Artists Who Inspire Us 2021 Exhibition

Regrouping after the lockdowns of 2020 Bayley House artists were inspired to come together to create rag quilts, an art form that involves knotting strips of cloth to a burlap base. Some Bayley House artists furthered this using wire frames to create their pieces, or puncturing canvases with close pieces to create their designs. What we came to notice is that what seemed important in this project was not so much what we created but that we were able to be together and work together in our creative space. Here we are able to tell our stories, share ideas, our worries, and our laughs and deepen our sense of community. 

The project was inspired by unique and vibrant quilts made by the artist Sharon Cooper-Murray, who is an artist working to preserve Gullah culture primarily through storytelling, folk art traditions and music. This led us to reflect on how artists have inspired us at Bayley House including each other. Just as we are curious about each other when we work together so we are motivated and inspired by the insights we gain from other artists. Being interested in other artists gives us an understanding of how they see and experience the world. This and broadens our understanding, furthers our art techniques and generates new ideas.  It also aligns with exciting future developments for Bayley House with the establishment of an Art Hub.  This Art Hub will be a vibrant base for all of Bayley House’s programs and will hold a strong manifesto around being connected to an engaged with artists across our community and industry. 

For this exhibition we have brought together works inspired by artists who have inspired us. This exhibition is a celebration of these artists and how they continue to enrich our lives. With some works the inspiration will be instantly recognisable in other works it will be more loosely held.  

Through this we have come know how the world of inspirational artists including ourselves create catalysts for further inspiration. We like the strips of cloth knotted together form something unique and vibrant “our Bayley House art community”.