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Whanganui artist and lecturer invited to exhibit at prestigious Canada festival
26 June 2026
UCOL is thrilled to celebrate Creative Industries Lecturer and award-winning Whanganui textile and fibre artist, Kate Sellar, who has been chosen to exhibit at the World of Threads Festival 2026-27 in Oakville, Canada.
Sellar will be one of 192 artists from 22 countries at the exhibition, which usually attracts around 80,000 visitors to Oakville, Ontario (population 233,000), south-west of Toronto. The exhibition opens in September and runs until January 2027.
She says being selected is an exciting opportunity. “Exhibiting alongside well-known international textile/fibre artists is rewarding and a chance to test out my work on an international audience.”
“The festival's strong online presence also means the work continues to reach audiences well beyond the exhibition period, creating lasting opportunities for engagement.
“I wasn't able to attend the last festival, but with some other travel arrangements being organised at the moment, I'm hoping I can include a short visit to Toronto and experience the festival firsthand and finally meet the organisers in person.”
‘Colour Study’ is zigzag machine stitching on layered silk. Kate plays around with the tension on the sewing machine, forcing the spool thread to the surface and creating dots of colour. Layers of coloured thread and stitch create a painterly surface. The threads are visible only upon close inspection.
It is the second time Sellar has been included in the biennial event, having had her work selected for the main exhibition hall in 2024-25.
“The first time I exhibited at the festival, it was a learning curve around shipping art overseas. There is only a short window of time to get the work to the venue, and I had to consider international shipping and the costs involved.
“Returning to the festival is an opportunity to build on that experience. I'm hoping it will contribute to the ongoing momentum of my practice by fostering new connections, exposing my work to wider audiences, and encouraging me to think more ambitiously about future projects.”
She describes the work she submitted this year, named ‘Colour Study’, as an important development in her work. It won the 2025 Dalgleish Architects Excellence Award at the Pattillo Whanganui Arts Review held at the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui.
“The festival organisation and curation are the work of two people – a huge task when you think how many hundreds of works are submitted. When the call to exhibit came out, it didn’t specify a theme; the themes and connections emerge as the curators work through the hundreds of entries.”
Sellar says it is a busy year for her as she is also working towards a show with Whanganui artist Leigh Anderton-Hall, to be held at Space Gallery, Whanganui, also in September.
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