Contemporary Irish textile artists: Exploring experiences of gender, culture, and artistic medium

The purpose of this study was to understand what textile art means in Irish culture and society through the lens of women who create it. The methodology used in this study was founded in part on the phenomenological exploration of meaning within lived experience and was informed by concerns raised within and central to contemporary feminist writing about women’s experiences in society and culture. Four interpretive techniques were used to collect data in the field: Long interviews, a demographic questionnaire, close observation, and an analysis of each artist’s work. Three conceptual areas were used to structure the thematic interpretation: Identity, marginality, and agency. The results of this interpretation provide insight into the ways that textiles, as an artistic medium, help to shape and redefine notions of gender and creative expression in a socio-cultural context.