STURT WEAVING - THE WEAVING STUDIO

Spinning and weaving were the first crafts taught at Sturt when the weaving room was opened in 1941. Young girls were taught under the guidance of Ruth Ainsworth and Dorothy Cohoe. In a recent letter to Sturt, Dorothy shared her memories:

“There were just six local girls; Fay Barnes, Jean Fulford, Hilary Gifford, Peggy Hunter, Pat Southerden and Elaine Yelds and each day began with a hymn and prayers before the spinning and weaving began.  Together we undertook vegetable dying and outdoor sketching.  Miss West read aloud while wool was carded and heddles knotted – Miss de Rego played the piano and Mrs. McCutcheon sang.  June Epstein taught the rudiments of music and teachers and students composed tunes and sang them…..”

In 1951, the weaving workshop became the first professional workshop at Sturt with arrival of the influential German master weaver Erike Gretschel who introduced production methods.  Erike was succeeded by Ursula Walde, Jutta Schley, Ulrike Lucas and Elisabeth Nagel who arrived in 1959.  Herself a master weaver from Europe, by 1965 Elizabeth had begun work on important commissions which included tapestries, floor rugs and furniture for the Hong Kong Hilton Hotel, the Australian National University, the new National Library, the New South Wales Government and St. Columbus' Church in Sydney whilst exhibiting in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane.  In tune with the urgent activity of the arts/craft movement which swept Australia in the sixties and seventies, the workshop researched chemical and vegetable dies, textural improvement and a large output responded to a high demand for furnishings and rugs which were made from natural hand-spun and unspun wool.

Sturt Weaving continues today with part-time classes in spinning and weaving taught by Elisabeth Nagel and Melanie Olde. The weaving studio is also used for short courses in a range of crafts including tapestry weaving, basketry, screen printing and other textile disciplines throughout the year.

Melanie Olde works in the weaving studio, full time, producing textiles for sale at Sturt Gallery, as well as working on personal commissioned pieces. Melanie has been Resident weaver at Sturt since 2004. She has taught weaving and dyeing techniques to children, secondary students and adults. She completed studies in Textiles at Canberra School of Art and in Florence, Italy.