I organized textile art workshops for low income members of my community to share skills and learn about regenerative farming and wearable art practices. A number of different examples were displayed from my own artwork. We learned to felt using local wool and made 3D objects and brooches. Teens and adults participated in a covered picnic shelter in the forest inside a city park. Participants were thrilled to have this free eco learning opportunity and to connect with nature in new ways. Participants expressed a new sense of confidence and pride in their artwork. They were happy to connect with one another especially after the pandemic loneliness many expressed suffering greatly from and that they had a new appreciation for the versatility and power of local wool as a solution to our carbon footprint and wasteful mass consumption. It was difficult to reach low income community members since many don’t have home internet or use social media so I made a poster and distributed it to every city community space I could find from aquatic centres to coffee shops to low income housing complexes. This helped garner huge interest from artistic minded people allowing me to offer the workshop to vulnerable people that otherwise can’t afford to take an art class or learn about regenerative eco- textiles and face barriers to access. I’ve learned so much from the participants on how we need to lift each other up if we want to see positive change in the world, not divide one another and that sharing through creative means touches the soul and brings us all closer together, united by our humanity and freedom of expression – brilliant and heartwarming stuff indeed.
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