The featured exhibit runs August 1 – 31, 2025 in Metro Gallery in the Garneau Theatre lobby.
Artist Reception: August 4 at 5:30 pm
Artist: Shania Taylor
Artist Statement:
Everyone has their favourite sweater, blanket, jacket, something that may be soft, or is their favourite colour, maybe it even has a weird pattern that brings the owner some joy when they see it. Textiles play such a huge role in our self-expression and can provide comfort, or help to ground ourselves when life feels a bit overwhelming. Every stitch that I make feels meditative and touching the different textures of the layered threads and fabrics is extremely satisfying. I have always loved a floral pattern and a velvet fabric. These are things that remind me of evenings spent at my grandparents and my mom’s favourite shirt from when I was a child. The nostalgia of these little memories are always welcome but far too fleeting. I try to get the majority of the fabrics I use second hand, it allows for my planning process to have so much flexibility and pushes me to mix patterns and colours that I maybe would not if I had the full range of materials stocked at a fabric store. I aim to create pieces that may tickle an old memory or stir a familiar feeling and hopefully provide some comfort to the viewer.
Shania Taylor is an Edmontonian who works full time as the Operations Manager at Metro and has become slowly obsessed with the world of textile art. She is a self-taught artist and has mainly been focusing on embroidery for the last few years, mixing her own doodles with some more traditional folk art styles, until recently when she has begun dabbling into the world of quilting patterns and how those can be incorporated in her creations.