Next In Fibre: Fibreworks 2026

Eva Kolcze, The Image in the Stone – Descending, 2024, archival pigment print on cotton muslin, 45 x 40 x 4 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

Next In Fibre: Fibreworks 2026

August 22 – November 8, 2026
Opening Celebration: September 19, 2026, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Cambridge Art Galleries, Queen’s Square

Featured Artists:
AJA Louden | Ava Katz | Christy Kunitzky | Eva Kolcze | Ioana Dragomir | Margaret Firlotte | Maria-Margaretta Cabana Boucher | Négar Devine-Tajgardan | Sky Weir | Tara Lynn MacDougall

In 2024, Cambridge Art Galleries celebrated the 20th anniversary of Fibreworks with Next In Fibre, combining the strengths of two legacy biennial exhibitions, Fibreworks and SHOWCASE. Established in 1982, Fibreworks celebrated the historical textile industry of the Grand River region and shaped the strong contemporary permanent collection of Cambridge Art Galleries. SHOWCASE, inaugurated in 2005, highlighted early career Ontario-based artists. Drawing on the rich histories of both exhibitions, Next In Fibre continues as an invitation to the next generation of artists to challenge and innovate the future of fibre art.

Next In Fibre: Fibreworks 2026 presents the work of ten artists selected from more than 300 submissions from across Canada. The featured artworks reflect a wide range of material and conceptual concerns shaping contemporary artistic practice. Artists draw on the historical and cultural labour embedded in textiles to imagine Black and Métis futures, explore fibre as an everyday material that can serve as a conduit for activism and poetry, and experiment with the integration of photography and realism into fibre-based forms.

This exhibition was juried by Suzanne Carte (Artistic Director, Art Gallery of Burlington) and Maria Hupfield (Artist; Assistant Professor, University of Toronto) with Cambridge Art Galleries staff.

Maria-Margaretta Cabana Boucher, I have been changed for good, 2025, Seed beads, latex gloves, felt, 15 x 13 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

Related Programming

Art Bus Tour
Saturday, September 19, 2:00pm – 8:30pm
Multiple Locations
$20 per person | Registration and event details
Explore exhibitions at the Textile Museum of Canada, Art Gallery of Burlington, and Cambridge Art Galleries in celebration of Next In Fibre: Fibreworks 2026. Tickets include round-trip transportation between Toronto, Burlington, and Cambridge, admission to exhibitions at each gallery, afternoon snacks, and a catered evening reception at Cambridge Art Galleries.

Opening Celebration: Next In Fibre
Saturday, September 19, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Queen’s Square Gallery
Event details
Celebrate Next In Fibre: Fibreworks 2026 at Cambridge Art Galleries with the artists, community, and gallery team. Light snacks and refreshments will be served and all are welcome to attend.

Next In Fibre: Learn and Create
Saturday, October 3, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Cambridge Public Library, Queen’s Square
Event details
Enjoy hands-on fibre and craft-focused activities connected to Next In Fibre: Fibreworks 2026. Ages 16+.

Next In Fibre: DIY Day
Saturday, October 3, 10:00am – 4:00pm
Cambridge Public Library, Old Post Office
Event details
Enjoy hands-on fibre and craft-focused activities. Ages 16+.

Ava Katz, The Watcher, 2026, Silk, thread, wire, acrylic paint, polyfil, carabiners. 60 x 60 x 25 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

Cambridge Public Library, Queen’s Square
1 North Square
Cambridge, ON N1S 2K6
cambridgepl.ca/cambridge-art-galleries
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Queen’s Square Gallery Hours of Operation
Monday – Thursday, 9:30am – 8:30pm
Friday & Saturday, 9:30am – 5:30pm
Sunday, 1:00pm – 5:00pm *Closed Sundays up to September 6.

Admission is free. All are welcome.
Cambridge Public Library acknowledges that our services and facilities are located on lands that are part of the Haldimand Tract. We recognize the complex history of the Haldimand Tract, the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Chonnonton. We honour the enduring connection between our shared past, collective present, and collective future through listening, reflecting and learning.

Accessibility:
The Cambridge Public Library Board is committed to accessibility. For more information: cambridgepl.ca/accessibility

Media Contact:
Meg Ross, Assistant Curator
Cambridge Art Galleries
mross@cambridgepl.ca
519-621-0460 ext. 129

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the City of Cambridge, Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Ontario.