Members / Rachel Machenry
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rachel@textilestudio.ca
sustainable and innovative use of materials for functional textiles.
Textile designer Rachel MacHenry received her M.A. from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, England. She has also studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, and was an artist-in-residence at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Canada. She is currently Studio Head/Textiles for the Craft & Design Program at Sheridan College in Toronto, and is a founding member of the Contemporary Textile Studio Co-operative, also in Toronto. As a designer, she focuses on the sustainable and innovative use of materials for functional textiles. Her design research centres on fair trade and environmental production and, in addition to developing studio textile work, she designs for artisan-made production. Rachel has worked extensively with community-based co-operatives in South Asia to develop textiles using local materials for overseas markets. Her eponymous children’s knitwear and felt line is produced with community cooperatives in Nepal and India, and is marketed in the United States, Europe and Japan. Clients include catalogue companies, museum shops and high-end retailers, and the line has been featured in magazines such as the New York Times magazine, Martha Stewart Magazine and others. She has also been involved in curating exhibitions related to textiles and design, and her work is part of the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.
Images by Rachel Machenry
Recent news added by Rachel Machenry
Posted
Jul 1
Massclusivity:
Massclusivity: new models of viable design and craft collaboration in the developing world.
Curated by Patty Johnson and Melanie Egan
Harbourfront Centre, July 14 - Sept. 3, 2007.
Massclusivity - Project Information - Rachel MacHenry
Nepal is a tiny country sandwiched between India and China in the Himalayas. Most Nepalese eke out an existence based on subsistence agriculture, and in recent years Nepal has suffered from political instability and violence. However, a rich and vibrant cultural heritage based on Hindu and Buddhist traditions informs all areas of daily life. There is also a long tradition of craft production and trade, and these areas of activity continue to provide livelihoods for many Nepalese people today.
Since the rise of the Democracy Movement in the 1980's, craft co-operatives have taken on an ever more important role in Nepal. These co-operatives have become sites where communities can address various social and economic inequalities, as well as allowing for research and preservation of cultural knowledge. Some groups focus on providing their members access to health care, financial services and education. Others focus on skills training and economic development. The groups represented in "Massclusivity" are each structured differently and meet different needs in their communities, but all have the common goals of providing skilled employment to their members, and valuing, preserving and passing on cultural knowledge.
The groups represented in this exhibition include: Himalayan Knitworks; Eco Himal; Association for Craft Producers; and Dupgyal Community Co-operative.
