details + in-context shots.

• Individual Pieces – Maximum 10 pieces + details + in-context shots.

• Installations –Maximum 10 images + details + renderings & in-context shots.

All artworks submitted will be considered for the main gallery exhibition. Bodies of work will be considered for the Solo Shows in the halls. Installations will be considered for the public spaces. We may also curate smaller group shows in the halls.

You can send us as many submissions as you want and we will consider them. There is a submission fee for each submission.

Details: Detail photos are essential for discerning the quality of fibre/textile art. We need to see detail shots.

In-Context Shots: It’s often difficult to tell what an artwork actually is from photos. It’s also hard to imagine the scale. We really appreciate receiving casual in-context photos in your submissions. You could stand next to it, or place it your studio, or send an installation view from a previous exhibition. This helps us make better decisions.

 

Installation shots from the 2014 exhibition: The Red & The Black

 

Synchronistic Curating

Something that's different about World of Threads Festival is that we let the art guide us. Festival curators Gareth Bate and Dawne Rudman don't have predetermined curatorial ideas or impose their concepts on the artists. Each new festival is a blank slate. Group shows develop entirely out of the submissions we receive. To find our main gallery exhibitions we look for connections, relationships and common themes among the thousands of artworks submitted. These works are made by hundreds of artists from around the world. Often artists seem to be on the same wavelength during a particular period. Over time, through many hours of sorting through artworks, the exhibition themes just emerge and become clear to us.

It’s important for artists to understand that we do not plan to have themes in advance, and so we cannot ask you to submit work based on the theme that we ultimately decide on. There is an element of luck when it comes to the main gallery exhibition because the show develops as we look at the artwork. Take a leap of faith. Your art may be relating to someone in another country and could inspire an entire exhibition. We have used this curatorial method since 2012. It has been very successful and resulted in compelling and unique exhibitions every time.

 

Bodies of Work

A body of work is a series of artworks that are all related thematically in some way. They could have similar themes, visual elements, ideas or concepts. That doesn't mean they all look the same. But they are all related and there's a sense of stylistic consistency. There’s evidence of an evolution or development of a theme or concept. The curators will select from the bodies of work submitted. So not every piece in the series may be selected. Your bodies of work are eligible for both the main gallery show and the halls as Solo Shows.

Installations

Installations are works that engage the space itself rather than being a sculpture. You can submit both 3D work and wall works. We require that installations be finished works at the time of submission. We don’t accept works in progress. We can't take the chance that it won't be completed in time for the festival. However, we will consider installations that have not yet been exhibited if you can show the work installed in a room or your studio. Your installations are eligible for both the main gallery show, display area gallery and the public spaces.

 

2023 Installations in the Display Area Gallery.

Opening Reception and installation shots from the 2016 exhibition: Cosmic Geometry

 

Important Festival Dates

Your work needs to be available from mid Aug. 2026 to end Feb. 2027.

Artwork shipments must arrive between: Aug. 24-29, 2026.

Artist in-person drop-off dates: Aug. 24-29, 2026.

Festival install period: Aug. 30 – Sept. 18, 2026.

 

Festival starts: Wed. Sept 23, 2026.

Opening Reception: Sat. Sept 26, 2026.

Festival ends: Sun. Jan. 17, 2027.

 

Festival take down period: Jan. 18 – Jan. 22, 2027.

Artists can collect work in-person between: Jan. 19 – Jan. 22, 2027.

Artwork return shipping to artists between: Jan. 25 – Feb. 28, 2027.

 

Installation by Sun Young Kang in the Display Area Gallery.

Solo show of Louise-Lemieux-Berube in 2014 in the Corridor Galleries.

Installation by Judy Martin in the back lobby.

 

Festival Background

We began in Oakville, Ontario, Canada in 1994 as a single exhibition. We then expanded to a full festival in 1998, and became international in 2009. Festival 2023-24 attracted more than 80,000 visitors! Admission has always been free. Mother and son team, Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate, have both curated the festival since 2012. Dawne has been Festival Chair since 2012, and has volunteered since 1998.

During the Festival we make a lot of effort to connect the artists for networking opportunities with each other. This is a great opportunity to meet fellow fibre artists from around the world in person. Some you may know only from social media. Bus tours bring in visitors from Toronto to Oakville for the opening reception.

Our website has become a central hub for lovers of fibre art with our Fibre Artist Interviews series. To date we have conducted over 137 interviews with Canadian and international artists. We have a following in 99 countries. We encourage you to spend some time on our new website to see what we have done in the past. We are also active on Instagram and Facebook. Check out our Instagram Reels.

In 2023 the World of Threads Festival received the People’s Choice Award, Ontario Culture Days Spotlight Recognition Program, recognizing the exceptional achievements and outstanding accomplishments of the Festival. In 2016 Dawne Rudman received the Community Spirit Arts Award, recognizing an individual that through their volunteerism has made an invaluable contribution to the Oakville community and contributed to nurturing and enhancing the arts. In 2015 Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate won the Oakville Arts Council Community Impact Arts Award, for bringing global attention to Oakville and elevating the fibre/textile art form around the world. The World of Threads Festival was the winner of Oakville’s prestigious Community Spirit Award for Volunteerism in the Arts 2007. The same year Dawne Rudman received Oakville Volunteer of the Year 2007, for her work organizing festival exhibitions.

 

Previous festivals have featured artists from the following countries: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Channel Islands-Guernsey, China, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, United States, Wales.

Canadian Provinces and Territories: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.

US States: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.

 

Installation shots from the 2012 exhibition: Quiet Zone

 

What Counts as Fibre & Textile Art?

That's a good question. Fibre & Textile Art is incredibly diverse and our definition is continuously shifting. We are open-minded. Our website has thousands of examples of fibre artwork located under Blog and Past Artwork. You can see examples on these pages.

Generally fibre art is made from perishable materials that use traditional techniques that include, stitchery, tapestry, weaving and papermaking.

We have exhibited a huge variety of techniques and media including: sculpture, installation, quilting, weaving and tapestry, hooking, knitting, installations, embroidery, lace making, crochet, felting, coiling, beading, thread painting, mixed media, soft sculpture, wearable art, basketry, sprang, paper-cut, recycled materials, fibre collage, assemblage, organic materials, stitch-relief, quilling and works using paper. The paper must be hand-made or have been stitched or manipulated in some way.

“Fibre Inspired”

These days artists are using synthetic materials or materials that have nothing to do with fibre but use sewing or weaving techniques. We call that “fibre inspired” and we're totally open to experimental approaches. This is a term we coined to encompass artworks that use the techniques, forms, aesthetic or history of fibre arts but are not made from traditional soft or perishable fibre materials. This could include any material such bronze, wire, paint and plastic manipulation etc. These works “evoke” fibre or textiles in some way. We did an entire show based on "Fibre Inspired" called Memento mori. 

Unfortunately, we do not have the tech equipment capability to exhibit video or sound work. Performance also doesn't work in this context.

What Doesn’t Count as Fibre & Textile Art?

We would probably not include works on paper that are essentially drawing or painting, unless the paper itself is somehow being manipulated or it depicts a fibre effect. If you are unsure if your work counts as ‘fibre or textile art’ before working on your submission please contact the Festival Chair: Dawne Rudman.

 

Installation shots from the 2016 exhibition: Late in the Season.

Installation shots from the 2014 exhibition: Solo Shows and Installations.

 

Galleries for 2026

Queen Elizabeth Park Community & Cultural Centre, Oakville

The building is a former high school repurposed into a huge facility for arts and sports. We engage the entire building and fill it with art.

• The Gallery: This large beautiful space is our principle gallery. We will be mounting a major group exhibition.


• The Display Area: This large open gallery can be used for installations, sculptural pieces and wall works.


• The Corridor Galleries: We will be mounting Solo Shows in the Corridor Galleries using a gallery hanging system. This is why we are encouraging artists to submit full bodies of work. We can dedicate entire hallways to individual artists. 


• Public Spaces: The facility has many open public spaces where we exhibit installation work. 

 

Curators Since 2012:

Chair & Festival Curator: Dawne Rudman

Festival Curator: Gareth Bate

 

2018 Installations in the Front Lobby.

2023 Installations in the Display Area Gallery. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Where is Oakville?
  Oakville Ontario, Canada is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is situated 40 km west of Toronto on Lake Ontario. Toronto is the largest city in Canada with a metropolitan area of 7 million people. Oakville has a population of 214,000 and is well served by public transit to and from Toronto. It has a small but solid arts community with lots of fibre arts groups and guilds. The World of Threads Festival is one of the most important events in the town. We hire buses to bring art lovers from Toronto to Oakville during the festival.
  
  Many artists who visit the festival from abroad, stay for a few days and also check out the many museums and galleries in Toronto. These include the Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Textile Museum of Canada, Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, Aga Khan Museum, Gardener Museum, as well as smaller museums and commercial galleries.
  
  
• How do I get updates about the Festival?
  Subscribe Here.


• Is there an entrance fee to view the festival?
  No. All festival gallery spaces are FREE to the general public to visit.


• How many submissions do you get?
  On average we receive about 300 submissions each festival. For Festival 2023 we looked at over 4,000 images.


• Can I submit more than one application?
  Yes, you can submit as many as you want. In fact we encourage you to submit more because then we have more work to choose from! If you have multiple bodies of work, submit them. If you have installations and single pieces we would like to see them. A single work might be chosen for the main gallery show. There is a submission fee for each submission.


• Will you acknowledge having received my submission and payment?
  Yes, we will let you know that we received everything. Due to the volume of submissions received, it may take us a while to respond, but respond we will.


• When will I know if I've been accepted or not?
  Yes. We're committed to getting the selections finished by the end of June. We will tell you either way as soon as we've made decisions. Please note that artists will learn of their acceptance or not, at different times. So if you hear that a fellow artist was accepted, and you have not yet heard back, don't jump to conclusions. We are still deciding.


• Will I get feedback on my submission?
  No. We don't offer feedback about work or submissions.


• If I exhibited in the past, can I get in again?
  Absolutely. We have many returning artists and we encourage you to submit again. We've even had artists who have exhibited in nearly every festival. If you were in our Solo Shows in the past, we will be looking for an evolution in your work if you want to have another solo show. So it has changed in a noticeable way, or evolved in a new direction. Obviously, having shown in a previous festival is not a guarantee for acceptance in this next one.


• If my work didn't get chosen in the past, do I have a chance this time?
  Yes. We are very excited to see how artists are evolving. If you submit new work we will always be looking with fresh eyes.


• Is the artwork insured while on display?
  Yes. All work displayed at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre is insured while on the premises, that includes the installation process and take down.


• Do you pay artist fees?
  No. We don't have the money to pay artist fees. We don't have the revenue of a gallery and the grant and submissions fees we receive pay for the basics of running the festival.


• Is your venue accessible?
  Yes, this venue is totally accessible. It's all on one level and wheelchair accessible. There are also accessible bathrooms. Service animals are permitted.


• Why do you charge a submission fee?
  We need to charge submission fees to make this event happen. We do a massive amount of work on behalf of the artists. Running the festival involves paying for exhibition space, promotional materials, professional installers, installation materials, liability insurance for the galleries, sponsored buses, opening reception, photography, graphic design, social media promotion and website design to name a few.


• Do you accept proposals from groups or collectives?
  No. The festival is for single artists or a two-person collaboration. We don't exhibit work by collectives or groups. Any project organized by an individual which uses the labour of multiple other people will be credited as by the single main artist in the program, website and social media. Other people who were involved may be credited on the labels in the show.


• How is the work installed?
  We have an amazing team of volunteers who are all experienced installers. They all know how to handle fibre and textile work. They work tirelessly for weeks to install the festival. Some have worked in professional galleries. Some are trained to use lift equipment for hanging high up. Artists who are local or available during the installation period can also install the work themselves. We ask artists to give clear installation instructions.


• Do you give assistance to artists to attend the Festival?
  No. There's no way we could afford to do that. Artists attending pay their own way. Some have successfully applied for travel grants from their regions.


• Do you have opening receptions?
  Yes! We have had hundreds of guests attend our openings, including many from across Canada and around the world. Many of our participating artists (including international) attend the Festival. We also have buses that we rent to drive people from Toronto. After the opening we host an event where artists meet each other and can talk. We then go out to dinner at a local restaurant.


• Who covers the cost of shipping the work?
  The artists are responsible for the costs of shipping work. This is not something we can afford to do. Some artists have applied for shipping grants from their local arts councils.


• Shipping - US residents please be advised: Due to the current US trade war, the tariffs/duties situation is very unpredictable and can change at any moment without warning. It currently stands at 25%. When shipping work to Canada, in order to avoid tariffs the packages must be labelled correctly and be USMCA/CUSMA compliant. This is crucial. We have detailed instructions on how to ship if you are accepted. Any additional charges resulting in tariffs, customs, duties, brokerage, etc. are the artist’s responsibility to pay. Because of these new restrictions we will not be able to sell any work made by US residents, as it must be returned in order to avoid the tariffs.


• Do you sell artwork?
  Yes. Work can be available to sell. But you do not have to sell it. There is a 40% commission on all festival sales. All labels include contact info for the Festival Chair to do the sales transaction. We don’t display prices on the labels but the price lists are available in the gallery. We are not selling work by US residents this year because of the tariffs. See above. Although we do try to sell work, the exhibitions themselves have always been the point of the festival, not sales.


• Do you have display cases and Judy mannequins?
  Yes! We have display cases of different sizes that we use to exhibit smaller sculptural works in the halls. We have lots of Judy mannequins available as well for clothing and wearable art. We have had four exhibitions called “Cat Walk” devoted to wearable art and fashion.


• Can I install my work myself?
  If you are available to install your work during the specific times when we are doing that installation, then yes. That would be helpful. Some artists, in the main gallery or installation spaces have installed work themselves in the area we designated for their work. If you want to get on a ladder, you would need to pass the official training. If coming from abroad we hope you will still attend the opening reception.


• Do you accept submissions of video/film/sound/performance work related to fibre?
  Unfortunately no. We don't have the tech equipment capabilities to exhibit video/film/sound works. Performance doesn't work within this context. In the past, some artists have exhibited works that did use video or audio and they removed the tech component to make it more “analog” for the festival. We appreciate this willingness to adapt the work.


• Do you accept proposals for projects or installations that have not yet been made?
  No. We only accept finished works in the submission. We can't take the chance that a project won't be completed in time for the festival. We have made this mistake in the past. There were artists who could not complete the work. However, we will consider installations that have not yet been exhibited if you can show the work installed in a room or studio.


• What is an Artist Statement?
  An Artist Statement is a description of your artwork and art practice. Be specific. You are telling the story of your artwork. We highly encourage you not to fill your artist statement with art speak. Just be yourself. Write in the first person. Write as if you are talking to someone in front of you about your work.


• What is the difference between a Bio and a CV?
  A CV is a chronological listing of your career achievements like a resume. A bio is a narrative outlining your career path, artistic values, purpose for making art, etc. Some of the information is the same, but it is presented as a narrative. A bio should be written in the third person.


• How much weight do you place on CV accomplishments?
  We place no weight on CV accomplishments in making our decisions for the shows. We don't care. The CV is only there as a reference. Don’t worry about this aspect, just put something together. The work is what matters to us. We have exhibited artists who have vast exhibition histories, as well as artists who have no exhibition history.



 



Installation shots from the 2016 exhibition: Cosmic Geometry



Installation shots from the 2016 exhibition: Cosmic Geometry

 

How to Submit

Three Options for Submitting

Body of Work – Maximum 10 pieces + details + in-context shots.

Individual Pieces – Maximum 10 pieces + details + in-context shots.

Installations – Maximum 10 images + details + renderings/in-context shots.

 

Download the Submission PDF below and follow the instructions.

Scroll down this page for how to pay the submission fee. Make sure you've read the info on the web page first. One submission constitutes a Body of Work, or Individual pieces or Installations. You can make multiple submissions.

 

Eligibility

Artists cover the cost of shipping.

We are open to artists from all countries.

All artwork must have been made between Apr. 2023 and Jan. 2026.

NO entry can be withdrawn from the exhibition once it has been accepted.

All work must be original – NO patterns or commercial kits are acceptable.

NO AI generated imagery. We are interested exclusively in human creativity and human-made imagery. Please do not submit work to us made using generative AI imagery.

 



Festival 2023-24: Solo Shows in the Corridor Galleries. 



Festival 2016: Solo Shows in the Corridor Galleries. 

 

Submission Fee: $65

This fee covers a maximum of ten pieces (10 full images and 10 details) or 1 installation. If you would like to submit an additional round of pieces or another installation, you may do another submission by paying an additional $65. Submission fees are non-refundable. You can submit as many applications as you want.

Why we have a submission fee:

The submission fee covers our costs and time for processing the submissions and helps us run the festival. The World of Threads Festival as a whole, is organized by a few dedicated volunteers and people paid for specialized services. We do a massive amount of work on behalf of the artists. It's a not-for-profit organization with charitable status. Because we don’t have the revenue of a gallery we need to charge submission fees to make this event happen. We don't have the money to pay artist fees. Running the festival involves paying for exhibition space, promotional materials, professional installers, installation materials, liability insurance for the galleries, sponsored buses, opening reception, to name a few. We receive a small grant that helps to cover our annual costs and a few donations, but they are not sufficient to run an international arts festival. Consider it a contribution to the community of fibre and textile arts.

 

Download the 2026 Application Form PDF!




 

Pay Submission Fee

Methods of Payment:

PayPal: To pay via PayPal click below:

Note: The PayPal button says, “donate” – this is because we are a not for profit organization.

 

Methods of Payment:

1) PayPal: To pay via PayPal click the donate button below:

Note: The PayPal button says, “donate” – this is because we are a not-for-profit organization. Add$12.00 for associated fees.

 

2) E-Transfer for resident Canadians send it to:

dawne@worldofthreadsfestival.com

Note: There is no charge for E-Transfer within Canada.

 

3) Global Money Transfer / Wire Transfer

Add $25.00 for associated fees.

If you wish to pay by Global Money Transfer or Wire Transfer, contact us and we will send you the information on how to send the money.

Use ONLY the methods above.

NO Western Union/MoneyGram/Wise/etc.

 



 

Awesome! We look forward to seeing your new work!

Be sure to subscribe for updates.

 

Do you have questions?


First check our Frequently Asked Questions above. 


Email Dawne Rudman: dawne@worldofthreadsfestival.com


 



2018 artists and curators at the opening reception. Installation view of the exhibition Flow.