ALVENA HALL is a well known Adelaide textile artist, specialising in machine embroidery, lace, quilting, dyes and photoprinting. She was born in Adelaide, trained as a teacher at the South Australian School of Art, holds an MA in Visual Arts from Flinders University and has studied overseas. She began serious studio practice in textiles in the 1970s. Her special areas of interest are the environment, landscape and technology. She is active as an exhibiting artist, community arts worker and organiser, teacher and writer. Her work is exhibited regularly locally and interstate, and she has been selected for international shows and workshops.
Her recent works included collections of on the poet John Shaw Neilson, Art to Wear lace garments, works around desert locations such as Coober Pedy, Yorkies Crossing and Farina, which explore desert environmental issues through photo-imagery, machine embroidery and quilting. She is Craft-Mark accredited, writes regularly for TEXTILE magazine and has her own label ‘Whipstitch’.

click on pictures to see larger view

EXHIBITIONS – SELECTED LIST

‘Gentle Genes’, solo show Salamanca Galleries, Hobart 1982
‘Regeneration Series’, Beaver Galleries, Canberra 1994
‘The Babbage Textiles’, solo show Adelaide/Canberra 1984
‘Antikythera Instrument’, solo show Adelaide/Launceston 1986.
‘Quilted Visions’ Adelaide and national tour, 1988
‘Banksia Collection’, wearables, Adelaide 1988
Selected works shown in Himeji, Japan, 1989
‘Chaos Series’, Christchurch NZ 1990
International Embroidered textiles, Bernina, Switzerland, 1990-1
‘Lake Eyre - The Fragile Zone’ solo show Adelaide 1992
Selected for Bernina International Calendar, 1994-5
Selected for ‘Crossing Borders’ touring USA 1995-6
‘The Littoral Zone’, laces at Anima Gallery,1996
‘Art to Wear,’ Darling Harbour, Sydney. 1996 - 2002
Madiera Threads show, Harrogate, UK, Oct. 1998
Grobenzeller Quilt-Ausstellung, Germany, March 1999
Survey show at The Courthouse Gallery. 1999
Journeys in Time and Place, Pepper Street Gallery, 1999
‘Dare to Differ’ selected 1997,1999, 2001, Prospect Gallery.
International Lace For Fashion, finalist 1997, 2001 Powerhouse.
Solo Show: ‘Desert Landscapes’ Fountain Gallery, 2002
Solo show: ‘The Neilson Collection’ Prospect Gallery 2003
Solo Show: ‘The Tennyson Collection’ Art to Wear: T’arts 2004

EXHIBITIONS OVERSEAS.
Selected works shown in Himeji, Japan, 1989
‘Chaos Series’, Christchurch NZ 1990
International Embroidered textiles, Bernina, Switzerland, 1990-1
Selected for ‘Crossing Borders’ touring USA 1995-6
Madiera Threads show, Harrogate, UK, Oct. 1998
Grobenzeller Quilt-Ausstellung, Germany, March 1999
Grand Tokyo Quilt Exhibition, Jan 2004

PARTIST IN RESIDENCIES.

Riverland Embroidery Project, 1986 celebrations
Banksia Park High School 1986, Marion High School 1989, Marden Senior College, 1994, 1995, 1999, and 2002
Para West Adult Campus, 2001, 2002
Dame Nancy Buttfield Youth Awards at Carclew, 1991, 1993.P
Tutor of Forum 92, Forum 94, Fibres West 95,
Centralian Fibres 96 Organiser Fibre Artists Network; and
Convenor, Forum South 97
Organiser, Dare To Differ, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004
Foundation member of T’arts collective, 2003.

WORKS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

University of South Australia, Levels Campus
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston
St Pauls church, Naracourte
Royal Adelaide Hospital
Madiera Threads, UK, corporate collection

CONTACT DETAILS

8 Mara Place
West Lakes
S.A. 5021
Ph/Fax 08 8347 0424
Website:http://users.senet.com.au/~alvenah/