It was great to be able to connect with the local community and be part of an art project that collaborated with a range of different ages and local groups.
Quorn Community Library
A Stitch in Time
A community collaboration celebrating life in Quorn has created a permanent textile moment in time.
The QuornArt22 community art project arose from a small group of volunteers at Quorn Community Library wanting to create a lasting record of the village in 2022, as seen by those who live, work, study and volunteer in Quorn.
The project aimed to connect the library, its volunteers and committee more deeply with everyone in the community, and to celebrate the library as a universal community space.
Community artists Melanie Charnock and Natalie Smith of Gather Create Grow successfully bid to work with the village. They facilitated creative sessions with individuals aged from three to ninety!
Through the course of the project the participants had meaningful opportunities for social interaction with people of a range of ages and backgrounds, helping forge new connections and with the aim of alleviating loneliness and isolation. The early part of the project was focussed on rebuilding community connections with the relaunch of a group now known as ‘Craft and Chat’. They also ran a Family Craft Activity Day which was enjoyed by those attending and is now a monthly session thanks to local volunteers.
The final artwork takes the form of a large textile wall hanging that brings together all the patches created by individual participants, visually capturing the voices of the Quorn community, and harking back to the historic traditions of textile production in Quorn. It truly is a beautiful representation of the people of Quorn’s past and present, as well as their hopes for the future!
Find out more about Quorn Community Library here: https://quorncommunitylibrary.co.uk/