Calls to action - From your front room :)
1.Corona Quilt
Bobby Lloyd from Art Refuge have created a great new project called 'The Corona Quilt - Rituals of the Everyday'. There is a lovely growing collection of images on Instagram in particular.
Art Refuge uses art and art therapy to support the mental health and well-being of people displaced due to conflict, persecution and poverty, both in the UK and internationally. Now, when people across the world are being asked to isolate themselves from one another within communities, Art Refuge is thinking of creative ways to bring us together. Building on our work with refugees, we invite you to sit around a virtual community table and help create a patchwork tablecloth. Whether at home alone or on lock down with family, struggling in a camp or displaced on an island, whatever your age, and wherever you come from, we welcome you to take up this invitation to create a piece of the corona quilt on the theme of RITUALS OF THE EVERYDAY.
What is a Corona Quilt?
The Corona pattern is a traditional pattern, a bit like a crown, made up of triangles and squares, which are then sewn together to make a patchwork cloth. This is the inspiration, but the design and style of your individual square is up to you, and the uniqueness and variation across the world is what will make this project wonderful.You can find more information about contributing to a real corona quilt here.
They will upload to Instagram @coronaquilt Facebook and Twitter @artrefugeuk and keep your squares safe to be involved in the real life quilt when this is possible.
2. Moosecat Creative Ltd - Pic-A-Primrose Project as part of #CreatingConnections with Severn Arts
Upload your (family-friendly) photographs on the themes of Care, Compassion, and Community here. They will be adding a selection of photos to their online gallery, and after the lockdown is lifted, they will exhibit some of the work in a series of pop-up gallery events.
They will be using a selection of the photo's for merchandise to help raise funds for the Primrose Hospice. There's even a nifty how to video, to help with your uploading images!
3.#ArtForHunger
Digbeth Birmingham Art gallery are doing an open call for artwork around homelessness by designing a can on their downloadable pdf. Any medium must need to he able to submit digitally. You can get all the info and see the submissions already received here.
4. Islands in the Sky by Andrew James Round with Severn Arts as part of #CreatingConnections.
What is Islands in the Sky?
Andrew is creating a game where you can explore a series of interconnected islands floating above the city of Worcester. The idea is to create a virtual world made up of small interconnected spaces that express the creativity of the people of Worcestershire and how our own private worlds/spaces exist in relation to everybody else's. The islands will be made up of rooms created (we hope!) by children and their families from Worcestershire and
the surrounding areas. Players will be rewarded as they explore and become familiar with the virtual world.
The plan is for the completed online game to be available to play at the end of May.
How can I get involved?
Andrew would like your help to design the rooms in the maze. You can do this either by using the downloadable printed templates or by creating your design digitally in for example MS Paint or Sketchbook.
You can see all the info you need to get involved here.
5. Creating Space - Creativity Chain and Virtual Exhibition #CreatingConnections project with Severn Arts.
You may have seen a post recently about our own #CreatingConnections grant from Severn Arts - well our project is a bit different and will be sharing the full details very soon with a whooole post about our concept so stay tuned for that in the next week or so. You can see some other projects you can get involved in on their website :)
We hope you can find the time for doing something creative at this challenging time in our lives - and don't forget that the Grayson Perry Art Club on Mondays at 8pm on channel 4 - if you haven't watched any of this series already - its well worth a look and just proves you can even paint with food (episode one)!
Take care and stay safe
Claire