The Community Textile collage is an artistic development of the Heritage Lottery Funded St. John’s Hassocks project led by Rachel Harrison for Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust in 2017. The project conserved a number of old kneeler cushions and other textiles found at the disused Victorian Grade II listed church in the possession of the Trust since 2016. The collage was introduced to the project and launched in July 2017 at a Sea Change Arts event by St. John's volunteer and University of Suffolk student Carol Desborough. Fifty panels reflecting upon heritage and culture in Great Yarmouth were completed and displayed, along with other artistic textiles including the old and new kneeler cushions at the end of project exhibition Sewn By the Sea held at St. Johns during heritage open days in September 2017. A second presentation of the exhibition was held at Skippings Gallery, King Street, in November 2017.
Following the end of the Hassocks project in October 2017, Carol Desborough continued with the collage as part of her HE studies completing 160 panels in June 2018 in collaboration with a diverse group of people from the community bringing them together into one artwork using stitch as a connector. The collage continued to promote and celebrate St. John’s presence in the town as an important heritage building, assisting to further expose memories of the unique and celebrated church and successfully maintaining connections with the community in the transition period between the Hassock’s project and the heritage lottery funded Stories of St. John’s project. The collage has provided a visual presence for St. John’s to proudly claim its 160-year pride of place within the heritage rich town of Great Yarmouth and is now a celebrated banner of the St. Johns story.
Here are some images of the completed artwork flying the flag for St. John ‘s at a number of events.
For more information on the collage visit the Stories of St. John's Facebook Page (Post No. 58)
Not seen it yet? Come and see the collage at the Stories of St. John's Exhibition, Great Yarmouth Library from Tuesday 23rd April - Wednesday 1st May, open daily 11am-2pm.
#HLFEoE storiesofstjohns
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