Tiny But Mighty is coming!

What is that, you ask?

You might have heard me talk about the American Tapestry Alliance before. This is their un-juried exhibition that occurs every other year during Convergence. I’ve highlighted these shows in 2020 and again in 2022.

In 2022, there was an emphasis on stepping outside the box, experimenting with techniques outside the traditional realm.

This year, in July 2024, there will be another Tiny But Mighty exhibit; this time to be exhibited at the  Envision Art Gallery in Wichita Kansas. Envision Gallery is run by blind artists and for this exhibit show attendees are encouraged to touch the pieces, so this is your opportunity to use all of your favorite tactile techniques.

I’ve been playing around with what I want to submit. Since I have been wanting to work on a piece with French Knots as the main technique, I decided to use them in my entry. French knots with contrast since some that are blind might be able to make out general shapes. French knots may be combined with other techniques, with different fibers, maybe beads and wire… am I making your mind race? I hope so!

I was just visiting a tapestry friend this week and in talking about the piece for Tiny But Mighty, she brilliantly suggested adding a word or words in Braille- that should work really well with knots, don’t you think? I encourage you to use any of these ideas in your own entry! Registration is open now until May 1st so you have plenty of time to get those creative juices going!

I wanted to write this blog post because so many I’ve talked to have not realized the tactile and visual opportunities in preparing for entries. (See UPDATE below).

Here’s the description from the ATA website. (I have highlighted the bit about the gallery that tends to get overlooked):

“The next Tiny But Mighty Exhibition will take place in July of 2024 at Envisions Gallery in Wichita, KS in conjunction with the Handweavers Guild of America’s Convergence conference. Envisions Gallery is the nation’s first permanent art gallery made by and for artists who are blind or visually impaired or disabled. The American Tapestry Association is very excited to partner with this venue to host Tiny But Mighty artists.

Artists interested in submitting tapestries that explore experimental techniques, materials, and conceptual approaches are encouraged to apply. Artists may incorporate found objects, and other fiber techniques such as embroidery, knotting, etc., or explore weave structures such as twill, and basket weave. The only restriction is that each tapestry must not be larger than 10 inches in any direction. Due to the large number of entries received, only one entry per artist as an individual or as part of a group is accepted. The exhibition is open only to CURRENT ATA MEMBERS! “

Soooo….why not join now? 

There are many other benefits to joining besides this show. I wrote about some of those last year around this time (focusing on the Painter Brown Scholarship which is coming up again soon), another great opportunity.

IMPORTANT UPDATE! I did not mean to imply that this is a requirement. All tapestries that meet the size requirements are allowed. I know some have probably already begun or finished their submissions. Please don't let this deter you!