Each month, a word was also drawn as an optional creative prompt. Makers could interpret the word in any way they wished, use it as a starting point for their work, or ignore it altogether.

Rather than working to a common theme, participants were encouraged to develop their own series, exploring subjects, ideas and textile techniques that were meaningful to their individual practice. The result was a diverse collection of works created from the same randomly selected starting points.

The Rainbow Stash Buster Project 2024 brought together 26 members — 23 contributing artists — from across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, in a year-long exploration of colour, creativity, and connection.

Over the course of 12 months, makers responded to a “lucky dip” draw of two colours and an optional word prompt, creating more than 365 individual textile artworks, each an 8-inch square. The challenge encouraged artists to work from their own themes while interpreting the prompts in ways that suited their style, materials, and imagination.

Brenda Wood

The completed works were brought together in a 26 metre long ombré colour-wash display, arranged according to the order in which the colours had been drawn throughout the year. Although not every maker completed every month, some created more than one set. The group exhibition meant that every participant’s work could be included, celebrating the project as a collective achievement rather than a test of completion.

The exhibition toured Australia before travelling to the United States, establishing the collaborative model that would become the foundation of the Rainbow Stash series.

A digital copy of the Rainbow Stash Buster Project book is available [here]