The author unpicks the threads that link female textile artists and the arts they produce, revealing a global and historic patchwork of assorted roles, identities and representations. Entertaining as well as informative, this book offers a unique overview of female-centric textile art production including embroidery, weaving, soft sculpture and more. Includes over 20 interviews with contemporary textile artists, providing fascinating insights into their practices, themes and personal motivation. Tells us: How knitting became a spying device in wartime Why dress design was so important for the Suffragettes Why spiders were emblems in ancient times and now How women's arts and crafts moved from the backroom to the gallery showroom

Who were the pioneering female painters and who are the best contemporary women painters around today? Discover the historic, contemporary, and global landscapes of female painters in Unlocking Women’s Art. Dive into iconic movements (from Portraiture & Identity to The Avant Garde; The Nude to Landscape and Nature) and find out about the significance of female creativity. Challenge your existing views of women artists and look beyond Eurocentric ideas to learn about brilliant Indigenous and global artists of the past. Includes over 20 interviews with contemporary painters, providing fascinating insights into their practices, themes and personal motivation. Full colour with dozens of new and original images of the featured women artists’ work.