ONE of Wangaratta's most popular and accessible exhibitions, Petite Miniature Textiles, returns to the Wangaratta Art Gallery in June for what will be its 12th anniversary.

Showcasing the best small textile artworks from around the nation, Petite has become a highlight of the gallery's program and a focus for contemporary textile art practitioners.

The exhibition continues to grow in popularity with artists from around the country participating and displaying contemporary textiles of a small scale.

This year the gallery received 214 entries, with 93 artworks being selected.

A diverse array of techniques and themes explore everything from colour, texture and decoration to social, political and environmental issues, propelling textiles into the realm of the visual arts.

This year the challenge for artists to respond to the brief on the concept of miniature was enhanced by reducing the maximum size of an artwork within the dimensions of 25x25x25cm.

It was exciting to see many artists embrace that challenge, with one of the smallest measuring just 8x7x2cm in size.

The success of the textile industries took Wangaratta from being a small country town in the early 1920s, to a major rural city.

The town's social history is connected to the textile industry and the Wangaratta Art Gallery's exhibition programming and permanent collection reflects this.

Both the biennial Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award and Petite Miniature Textiles exhibitions are a real drawcard for cultural tourism drawing textile art enthusiasts who come not just from across the country, but from overseas.

For those who cannot attend the gallery between June 18 and August 14 the Gallery will launch online artist talks and a catalogue showing all the works at www.wangarattaartgallery.com.au.

This exhibition is funded and supported by Creative Victoria Regional Partnerships Program.