30-foot textile: Bangerter brings Isle of Wight stitching to Pensacola
The British artist is set up at Seville Square for the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival, where she will exhibit works made with found fabrics and community contributions.
By Mia Bennett ·
Mandy Bangerter arrived in Pensacola on Thursday morning.
She set up her booth at Seville Square in Historic Downtown Pensacola for the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival. The event runs through Sunday. Bangerter is the festival's 2026 Invited International Artist. She is a textile artist and teacher based in St. Helens on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom.
The festival schedule includes daily hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours end at 4 p.m. Bangerter said she was surprised by the organization of the event. She arrived at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. She noted that a village of creativity appeared hour by hour.
Bangerter did not attend art college at age 18. Her parents believed business was a better path. She worked in business before returning to school in her 40s. She completed a three-year degree. She then became a high school art teacher in England. She began working with fabric after seeing work by another artist. She realized she could use a sewing machine to draw.
She describes her work as painting with fabric and drawing with stitch. She uses hand and machine stitching. She also works with print photography and found objects. She often uses materials found on the Isle of Wight. A piece of fabric washed up in a storm can start a project. She uses local items to give her work a sense of place.
The island has a population of 140,000. Half of the land is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Bangerter said the community informs her work. She works at an art center called Ride. She leads small stitch projects where visitors join in. She also works with a charity called Independent Arts. The group delivers creativity to socially isolated people. Participants work in a workshop over tea and biscuits. They combine their work into larger pieces.
Bangerter visited several schools in Pensacola before the festival. She asked students to bring in outgrown clothing. The students used these items to layer fabric. Some worked alone. Others worked in teams. Bangerter said the process encouraged collaboration and conversation. She noted that students create different outcomes when working in teams.
She brought a section of a community piece from the UK. It is part of a wildflower meadow textile. The piece is 30 feet long. Many people contributed drawings of flowers. Some had limited ability. They all added to the final work. Bangerter displayed a small section of the meadow at her booth. She also has other pieces for sale. These include works about her home and studies of people.
The festival is held at Seville Square. The main stage features live music. Information is available at ggaf.org. Bangerter said the community in Pensacola surprised her. She called the people beautiful and said she was blown away by the local support.
The artist will remain at the festival through the weekend. She will be available to meet with visitors and sell her work.
