FESTIVAL 2023 has REOPENED! The Oakville Labour Dispute has been resolved. We have now extended until Jan. 14, 2024.
This strike has nothing to do with us. The Oakville facility workers are on strike due to an ongoing labour dispute which has temporarily shut down all community centres in the town. We hope to reopen soon. Please subscibe for updates. We will reopen as soon as the strike ends. We support workers and unions. The festival is supposed to run until Dec. 17.
Check out the Exhibitions Page for full info including Shows, Artists, Art Bus Tour from Toronto to Oakville, and Directions.
Download the Brochure!
Festival starts:
Tuesday, October 10, 2023Last day of Festival:
Sunday, January 14, 2024Holidays Closed:
Christmas: Dec. 23, 24, 25, 26.New Years: Dec. 30, 31. Jan. 1.
World of Threads Festival 2023
We are back for the first festival since 2018! After having to cancel Festival 2020 and 2022 because of Covid, we are thrilled to finally return. For Festival 2023 we’re showing 426 artworks by 115 artists. The World of Threads Festival is a leading international showcase of contemporary fibre and textile art. We’re a not-for-profit initiative with charitable status run by a few dedicated volunteers. We believe that some of the most exciting and compelling artwork being made today is happening in the field of fibre arts. Festival 2023 artists come from Canada, England, Finland, France, Hungary, India, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Uruguay, USA, US Virgin Islands and Wales.
On our website, Festival Organizers and Curators Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate have built a comprehensive archive of 135 interviews with some of the most exciting fibre artists in the world. We have become a unique hub for fibre and textile art with a current following in 97 countries. Follow us on Instagram @worldofthreads and like our Facebook Page. When sharing artworks and exhibitions on your social media please credit the artists and curators by name. Tag them if possible. Use #worldofthreads and #worldofthreadsfestival.
The festival takes place at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre in Oakville, Ontario, Canada and organized and curated by Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate.
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 concepts on the artists. Each new festival is a blank slate. Shows develop entirely out of the submissions we receive. For Festival 2023 we looked through over 3500 images and hundreds of submissions to develop these shows. We looked for connections and common themes. Often artists are on the same wavelength during a particular period. Over time, the exhibition themes emerged and became clear to us. This method has been very successful and has resulted in compelling and unique exhibitions over many years. We are excited to finally share these new shows with you.
Awards
2016
Community Spirit Arts Award:
Dawne Rudman
Recognizing an individual that through their volunteerism has made an invaluable contribution to the Oakville community and contributed to nurturing and enhancing the arts.
2015 Community Impact Arts Award:
Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate
Recipients for bringing global attention to Oakville and elevating the fibre/textile art form around the world.