Community

During yesterdays lecture with Claire we were shown a presentation which explained a little more about the meaning and importance of community and how we could embed our textiles practice within this. I'm really keen to get members of the wider community involved within this project so I found the presentation really interesting and inspiring.

Community

"...not only the people who are in it. A community is already existing before all the people in it have been born. A 'community' may not even have a physical location (members could have moved to other locations), but it is formed from a group of people with a common interest."

This made me think of the different types of communities, some of which may be interested in contributing to this project:
- Educational: Schools (e.g. Mount Pleasant Primary School who are interested in participating in the Penistone Line project), Colleges, Universities.
- Clubs: Scouts, sports clubs, art groups, sewing classes, knitting groups, after school clubs.
- Family
- Local: based on location
- Ethnic
- Religious
- Co-workers

Textiles can be embedded within a community in a variety of ways such as:
- Community Art: professional artists collaborate with people who don't normally actively engage in arts.
- Artistic Activity: this can be based in a community setting. It can take any form and involves interaction or communication with the community.

The impacts of participating within the arts can include personal growth, empowerment, cultural democracy, social and critical awareness can be raised, personal enrichment and enjoyment, and transmission of values. Art creating a transmission of values demonstrates that no art is "value free" which I feel lends itself well to the Home Starter Pack brief as a key theme within this project is the inclusion of sentimental and emotional value within the object. I think this could be achieved with strong community involvement!

I'm really hoping my application for the Home Starter Pack project is successful as I really think community collaboration will add so much value and meaning to the outcome of the brief!