Latitudes Centre for the Arts is pleased to present a focused spotlight on women-led production spaces in South Africa. This showcase features the work of Edition Verso and Stephens Tapestry Studio, alongside their collaborating artists and institutions. Together, these presentations celebrate the technical excellence, collaboration, and care that define each studio’s practice. Both spaces foreground the often-overlooked labour behind art-making, highlighting the vital role women play in sustaining and reimagining South Africa’s rich traditions of printmaking, tapestry and the ever changing art landscape.
Founded in the early 1960s by Coral Stephens, Stephens Tapestry Studio is South Africa’s leading hand-weaving atelier, dedicated to preserving and advancing the art of tapestry. The studio's story is one of a creative spirit passed down as a matrilineal inheretence. From the very first artistic tapestry of a Cecil Skotness woodblock, woven by Coral's daughter Marguerite Stephens, the studio expanded its collaborators to more South African and later international artists. Known for its collaborative approach, the studio works closely with artists to translate original designs into richly textured, large-scale woven works. Each tapestry is a testament to the skill, patience, and interpretive artistry of its weavers, continuing a legacy of excellence and resilience that spans over six decades.
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LCA Presents Stephens Tapestry Studio
Latitudes Centre for the Arts is pleased to present a focused spotlight on women-led production spaces in South Africa. This showcase features the work of Edition Verso and Stephens Tapestry Studio, alongside their collaborating artists and institutions. Together, these presentations celebrate the technical excellence, collaboration, and care that define each studio’s practice. Both spaces foreground the often-overlooked labour behind art-making, highlighting the vital role women play in sustaining and reimagining South Africa’s rich traditions of printmaking, tapestry and the ever changing art landscape.
Founded in the early 1960s by Coral Stephens, Stephens Tapestry Studio is South Africa’s leading hand-weaving atelier, dedicated to preserving and advancing the art of tapestry. The studio's story is one of a creative spirit passed down as a matrilineal inheretence. From the very first artistic tapestry of a Cecil Skotness woodblock, woven by Coral's daughter Marguerite Stephens, the studio expanded its collaborators to more South African and later international artists. Known for its collaborative approach, the studio works closely with artists to translate original designs into richly textured, large-scale woven works. Each tapestry is a testament to the skill, patience, and interpretive artistry of its weavers, continuing a legacy of excellence and resilience that spans over six decades.
