A striking life-sized garment made from rainforest plant fibres, large-scale textile maps of lost ecosystems and sculptural botanical forms come together in Call & Response, a new exhibition by Dungog artist and biodiversity farmer Jane Richens, opening at the Fibre Makers Space, Brough House, Maitland.
As the 2026 Artist-in-Residence, Richens has spent four months immersed in the collections and surrounding landscapes of Grossmann & Brough Houses, creating new work that responds to the intertwined histories of people, plants and place.
Working at the intersection of contemporary fibre practice, ecology and historical research, Richens has explored locally occurring rainforest species through botanical investigation, traditional fibre techniques and experimental textile processes. The resulting exhibition reveals the hidden relationships between regional vegetation, colonial settlement and Victorian material culture.
At the heart of the exhibition is a life-sized silhouette inspired by a dress worn by local woman Mary Capper in the 1870s, recreated using bast fibre harvested from Hibiscus heterophyllus, a rainforest pioneer species once common across the Maitland district. The garment transforms a familiar symbol of colonial history into a meditation on ecological memory and regeneration.
The exhibition also features delicate sculptural hibiscus flowers and foliage inspired by Victorian wool-wrapped botanical displays held in the National Trust collection, alongside two large textile maps tracing the region’s vanished rainforest ecosystems. Based on an 1878 hot-air-balloon view engraving of Maitland and contemporary ecological data, the maps reimagine the landscape before widespread clearing by early timber getters and settlers. Presented as works in progress, they invite visitors into the ongoing process of research, making and ecological restoration.
“Call & Response” brings together botanical research, historical inquiry and contemporary fibre practice to uncover stories embedded in both the landscape and the historic houses, offering a fresh perspective on local history through the lens of plants and making.
Visitors can further explore the residency during a special Artist Talk on Saturday 18 July, 2–4 pm, where Jane Richens will discuss fibre making, regional vegetation mapping and the creative process behind the exhibition. Guests will enjoy canapés, view works in development and continue the conversation within the Fibre Makers Space studio. Bookings are essential.
Exhibition: Call & Response
Venue: Fibre Makers Space, Brough House, Grossmann & Brough Houses, Maitland
Dates: 3 July – 2 August 2026
Open: Fri-Sun, 10 am – 3 pm
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