Artist and IW Creative Network member Jan Frith is very excited to announce that her technology and textile project ‘Sewing Memories’ has just been awarded Arts Council England Project Grant funding!
Jan received mentoring support and advisory sessions in 2023 & 2022 through our special opportunities. Read on to find out more and how these sessions helped support her funding process and expand her project to increase audience engagement.
The project takes place on the Isle of Wight from 2nd February – 28th April 2024. Four additional supporting partners include Quay Arts, Ryde Library, Network Ryde and Independent Arts.
‘Sewing Memories‘ features an ongoing interactive artwork comprising an old Singer machine embedded with digital technology. It will be exhibited at Ryde Library between 2nd – 22nd February; Quay Arts 26th February – 24th March; and finish with an expanded show including community artwork at Independent Arts between 2nd – 29th April.
Public engagement is a key part of the project with people encouraged to turn the handle of her Singer sewing machine to read sewing memories and stories about sewing, and to contribute their own memories about sewing to the ongoing artwork. During the exhibition period Jan Frith will be running a series of ‘Sew, Style & Upcycle’ creative sessions for young people; collaborating with sewing and crafting groups to produce stitched textiles; and contributing support to older groups via participation in sewing memories reminiscence and music.
Jan says:
“This is an expansion of my Sewing Memories project which was first awarded Arts Council England funding to run during October 2022 at The D-Day Story museum in Portsmouth, so I am really pleased to be able to show it widely closer to home on the Isle of Wight, and particularly to be able to engage so many more younger people with sewing, who have not been exposed to having fun with or exploring textiles. I am also very grateful to Mick Smith and Alys Scott Hawkins who helped me with mentoring support via the IW Creative Network. Mick helped me to shape my first 2022 ACE grant opportunity at The D-Day Story and the thinking around further expansion to connect me with local working partnerships. Just before submitting the second project bid in October 2023, I had a meeting with Alys (for a separate DYCP opportunity), and she further strengthened how I should position Sewing Memories as a project asset to grow with continued ACE funding.”
