Houlton WI mark International Women's Day with tribute to Bauhaus weavers

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's learning and engagement team held a weaving workshop for the WI at Houlton School, where members recycled scraps of fabric to create tapestries in the form of a capital 'W' and a capital 'I'.

The workshop was inspired by women who enrolled at the Bauhaus, a German art school founded by architect Walter Gropius in 1919 with the goal of uniting artistic vision through a focus on function.

Gropius hailed the progressive Bauhaus ethos in the school's statutes: "Every eligible person whose talent and training are considered adequate will be accepted without regard to age and sex."

But the reality women faced at the Bauhaus reinforced the era's discriminatory gender roles, with the school launching a 'women's section' focused mainly on textiles - a reflection of Bauhaus luminary Oskar Schlemmer's attitude to women: "Where there is wool, there is a woman who weaves, if only to pass the time."

Despite the limitations placed on artists working in the women's section, the Bauhaus weaving workshop quickly became the school's most successful commercial endeavour, with artists such as Marli Ehrman, Anni Albers and Gunta Stölzl revolutionising textiles and pushing the boundaries of abstract art.

Following in the footsteps of the Bauhaus weavers, 20 members of the Houlton WI created the 'WI' tapestries, together with a series of smaller pieces weaved on wooden looms.

And to mark Saturday's (8 March) International Women's Day (IWD), the tapestries have gone on display at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's community space in the venue's foyer.

IWD was launched in 1911 to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and campaign for gender equality.

Cllr Maggie O'Rourke, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for partnerships and wellbeing, said data from the World Economic Forum predicted full gender parity by the year 2158 at the current rate of progress.

"The need to increase the pace of progress on confronting the barriers and biases women still face in both personal and professional life has inspired the theme of this year's IWD, 'Accelerate Action'," Cllr O'Rourke added.

"The women of the Bauhaus school faced these barriers and biases more than 100 years ago but defied discrimination to transform textiles and abstract art, influencing and inspiring future generations of female artists.

"The story embodies the spirit of IWD and we're delighted to have worked with members of the Houlton WI to create this tribute to the Bauhaus weavers."

Cllr Neil Sandison, Rugby Borough Council's Liberal Democrat group spokesperson for partnerships and wellbeing, added: "We're proud to display these tapestries in Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's community space and showcase the Houlton WI's needlework skills in such a prominent location."

The Houlton WI tapestries remain on display until Sunday 30 March.

For more information about exhibitions and events at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, visit www.ragm.co.uk