Issue - Responding to the local environment and low level engagement with craft skills
Action - Enable schools to contribute to a National Initiative. Supported sewing sessions in school to develop fine motor skills
Impact - Young Peoples work celebrated in Library Galleries and part of a National Tour. School workshops with artist partners in the library developing local partnership.
The AccessArt Village was a participatory project. Its aim was simple: to inspire crafters of all ages (children, teenagers and adults) to embroider a line drawing of their house or an important building on a 20 cm square piece of fabric. AccessArt is a UK education charity which supports and inspires teaching and learning in the visual arts.
Inspire: Culture, Learning and Libraries facilitated the AccessArt Village in Nottinghamshire and was delighted to share the call for participation in AccessArt Village across libraries and schools in Nottinghamshire. This grew to be one of AccessArt’s most exciting collaborations and resulted in stitched work donated from across the county and across generations.
Embroiderers at Burton Joyce, Carlton, Hucknall, Kimberley, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Southwell and Worksop Libraries, contributed in Nottinghamshire – along with 58 pupils form year 4 at Berry Hill Primary School in Mansfield who “thoroughly enjoyed using fabric and stitches to explore their settlements topic”. Their combined efforts resulted in a wonderfully inspiring installation totalling over 700 3D models.
The Village Exhibition was hosted by Mansfield Central Library on its tour around the country in 2017 and 2018. The project celebrated diversity and the universal sanctity of “home”. The character and individually of each stitched piece was fascinating.
Berry Hill School visited the AccessArt Village Exhibition at Mansfield Library Gallery. 58 pupils took part in three workshops while in the library, creative sessions rotated between:
- Arts activity The Big Draw Living Lines workshop on
the studio floor with the Inspire Arts team leading.
- Meet artist Sheila Ceccarelli from AccessArt – for
a creative workshop activity on the library studio floor.
- Visit the Accessart Village Exhibition and take
part in a quiz session on the main library floor.
3 x groups of 20 children from Year 5 (age 9 to 10 years)
Please find out more about AccessArt here. With a very special thanks to Andrea Butler for designing the AccessArt Village installation and coordinating the project and this tour.
