The Company’s Silver Medal is awarded in recognition of an individual’s contribution to the UK weaving industry in the field of technology, management, education or the craft of weaving. The winner of the Silver Medal in 2026 was Ann Sutton OBE for his contribution to the Woven Terxtile Industry.
Ann Sutton OBE was born in 1935 in North Staffordshire and was educated at Cardiff College of Art. In 2005 she was appointed Visiting Professor to the University of The Arts London, and also Senior Fellow at the Royal College of Art .
Ann is an internationally acclaimed Textile Artist, Designer, Author, Researcher, Consultant and Educator
Within her Weave Design and Consultancy practice she has worked alongside Junichi Arai, Japan, Hield Brothers UK amongst others, including several Welsh woollen mills
Through her Textile Art practice, Ann has exhibited internationally and extensively. Her work is in permanent collections including Tate, Victoria and Albert Museum, Crafts Council UK, Museum of Modern Art, Finland and her work is also found in private collections in Europe, USA, Australia Qatar and Singapore. She has worked on many commissions including Liberty & Co, ‘Loveseat’
Ann’s publications continue to be used throughout education today, including ‘The Structure of Weaving’, ‘Ideas in Weaving’ and she was the writer and presenter of the five part BBC TV series ‘The Craft of The Weaver’ in 1980
Ann has taught at many institutions globally, starting her teaching career running the Woven Textiles Department at West Sussex College of Art. She has worked as a visiting Lecturer from the Royal College of Art to Haystack School for Crafts, USA and has externally examined for higher education courses across the UK.
Ann established the Ann Sutton Foundation in Arundel which provided equipment, tuition and a stipend to weave graduates under the age of 29, to enable them to become professionally self-supporting. Early Fellows at the foundation included Margo Selby and Laura Thomas.
Ann has contributed extensively to the field of Woven Textiles throughout her career and continues to practice.
