| Priscilla Lowry is a Medievalist & Silk Historian, author, lecturer and designer
LATEST NEWS
Priscilla is now teaching two one-day workshops at her home in Devonport on Saturday 7th August, and Friday 13th August, 9.30 until 4pm. It will be all about making a piece of wearable art, called a FLASH JACKET. We start with an existing jersey (one that you are prepared to cut up) and we make and insert all kinds of different knitted pieces, and the result is spectacular! Come and see the ones already made, and make something unique for yourself. The cost is $45.00 for the day, bring an old machine knitted jersey to cut up and lots of different knitting needles, small balls of yarn in colours to suit, sharp scissors etc. A kit will be available for $20.00 with all the bits including a jersey, if you don't have the things yourself.
Tea and coffee etc will be supplied, so please bring something to share for lunch. These one day workshops are the best, so come and join the fun, just email or phone 09 445 2970. There is a limit on the numbers so let me know and I can send you a booking form to secure your place.
Also:
Good news from the Continuing Education Department. PRISCILLA LOWRY is teaching two more courses during July and August 2010 and two in September and October.
READING THE PICTURES begins on Thursday 15th July, 10-12, in the Department at 1-11 Short Street. This course asks, Did you know the Virgin Mary was a knitter? This is just one of the secrets hidden in the illuminated manuscripts. We will examine Books of Hours, secular documents and paintings for their symbolism and explore miniature gardens, identify food at banquets and be amused by the sketches and graffiti in the margins. We will learn about the life and times of the people and understand the symbolism, be it social, religious or propaganda. Course no. 38127
MEDIEVAL MONASTICISM; BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, begins on Monday 19th July, 10-12 for 6 weeks, also at 1-11 Short Street. This exciting and thought-provoking course lets us catch glimpses of the controlled, secretive and hidden life of the monks and nuns from the high period of their committment (or not) to a life of celibacy in the church. There are wonderful records of real people and their lives and how they coped with a situation that some chose with a passion and others found they had been condemned to live. The monks and nuns apparently pious lives were not always tranquil and some rebelled and we look at the consequences. Course no. 38128
The two courses for September and October are MEDIEVAL EDUCATION: FROM CHURCH SCHOOLS TO UNIVERSITY, beginning on Tuesday 7th September 10-12, and SILK; SECRET LIVES AND SOCIAL HISTORY, beginning on Thursday 16th September, 6-8pm
Enrolment is easy, TELEPHONE 373 7599 EXT 87831 OR 87832, or POST your request to Freepost 5058, Centre for Continuing Education P O Box 92019 Auckland. You can also book on line at www.cce.auckland.ac.nz or go to the 6th floor in building 810 in Short Street and talk to Aija or Jan.
I do look forward to seeing you. There is a limit on class numbers and bookings fill fast so today would be a good day to make enquiries.
I had a super trip and have returned refreshed and re-invigorated by my seven weeks in France, England and Turkey. It was both a teaching and a research trip and it all went extremely well. It was wonderful to catch up again with friends and colleagues, to meet new people and discuss wonderful new ideas. I visited lots of ancient manor houses and castles, bought lots of books, and was blown away by the Bayeux Tapestry, and the beautiful buildings and textiles wherever I went.
All of this can now be incorporated into this years work
All the series are enormous fun with lots of thought provoking ideas and great discussions. Again they have also been oversubscribed and people have had to go on waiting lists, so do telephone the Continuing Education Department 09 373 7599 to secure your place.
Please feel free to contact me at silkroad39@xtra.co.nz
Priscilla Lowry's SOLO EXHIBITION, SILK: DECONSTRUCTED, RECONSTRUCTED AT NORTHART in Auckland, in November 2008 has now finished and the response was wonderful.
Please feel free to contact me if you saw something you loved, and would like one made especially for you, some jewellery, a silk jacket, a quilt or cushions
LATEST NEWS FROM ST JOHNS PRESS
Priscilla Lowry's first book, SILK:FROM THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS TO THE MIDDLE AGES has recently been republished in an ALL NEW SECOND EDITION. Also available is the second book in the series, THE SECRETS OF SILK: FROM TEXTILES TO FASHION. The third book, WORLD SILK is in preparation at this time. You can find more information on the books and a link to order them in this website or email her at silkroad39@xtra.co.nz for more information.
Priscilla Lowry's background is in teaching and for many years she owned Gallery St John in Remuera in Auckland specializing in wearable art in silk.
She gained her BA from Auckland University, majoring in Art History and Education and her Masters in Medieval History from London University. For the first seven years in London she was the Director of the Schuster Gallery, which specialized in antique prints, antiquarian books and her special area of expertise, Medieval Manuscripts. It was her experience and academic work that led to the publication of her books on the history of Silk, both published in the UK.
The period at the Schuster Gallery was followed by full time teaching and lecturing on silk all over the UK. She included demonstrations of identifying, spinning and working with different silks and a fashion parade of her original designs for handspun, knitted and dyed silk garments as part of the lively programme.
She traveled extensively to China, India, Thailand, Korea, France and Italy in search of sericulture and on her regular trips backwards and forwards to New Zealand, she was the guest speaker and directed workshops in the US, Canada and Thailand.
Increasingly, since her permanent move back to New Zealand she has been teaching at Auckland University on many aspects of Medieval History as well as being invited to lecture and give workshops around New Zealand and at major Fibre Festivals. These include Masterton in 2004 and Taradale in 2006, the Selector at the Creative Fibre Exhibition in Wellington 2005 and the New Zealand Fibre & Fleece Fashion Awards and Exhibition in Opotiki 2006, and Convenor of the Fashion Parades at the Home Show in Auckland. Her solo exhibition was at NorthArt in Northcote in Auckland and intitled SILK: DECONSTRUCTED. RECONSTRUCTED. She continues to be the guest speaker and give workshops to Spinning and Weaving Guilds, Embroiderers, Lacemakers, Patchwork, Quilters, U3A, Probus, Rotary and at other public events.
For more information about her books and topics for the talks and workshops, please contact her at silkroad39@xtra.co.nz
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