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History and Context

In March 2003 the Constance Howard Resource and Research Centre in Textiles opened for the first time to the public. It has attracted widespread interest from a range of artists, designers, researchers, Friends and museum curators.

The collection was originally established in the 1980’s by Audrey Walker and was named in honour of Constance Howard, former Head of Textiles at Goldsmiths College. Rich, eclectic and idiosyncratic the collection contains over 4,000 pieces of textile, some very special commissioned teaching samples, Japanese techno-fabrics, and tiny fragments of lace and embroidery. There are thousands of slides documenting the pioneering history of textiles at Goldsmiths College from the late 1940’s to the present day.

The Centre is dedicated to the research and study of textiles within a broader context of visual and material culture. The value of textiles as a primary source of cultural knowledge and experience is increasingly being recognised. Textiles are part of our everyday life and embody a complex set of histories, inviting a range of speculations about their wider cultural meaning and social interpretation. The Centre provides a distinctive resource for multi-faceted research and from many different perspectives. Goldsmiths students, academic staff, researchers, Friends and members of the public can use the Centre for the purposes of their own research needs.

The first records from the Centre are now available in two taster collections, the Material Collection and the Slide Collection.

The Material Collection

The material collection is centred around
- prized Constance Howard’s personal and textilesthe Centre in 2000.
which she donated to - many Her invaluable teaching notes and experimental samplesby her students at created Goldsmiths from the late 1940’s to her retirement in 1975 are included.
Elements within the donation represent a landmark in the history of British twentieth century textile art. It tells a unique and distinctive story of creative risk and innovation.

The collection continues to grow.
- Since 2002 there have been substantial donations from Sheila Fraser (2000), Francesca Palmer (2002) and Christine Risley (2003), all of whom contribute to the unique story contained within the Centre.
- Contemporary alumni, Alicia Felderbaum (1996), Saturo Aoyama (1998), Michiko Ishikawa (1997) and f.marquespenteado (2002) have left new gems. Their work reflects a fresh and culturally diverse contemporary art textile in both material and digital form. This enhances the legacy and continues the Goldsmiths story into the 21st century
- The 62 Group and Fibre Art group have housed their archives in the Centre.
- Diana Keay’s project ‘Gathering’ Decoration and Construction of European Folk Costume in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Greece, was researched during her Churchill Travelling Fellowship (1984) and is now housed alongside the Centre’s East European artefacts and books.

Copyright and permitted uses
Material Archive,
Rights

The images and metadata presented in the Constance Howard Resource and Research Centre in Textiles are copyright of Goldsmiths College, University of London, Constance Howard Resource and Research Centre in Textiles. They may be used for private research and study purposes only. They must not be copied or amended in any way without first gaining the permission of the copyright holder. Enquires regarding reproduction should be sent to the address below.

More records are constantly being added to the Constance Howard Resource and Research Centre in Textiles collection database. We make every effort to ensure that these records are accurate, and we apologise for any errors which may have unwittingly occurred. The Constance Howard Resource and Research Centre in Textiles would be pleased to receive any information or suggestions which would enhance these records. Please email connitex@gold.ac.uk with any comments or queries.

The Slide Collection

The unique slide collection comprises several thousand slides of work from textile students who studied at Goldsmiths. The slides date from the late 1940’s to the present. Many graduates are internationally recognised alumni. Added to this distinctive archive but not yet available online are slides from many textile teachers and artists reflecting not only their own work but their range of research interests.

All images held within this database are copyright of Goldsmiths College University of London. Copyright in the original art work belongs to the artist. Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders to gain permission for use of the images of work held within the Centre. We would be grateful for any information concerning copyright and we will withdraw the images immediately on copyright holder’s request, if appropriate. Please direct any enquiries to: connitex@gold.ac.uk

Historical Terminology

Technique