ReSisters: Women, Craftivism, Fashion & Art - An Exhibition at Elaine Foster-Gandey Art
A celebration of women transforming textiles, fashion and art at Elaine Foster-Gandey Art, Lostwithiel
Private View: Friday 11 September 2026, 5–8pm
Exhibition: Friday 11 September – Saturday 26 September 2026
Taster Workshops: Saturday 12 September, as part of Lost in Art Festival
Elaine Foster-Gandey Art, 15 Queen Street, Lostwithiel
Women, textiles, fashion and art take centre stage this September with ReSisters – Women, Craftivism, Art & Fashion, a vibrant new exhibition at Elaine Foster-Gandey Art in Lostwithiel.
Running from Friday 11 September to Saturday 26 September, ReSisters brings together contemporary fine art, textile art, reconstructed fashion, ceramics, jewellery, printmaking and wearable art in a celebration of the creativity and skill of women working across traditional and contemporary craft practices.
At the heart of the exhibition are the vibrant reconstructed slow-fashion collections of Redruth duo Make A Mends, whose passion for transforming second-hand clothing gives forgotten garments and textiles radical new life. Their clothing and accessories demonstrate how fashion can be imaginative, individual and sustainable, challenging the idea that old clothes are simply disposable ; Sara Clasper’s paintings and painted furniture.
Sarah Perry & Sara Clasper, Make A mends Redruth
Alongside Make A Mends, Elaine Foster-Gandey will show her distinctive fabric portrait outfits, skirts and jackets, together with surreal headpieces, bringing her textile portraits into the world of wearable art.
‘The procession’ part of ReSisters Exhibition, Elaine Foster-Gandey Art - Lost in Art Festival Lostwithiel
Rosie Wiscombe, another fashion designer who upcycles - ‘Jeanie’ was born from a desire to create beautiful pieces of clothing with as low an environmental impact as possible. Denim is the worst offendor in the fast fashion industry but it is a hardwearing fabric whose character improves with time. By recycling old jeans Rosie gives them a second life and value the resources initially used to create them. Other artists exhibiting include Katie Bunnell, exhibiting her ceramics, Katie’s playfully modelled ceramic characters and scenes explore human relationships with animals and landscape, referencing chinoiserie designs. Gemma Lessinger, from clothing to coastlines, she creates richly textured seascapes inspired by the coastlines that stay with us long after we've left them.and prints; Anne Blackwell-Fox, presenting reflection paintings, Anne's paintings find their birth place in memory and in her very personal connection to a sense of place; Nina Ludgate’s Cyanotype works on canvas and on paper : Della Bason, exhibiting jewellery and Emma Spring exhibiting Mosaics & Mary Toons felting - clothing, jewellery, accessories and more.
Jeannie & Me Denim shirt
Together, the artists explore the many ways women use making, clothing, textiles and visual art to tell stories, challenge conventions, reclaim materials and create something new from what already exists.
A procession to launch ReSisters
The exhibition opens with a special Private View on Friday 11 September, from 5–8pm, and everyone is invited to take part.
Artist talks at Elaine Foster-Gandey Art, 15 Queen St, Lostwithiel, Cornwall
At 6pm, visitors and artists will leave the gallery at 15 Queen Street for a colourful procession around the streets of Lostwithiel. A number of participants will be dressed in outfits created or exhibited by the artists taking part in ReSisters, turning the town itself into a moving celebration of art, fashion and making.
The procession will leave the gallery on Queen Street, continue to Fore Street, turn right into Quay Street, continue under the archway and along South Street, before heading back up to Queen Street and returning to the gallery.
On arrival back at the gallery, there will be short talks from the exhibiting artists, giving visitors an opportunity to hear more about the inspiration, materials and ideas behind their work, followed by drinks and nibbles.
Lost in Art: hands-on taster workshops
As part of Lost in Art, Lostwithiel's arts festival, visitors can continue the creative experience at Elaine Foster-Gandey Art on Saturday 12 September, with a programme of three hands-on taster workshops.
11am–12 noon – Anne Blackwell-Fox: Beginners Printmaking Class
Make a beautiful botanical print using plants from your garden or hedgerow. This beginner-friendly introduction uses minimal equipment, with techniques that can be tried at home.
12.30–1.30pm – Mary Toon: British Fleece to Felt
Mary Toon will explain how she prepares fleece for felting before giving participants the chance to work with a variety of British fleeces and discover how flyaway fleece can be transformed into firm fabric through heating, wetting and agitation.
Please note: this workshop is not suitable for people with a wool allergy.
2–3pm – Emma Spring: Introduction to Mosaic
Join professional mosaic artist Emma Spring for a hands-on introduction to the tools, techniques and materials used in this ancient and continually evolving discipline. The session offers an accessible opportunity to explore mosaic making and discover the craft for yourself.
A celebration of making
ReSisters is rooted in the idea that making matters — and that clothing, textiles and craft can be much more than functional or decorative.
From reclaimed clothing and sustainable fashion to textile portraiture, ceramics, printmaking, painting, jewellery and mosaic, the exhibition celebrates artists who work with their hands, experiment with materials and find new possibilities in the everyday.
It is an invitation to look differently at clothing, fabric and objects: to see the potential in what has been discarded, the stories held within textiles, and the creative possibilities that emerge when art and fashion meet.
Elaine Foster-Gandey Art invites visitors to come and explore ReSisters, meet the artists, join the procession, hear the talks and take part in the Lost in Art workshops.
Elaine Foster-Gandey Art Lostwithiel Cornwall
EVENT INFORMATION
ReSisters – Women, Craftivism, Art & Fashion
Venue: Elaine Foster-Gandey Art, 15 Queen Street, Lostwithiel
Private View: Friday 11 September 2026, 5–8pm
Procession: 6pm, leaving from the gallery
Exhibition: Friday 11 September – Saturday 26 September 2026
Lost in Art Workshops: Saturday 12 September 2026
Workshops: 11am–12pm, 12.30–1.30pm and 2–3pm
Visitors are warmly invited to come along, explore the exhibition and get involved in the programme of creative workshops.
ENDS
Ceramists Artist Katie Bunnell wearing pink frayed Jacket & portrait of Niki De Saint Phalle by Elaine Foster-Gandey