Textile Transformations: Radical Rugs
Henry Shawcross
9 November 2026
Day + Time | Monday | 5.30-8.00pm
Location | Craft + Design Canberra, Level 1 North Building, 180 London Circuit, Canberra, ACT, 2601
Entry | General Public Ticket $75 | Members $67.50 | Bookings Essential
Access | Wheelchair access, accessible toilet, companion card accepted, assistance animals welcome
This workshop invites you to explore the history of protest through the traditional craft of rag rugging. Drawing on the long tradition of printing t-shirts with messages of dissent, this workshop offers a hands-on and sustainable way to transform those messages into lasting textile artworks.
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WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING
You will begin by choosing a word or symbol of protest or dissent and drawing your design onto a piece hessian. You will then cut recycled t-shirts into strips and learn the traditional “hooky” rag rugging technique, attaching the fabric strips to your hessian backing to bring your design to life.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO BRING
Participants are encouraged to bring their own old t-shirts. A selection will also be provided on the day to ensure a mix of colours and textures to work with.
THIS WORKSHOP IS BEST SUITED FOR
All skill levels. No prior experience in rag rugging is required, only basic sewing skills are needed to participate in this workshop.
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Henry Shawcross lives and works in Kamberri on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country. He is a queer trans disabled artist with a life-long interest in textiles and returned to visual arts as self-expression when he experience chronic illness. His practice explores gender euphoria, queer joy and disability pride through stitching, constructing textiles, printmaking and drawing. He was recently a finalist in the inaugural ACT Historic Places Art Prize and was highly commended in the 2022 Australian National University Drawing Prize.
SEE ARTIST INSTAGRAM HERE
Images | Henry Shawcross | Textile Works 2025 | Photos courtesy of the artist