Crafting Change: Perspectives on Fibre and Textiles in a Changing Climate
Noelle Hamlyn transforms textiles into vessels of lived experience, offering new ways of seeing everyday objects and giving voice to stories we often struggle to tell. Drawing from her roots in theatre, design, and craft, she explores how fibre-based practices can deepen awareness and inspire connection. Her recent exhibition Lifers re-imagines life jackets as powerful carriers of human experience—objects that witness displacement, resilience, and survival—demonstrating how textiles can hold time, absorb history, and activate empathy.
An internationally recognized artist, Hamlyn has represented Canada in Biennales in South Korea and Sydney, Australia, and has participated in renowned residencies including the Banff Centre, Harbourfront Centre, and the Burren College of Art. Her interdisciplinary background in fine art, craft, textiles, and costume informs a practice that blends technical mastery with conceptual depth. Hamlyn’s exhibition Lifers at the Royal Ontario Museum (2023–2024) was extended by popular demand. She lives and works in Toronto.
Artist Bio:
Holding credentials in Craft, Fine Art and Costuming, Hamlyn blends the technical and conceptual – recognizing hands respond to their tacit subjective experience. Intrigued by textures, ideas, the world and being in it, she believes objects have power to absorb time, conjure experience, and hold story.
Her work has represented Canada in South Korea and Sydney, Australia, and has been recognized as a Salt Spring National Art Prize 2017 Finalist, Best in Show at TOAE (2014, 2019). She has been supported by residencies at the Banff Centre, Harbourfront, Burren College of Art, Salt Spring Arts Council, and Barefoot College, Tanzania, re-building Bee-Keeping suits as social-enterprise. Her most recent show Lifers at the Royal Ontario Museum, was extended by popular demand.
January 15, 2026
1–2 p.m. via Zoom
Register for FREE, click here
