62 Group of Textile Artists

The 62 Group of Textile Artists is an international collective and constituted artists' cooperative established in the United Kingdom in 1962. It was created by Alison Erridge, Jennifer Gray and Joy Clucas, who brought together embroidery teachers and other practitioners concerned about the limited professional opportunities available to artists working with embroidery and textile processes. At the time, contemporary embroidery was often treated as a domestic pastime rather than as a serious artistic practice, and galleries offered relatively few opportunities for graduates and professional makers. The group's early activities were closely connected with The Embroiderers' Guild. Its first meeting, held in London in November 1962, attracted participants from varied backgrounds and established a formal relationship with the Guild. Membership was initially open, but the group soon found that open admission made it difficult to maintain a consistent standard across exhibitions. During 1964 and 1965, it introduced peer selection for both membership and exhibition participation. This became a defining feature of its constitution: members are expected to submit work for successive exhibitions, and membership can be lost after three consecutive failures to submit or after rejection from three successive exhibitions. In its early years the organization was known as the Professional Group of the Embroiderers' Guild. It was supported by the Art Exhibitions Bureau, which toured group exhibitions around the United Kingdom and helped the artists reach new audiences and sell work. Touring created significant production demands, however, and the arrangement ended after approximately two years. The group subsequently developed a programme of exhibitions at prominent cultural venues, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Commonwealth Institute and TUC Congress House. These appearances helped establish textile art as a visible part of the contemporary exhibition landscape. Around two decades after its formation, the group concluded that the word embroidery no longer reflected the range of practices being explored by its members. It separated from the Embroiderers' Guild and adopted the name 62 Group of Textile Artists. Membership was opened to artists working across textile disciplines, including forms of weaving, tapestry, mixed media, constructed textiles and experimental surface practice. The expansion generated debate about the group's artistic identity, but it also brought in new approaches and helped create a more diverse and forward-looking body of work. The cooperative's objectives include promoting textile art in major national and international venues, enabling members to exhibit and sell their work, encouraging new directions and the exchange of ideas, building links with overseas textile organizations, and increasing public understanding through education. The group has held exhibitions in the United Kingdom and abroad, including in Japan, Israel and the Netherlands. Between 1963 and 2011 it held 85 exhibitions, and it has generally maintained at least one exhibition each year. Its membership is selected by existing members and has commonly remained at approximately 50 exhibiting artists, although the exact composition changes as artists join and leave. The 62 Group has also exerted influence through education and publishing. Many members have worked as teachers, lecturers or academics, and have advocated the inclusion of experimental textiles in schools, colleges and universities. Members have contributed to specialist journals and books dealing with contemporary textile practice, helping broaden the discipline's critical and educational profile. The group is therefore best understood not as a conventional commercial consumer brand, but as a professional cultural organization whose identity rests on peer selection, exhibitions, artistic research and the advancement of textile art.

The 62 Group of Textile Artists originated in the United Kingdom during a period when embroidery graduates and other textile practitioners had few professional exhibition opportunities. Alison Erridge, Jennifer Gray and Joy Clucas organized a meeting at The Embroiderers' Guild in London in November 1962. The meeting assembled embroidery teachers and artists who wanted to challenge the treatment of embroidery as merely a women's hobby and to create a stronger professional context for contemporary work. The new organization initially maintained a formal connection with The Embroiderers' Guild, and membership was broadly open. Its first exhibition, held soon after the group's formation, consisted largely of small framed panels but demonstrated a high level of drawing, design and subject development. As the organization expanded, members recognized that open membership produced uneven results for exhibitions. In 1964–65, they introduced peer selection for membership and exhibition participation. The group also became known as the Professional Group of the Embroiderers' Guild. The Art Exhibitions Bureau sponsored early touring exhibitions, enabling the artists to show work across the United Kingdom and reach buyers outside London. Touring proved demanding because members had to sustain a high volume of new work, and the arrangement ended after two years. The group then established exhibitions at recognized cultural venues, including the Royal Festival Hall in 1967, the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1970 and 1972, the Commonwealth Institute in 1972, and TUC Congress House in 1970 and 1972. Approximately twenty years after its foundation, the group broadened its remit beyond embroidery. Members believed that the original terminology restricted the scope of contemporary textile practice, so formal ties with The Embroiderers' Guild were ended and the organization became the 62 Group of Textile Artists. The expanded membership included artists working in a wider range of textile disciplines. This change led to discussion about whether the group had become too diverse, particularly as traditional stitch-based work was exhibited alongside tapestry and other approaches. Other commentary viewed the change positively, arguing that the arrival of new members and methods produced a stronger and more adventurous artistic body. Exhibition activity remained central to the group's identity. From 1963 through 2011, it mounted 85 exhibitions, primarily in the United Kingdom but also in Japan, Israel and the Netherlands. The group generally organizes at least one exhibition annually. Membership is international, with artists associated with countries including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hungary, South Africa and Japan, and normally comprises about 50 exhibiting members at a time. Throughout its history, the 62 Group has combined exhibition-making with professional development and education. Members have taught in schools, colleges and universities, promoted experimental textile work in arts curricula, and written for specialist publications. Their collective activity contributed to the wider acceptance of textile art as a field capable of formal experimentation, critical discussion and museum-level presentation. The organization continues to function as a selected, artist-led cooperative rather than as a conventional company selling a standardized product line.

1. 2011Long-term exhibition record

   By 2011, the group had held 85 exhibitions since its first presentation, including events in the United Kingdom and overseas.

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2. 1982Expansion from embroidery to textile art

   About twenty years after its formation, the group broadened membership to artists working in any textile discipline and adopted the name 62 Group of Textile Artists.

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3. 1972Further major UK exhibitions

   The 62 Group returned to the Victoria and Albert Museum and exhibited at the Commonwealth Institute and TUC Congress House.

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4. 1970Exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum and TUC Congress House

   The group exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum and TUC Congress House, reinforcing its presence in major UK venues.

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5. 1967Royal Festival Hall exhibition

   The group secured an exhibition at London's Royal Festival Hall, expanding its visibility within the national cultural circuit.

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6. 1964Peer selection introduced

   The group moved away from open membership and introduced selection for members and exhibitions in order to maintain artistic consistency.

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7. 1963First exhibition

   The group began its exhibition programme, presenting contemporary embroidery and textile work to a professional public.

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8. 1962Founding meeting in London

   Alison Erridge, Jennifer Gray and Joy Clucas convened embroidery teachers and other practitioners at The Embroiderers' Guild in London, establishing the organization that became the 62 Group.

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A peer-selected professional platform for contemporary textile artists, positioned between an exhibiting artists' cooperative, an advocacy organization and an international specialist art network. Its distinctive value lies in rigorous member and exhibition selection, cross-disciplinary textile practice, artist-led governance and sustained promotion of textiles as a serious contemporary art form.

• Contemporary textile artworksTextile art

  The group's members produce original works using textile materials and processes as fine-art media. The output is not standardized: it can include stitched surfaces, constructed textiles, woven forms, tapestry, mixed media and experimental installations. The group's role is to exhibit and promote this work rather than manufacture products under a common commercial design.

• Selected group exhibitionsExhibitions1963

  Exhibitions are the 62 Group's principal public offering. Works are selected through a peer process, and the programme is intended to provide members with opportunities to present and sell art while exposing audiences to new directions in textile practice. Presentations have taken place mainly in the United Kingdom, with international exhibitions also held in countries including Japan, Israel and the Netherlands.

• Textile-art education and professional exchangeEducation and advocacy

  Through members who work as teachers, lecturers and academics, the group supports the development of textile art in education and encourages the exchange of ideas among practitioners. Members have contributed to specialist journals and books and have promoted experimental textiles in schools, colleges and universities.

• 1982Broadening from embroidery to all textile disciplinesStrategy

  The term embroidery was increasingly viewed as too narrow for the materials, methods and artistic directions represented by members.

  What changed. The organization ended its formal ties with The Embroiderers' Guild, opened membership to artists across textile disciplines and adopted its present name.

  Aftermath. The change increased disciplinary diversity and encouraged more experimental work, although contemporary commentary debated the boundaries and coherence of the expanded group.

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• 1964Adoption of peer selectionStrategy

  The original open-membership model created concerns about the consistency and quality of work submitted for exhibitions.

  What changed. The group established selection procedures for membership and exhibitions, with existing members assessing applicants and submitted work.

  Aftermath. Selection became a core operating principle and continues to distinguish the group as a professional artists' cooperative.

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1. 62 Group of Textile Artists