New exhibition in Sleaford celebrates traditional craft of rag rug making
A new exhibition in Sleaford will celebrate the traditional craft of rag rug making.
This summer, the Hub national centre of craft and design presents a touring exhibition devoted to the pioneering rag rug works of celebrated British artist Winifred Nicholson (1893–1981).
This exhibition highlights a lesser-known aspect of Nicholson’s creative output - her revival of the northern English tradition of rag rug making - and explores the enduring relationship between fine art, craft, and domestic life.
The exhibition presents many rare, beautiful and fragile examples of Nicholson’s rugs, the majority of which are held in private collections and have not been seen in public until now.
Curated in partnership with art historian Jovan Nicholson, Winifred’s grandson, the show focuses on Nicholson's revival of the rag rug making tradition in the 1960s and 70s when the artist, along with her family and friends, created rug designs.
Rag rugs, also known as ‘hooky rugs’ or ‘proggy mats’, were hardwearing rugs popular in the mining villages and rural cottages in England in the early 20th century. Providing cheap and warm floor coverings, the rugs were handmade from rags of second-hand clothing and textiles, cut into strips and occasionally dyed bright colours. The fabric was pushed or pulled through a hessian backing using a tool, a ‘proddy’, to make a rug.
The exhibition features 25 rugs, with the earliest pieces on display dating from the 1920s. Archival materials, including sketches, newspaper cuttings, and postcards, offer a behind-the-scenes look at Nicholson’s process and inspirations.
Jovan Nicholson comments: “One of the problems with rag rugs is that by their very nature of being placed on a floor and hard use, very few survive. What is exciting is to have found so many rugs with lively images, and many of them in excellent condition. They are an eclectic group, from the traditional subject matter of farmer’s lives of sheep, cattle and cats, to the naïve images based on drawings by Winifred Nicholson’s grandchildren, to the rugs designed by Winifred Nicholson with her practised artist’s eye.”
Winifred Nicholson: Cumbrian Rag Rugs opens at the Hub on July 19 and runs until November 16. Admission is free.