What started off as any other day, getting together with friends, conversations, laughter, discussions on our struggles and then, of course, what each of us is pursuing or dreaming of. Deb Guthrie is a prolific clothes dyer, altering clothes that may otherwise hit the landfill sooner than it should. She created an abundance of sheeting re-dyed to create a colourful array of things that bring her joy and the opportunity to create something from these fabrics. Of course this spoke to me, as I have a love for all things fabric. She is a tunic girl, layers upon layers of clothes to create new and exciting things to wear every day. She saw this as an opportunity to have me create several tunics for her to play with and make uniquely her own to wear. As conversations go with people who create, it happens in a moment, a second, but a visual comes rushing forward, and your life changes in that moment. The excitement of creating something that doesn’t exist but you can see it so clearly. This is where I imagined 200 tunics, created by 200 artists all shown in one venue. How extraordinary that would be. I was so excited about this idea, it was big and I knew I just had to create it, how and where, well those are just part of the journey, So I began.
I told Holly Dean my idea, and she instantly could see it happening at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. I’ve only been there once but it had such an impact on me; I remembered it and agreed that that was the perfect place. That day I booked it, set the date SATURDAY, AUGUST 1ST. 2026. I haven’t told anyone about it except Holly and Deb. That afternoon I wrote out my first email, the criteria for joining and put it on my website for easy access. You see I only had about 40 artists’ emails. From 40 to 200 was going to be a challenge but I believed in this project wholeheartedly.
From those 40 emails, word of mouth took over, I was getting messages and emails from all over Ontario and some from B.C., Quebec and other provinces, who wanted to be a part of this show. I was blown away by the response but more by the energy, the enthusiasm, the community that did not exist then is now the Tunic Show Community.
In creating the show, I wanted as many different creative people to be a part of it so I added no rules, I didn’t want just textile artists to participate, I wanted poets, ceramic artist, musicians, printers—I wanted everyone to try. And that is what we have – a beautiful assortment of those who work in textiles for years, journalists, painters, potters, printers, bead artists, book artists, embroidery artist and textile artists. We have young artists just starting out, photographers, ceramic artists, we have people who are not calling themselves artist but just want try something and create a tunic for themselves. We have families, sisters and best friends working on their tunics.This is the energy we are building. I started creating this show myself and now it is a whole community creating it. I made the tunics, they are making the show. Can you even imagine all this unexpected beauty in one room.
Why do all this work? I’ve always supported artists and the arts, we need to shine a light on the world, get people excited about creativity and that it lives in all of us.
So I invite everyone who can imagine a beautiful industrial room filled with mannequins and tunics, each as unique as the person who created them. Each tunic also has a story. For me it has been a particularly hard year and I may not finish my tunics; I will still display them, and that will be part of their tunic story. You will read many diverse stories that go along with the tunics. There were no rules created so that some tunics will not be tunics, the important part is that they all started the same when they left my studio and then they went on their own journey. Some even went travelling with their creator.
I know when the day came for the show and people came to see the show they would be part of something so much more. The energy created from a large group of people who are working towards creating a unique piece of art is the kind of energy we need now and everyday before and after. This show is our statement. A gift.
The show is one day only—4pm to 8pm. Please join us for something unique in every way. Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, 3 Rosamond Street East, Almonte, Ontario
Tunics will be for sale. There is also the People’s Choice Awards; come vote for your favourite tunic.
This is a passionate community full of kindness and generosity. Come be a part of this ongoing journey of creativity.
I started this alone and yet I was never alone in its pursuit of bringing it into reality.
Laura Starkey
