Aran Illingworth MSDC

Aran's work focuses on portraiture and depiction of the human figure in textiles, inspired by the people around her and using photographs as an input. Her work is a visual narrative, which is intended to convey a certain emotion and which focuses on subjects carrying a specific message and meaning.

The gaze of the portrait toward the viewer has remained a constant focal point in her work over the years, as has her search for a narrative based on faces, context and gestures. The work is all hand sewn using cotton thread.

Over time, she has developed a sewing technique that allows her to blend colours and establish tonalities that resemble the techniques used in paintings. The direction in which the threads are sewn mimics the way brush marks are layered within a painting which, in turn, creates an illusion of depth, volume, and form. Her stitching methodology borders on the obsessive, but ultimately allows her visually to evoke painterly renditions of flesh, hair, and cloth.

A few years ago, her work generally had a feminist dimension, which was particularly evident in work focused on poverty. More recently, however, her work has addressed an increasingly wide range of other concerns, whether based on social issues or political ones. For instance, some of her recent work is on dementia, taking as input a photographic image taken from a series focusing on the photographer’s own mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. Such images can grab the viewers’ attention and leave an indelible impression. The results can be profound and transformative.

Aran's main aim is to continue working and researching and in the process to contribute to the debates taking place in textiles. She is committed to help keeping traditional embroidery techniques alive at a time when so many of the opportunities to learn them have disappeared.

Education

BA (Hons) | 2010 | University of Hertfordshire

· Subject: Applied Arts

· Classification: First Class Honours

BTEC Diploma | 2005 | Huntingdon Regional College

· Subject: Art and Design

· Grade: Merit

Work Experience

Textile Technician at Kimbolton School

· 2008 to 2017

Registered Mental/General Nurse

· 1975 to 1994

2026

23 September 2026 to 17 January 2027

World of Threads Festival, Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2302 Bridge Road, Oakville, Ontario, Canada

June 2 - June 22.

' TheLove' Peggy Jay Gallery, Burgh house, Hampstead, London

23 September 2026 to 17 January 2027

Fringe Arts Bath festival, 'Stitch that Bite Back', Bath, UK.

23 April and 30 May 2026.

The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art Gallery, RCA Open Exhibition 2026, Conwy, Wales

19th – 26th April 2026

Prism ‘Dictionary’, The Art Pavillon, Mile End Park Clinton Road, E3 4QY,

19th – 26th April 2026

Metamorphosis – Textile Competition Exhibition, Farfield Mill, Garsdale Road, Sedbergh, Cumbria, LA10 5LW,

2025

Open Exhibition 2025 Hull Museum and Gallery, Ferens Art Gallery, Friday 10 October2025 – Sunday 11 January 2026

National Embroidery Award exhibition 2025, The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery, Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 6AB, 1st September – 26th October

Contemporary Fine Art Textiles Exhibition, Stitch by Stitch, he Willow Gallery, Oswestry, Shropshire

5th July - 30th August 2023

Letchworth Open, Broadway Gallery, Letchworth, Hertfordshire’

7th June – 27th July 2025

National Embroidery Award exhibition 2025, Exhibiting at Fashion & Embroidery, NEC Birmingham: NEC

14-17 March 2024

o The Broderers’ Exhibition: The Art of Embroidery Bankside Gallery in London

25 Feb and 2 March, 2025

2024

Fronteer Gallery, Craft Unit 4,orchardsquare, Sheffield S14 1BL. 19th November - 7th December 2024.

19 Nov - 1 Dec 2024

Designer Craft at Bankside, Society of Designer Craftsmen, Bankside Gallery 48 Hopton Street, London

18 September – 9 November 2024

Letchworth Open 2024, Broadway gallery, 2 The Arcade, Letchworth Garden City SG6 3ES

12th September

'Shelter Housing Emergency Exhibition and Campaigning Event' Crookes Social Club,.Sheffield

Saturday 15th June to Saturday 13th July 2024.

Another Badger in the Wall - Open Call Exhibition’, Clapham, North Yorkshire.

25th June - 29th June 2024

The Society of Women Artists 163rd Annual Open Exhibition 2024, Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace , London

19th - 29th April 2024

Prism ‘Edgeland’ The Art Pavillon, Mile End Park Clinton Road, E3 4QY

14-17 March 2024

Exhibiting at Fashion & Embroidery, NEC Birmingham: : Exhibiting at Fashion & Embroidery, NEC Birmingham

2023 Exhibition

Saturday 25 November 2023 to Saturday 6 January 2024

Guildford House Open Exhibition,155 High Street, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3AJ

"LINGERING MEMORIES" Fox Yard Studio , 6 Old Fox Yard, Stowmarket,

A Letter in Mind: Changing Perspectives,r Gallery Different (14 Percy Street, London W1T 1D

Together – an exhibition of portraits from the University of Hertfordshire Art Collection. University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts

Wonder, Society of Designer Craftsmen, Oxmarket Contemporary in Chichester, West Sussex.

Letchworth Open 2023 , Broadway Galley, Letchworth, Herts

Contemporary Fine Art Textiles Exhibition, Stitch by Stitch, he Willow Gallery, Oswestry, Shropshire

Emerald 20, Celebrating the Art Project 2003 - 2023

The Conference centre, St Pancras Hospital, 4 St Pancras Way, London,

Animal Kingdom online Exhibition, Cultural Centre, Cape Cod, MA,US

Prism ‘Wrapped’, The Art Pavilion, Mile End Park Clinton Road, E3 4QY11th - 19th March

Norfolk Makers’ Festival 2023 ‘Bold Perspectives’ Exhibition,The Forum Trust, Millennium Plain, Norwich, NR2 1TF.

Made in 2022, Peterborough Cathedral, Peterborough

I’m Not Invisiable’ The Old Chapel Textile Centre Main Street, Greenham Business Park, Newbury, Berks ,RG19 6HW

·Hanging by a Thread: a Portrayal of Poverty (solo exhibition), Knitting and Stitching Show, Harrogate Convention Centre, Kings Road, Harrogate HG1 5LA (Nov 17th – 20th)

Hanging by a Thread: a Portrayal of Poverty (solo exhibition), Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, London N22 7AY

2022 Exhibition

Color Play, Swiss Fiber Art, Galerie Kalina, Am Platzl 1, 94209 Regen, Germany

Transformations, Society of Designer Craftsmen, Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton St, London SE1 9JH

Reflection, Open Gallery, 18 Rawson St, Halifax HX1 1NH

Prism, Untold, The Art Pavilion, Mile End Park Clinton Road, E3 4QY

Janus Revisited, Cupola Gallery, 178, 178A Middlewood Rd, Sheffield S6 1TD )

Doncaster Art Fair (Virtual Exhibition), Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Women United Art Movement, We Create, (Virtual Exhibition), Czech Republic

2021

Part of Beyond The Knitting & Stitching Show 2021, Self Portrait Competition, Harrogate

Designer Crafts from the Society of Designer Craftsmen, RBSA Gallery, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

My Story, British Textile Biennial, Blackburn Cathedral, Blackburn

Prism - In Search of Possibilities, The Art Pavilion, Mile End Park, London

Part of Beyond The Knitting & Stitching Show 2021, Self Portrait Competition, Alexandra Palace, London

160th Annual Open Exhibition 2021, The Society of Women Artists (Virtual Exhibition)

130th Open Exhibition, Lovely gallery, Margate, Kent

‘Excellence’, Society of Designer craftsmen, The Oxmarket, Chichester, West Sussex

Textile Exhibition, Berkhamsted Got Talent, Open Doors Community Space and Café, Berkhamsted, Herts

Eye of the Beholder, Cultural Centre of Cape Cod (Virtual Exhibition) 307 Old Main St, South Yarmouth, MA 02664, USA

Threaded 111, Envision art online gallery, Texas, USA

Doncaster Art Fair, "Art as a Response to Mental Health 2021" (Virtual Exhibition)

Broadway arts festival, 2021 Open Art Competition, Theatre barn, Bretforton, Evesham

Absent gallery - Spring Open 2021 (exhibiting in a 3D virtual and interactive world) Somerset

Letchworth open, Broadway Gallery, Letchworth, Herts

Articles and Publication

Publication

Narrative Textiles: Tell your story in mixed media and stitch, by Ailish Henderson, Basford, 2024

Women: Inspiring Quotes & Artistic Responses' volume 1, Nicole Wild, Wild House Publishing, Dec 2019

‘Quotes’, Mike Healey and Andy Wild (eds.), Strawlitter Productions, 2019

Artbook 'Depth/Tiefe' Curated By Claudia Jaeggi, A Project For The Swiss Embroiderer's Guild, 2019

Textile Art Around the World | Ellen Bakker | 2015

An overview of the various disciplines and techniques from within the textile world presenting 160 artists from around the globe

Handmade in Britain: Contemporary Artisans | Piyush Suri | 2012

·A book investigating crafts-people and their work in fields such as jewelry, ceramics, textiles, furniture, and other craft

Articles:

Unheard Voice, The Stitcher’s Journal, December 2025

Man and His Best Friend, Embroidery Magazine, July/August2025

Winning ways, Embroidery Magazine, May/June 2025

Man and his Best Friend Embroidery Magazine, July/August2025

Winning ways, Embroidery Magazine, May/June 2025

Panorama Magazine 2023

Stitch Magazine feb/March 2023

Legal Women Magazine, The UK magazine for all women working in law Feb 2023

THE WORLD OF INTERIORS, KNITTING AND STITCHING SHOW, Haberdashery and more in Harrogate,Written by Ariadne Fletcher October 2022

Selvedge Magazine, 'HANGING ON THE THREAD', OCTOBER 1, 2022

'Apart at the seams' Embroidery Magazine May 2021

'Socially Conscious Stitching' in Be Creative with Workbox magazine, Issue 185, on sale February 19th2020

· ART Habens Art Review, Biennial Edition https://issuu.com/arthabens/docs/biennial.ed.vol.ii

· Fberart Now Textile fiber Forum magazine’s 122 in the readers

· Aran Illingworth | Artsbeat – Derbyshire's free arts magazine

· artsbeatblog.com/tag/aran-illingworth/

· Fiberart International vol 3 issue 1 Fall 2013

· Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Page 61 May 10, 2013

· Aran Illingworth: Embracing Indian heritage

· http://www.textileartist.org/e...

· BBC Wales report on Crafts in the Bay 2011

· Fairfields Art Centre, Basingstoke: Fairfields' fine show by ladies by Joanna Mace, 10/03/2011 in the Basingstoke Gazette

Awards

Members’ Challenge 2025-26 Feast

Winner of Valerie Campbell-Harding Award for best use of machine stitching:

Broadway Gallery, Letchworth Open Prizes 2025 for Applied Art

Members’ Challenge 2024-25 ‘Colour Rhythms’

Valerie Campbell-Harding Award for best use of machine stitching:

National Embroidery Awards exhibition 2025 at the NEC, Birmingham – Best in Show Award

Just Art Award 2024 highly commended

The Bath Open Art Prize Exhibition 2024 1st Prize

Embroiderers guild members challenge 23/24 Opposite Attract. My artwork 'Clear as Mud' was commended as an entry for the Margaret Nicholson Award for best composition.

Women United ART PRIZE 2021 outstanding work:

The Knitting & Stitching Show 2021, Self Portrait Competition, commended

Envision Arts, Threaded III, 'East of Eden' Best in Show artist, 2021

The People’s Prize, Broadway Festival 2018 open exhibition, Little Buckland Gallery, Little Buckland, Broadway 2018: awarded for work ‘Fractured Memory – Who Is That?’

Best in Show at the 2017 Open Exhibition | Lovely’s Gallery, Margate | 2017

· This was awarded for my work “The Three Graces”

People’s Prize at the ‘H’ Themes Exhibition PEOPLE’S PRIZE AT THE ‘H’ | Harley Gallery | 2012

· This was awarded for my work “Madonna and Child”

UH Alumni Prize | Hertfordshire College OPen Exhibition | 2011

· This was awarded for my work “I’m a big girl now"