As Frieze, Decorex and PAD descended on London this week with all their majesty and merriment, over in Chiswick a significant new award was handed out celebrating the revival of straw embroidery. Hanny Newton is the recipient of the inaugural QEST Sanderson Rising Star Craft award, receiving a mighty cash prize of £25,000 to help shore up her knowledge and skill, and develop it into a business.
Newton’s work is undeniably exquisite. We might be familiar with the technique of straw embroidery from museum collections, yet seen anew it feels remarkable for its modernity and one wonders why time has not been favourable to such a distinct form of work. Such is the importance and value of this new award. It is less about resurrection or preservation and more about catapulting something with relevance and potential to scale into the market; seeding cultural investment in the truest sense.
