Stitching Together
Lead Research Organisation:
Arts University Bournemouth
Department Name: School of Design
Abstract
The Stitching Together project aims to develop improved critical understandings of participatory textile making as an emerging methodological approach to research by creating a sustainable network of researchers, project commissioners, professional textile practitioners and enthusiast maker groups. It will establish critical dialogue around participatory textile making methods, collate examples of best practice and argue for their value in research. The network will disseminate this knowledge to academic and non-academic audiences and prompt new participatory research initiatives.
The familiarity of textile making processes such as sewing and knitting means these activities are accessible to participants and researchers in varied contexts across a range of disciplines, from clinical medicine and occupational therapy to community building and sustainable development. Researchers using participatory textile making activities are gaining rich insights into questions of artistic, scientific, social, material and cultural value. Despite this diversity, there is little academic material supporting the development of robust investigative approaches. Although the AHRC Cultural Value project and Connected Communities research shed light onto broader participatory arts activities and issues of community engagement, there remains a problematic gap in methodological confidence which is limiting development in the specific field of participatory textile making. The associated practical, ethical and conceptual challenges are encountered in research and non-research contexts, indicating scope for knowledge exchange to enhance impact and promote good research practices.
In summary, the network will explore three research questions:
- How is participatory textile making being used as a new methodological approach to research?
- What issues does this raise for the validity and effectiveness of the research?
- How do participatory textile making projects engage and impact participants?
The grant will fund network activities structured around three key events that respond to the research questions:
A 2-day Case Study Workshop at Clayhill Arts, Somerset, will bring together researchers using participatory textile making across the range of disciplines to examine ways in which this new methodological approach is being used in research contexts. Sampling these diverse participatory making activities will concentrate discussion in order to identify key methodological issues for further exploration and set the agenda for the second event.
A 1-day Critical Reflection Workshop at the Arts University Bournemouth, with input from researchers, 'critical friends' from associated academic fields, project commissioners and professional textile practitioners, will focus on investigating the validity and effectiveness of these new methodological approaches for research contexts. Findings will support good practice guidelines and critical feedback for peer reviewed case study articles.
A 1-day Study Day at Derby Museum & Art Gallery will be dedicated to exploring how these participatory textile making activities engage and impact volunteer participants. Enthusiast maker groups will be invited to join network discussions on the ethics of volunteer participation, co-creation of works and participant representation in research outcomes. Knowledge exchange between all stakeholder groups will facilitate new lines of collaborative research enquiry.
The network will produce outcomes accessible to academic and non-academic audiences invested in participatory making activities: a collection of peer reviewed case study articles; two further co-authored papers on the methodological value of these approaches; a conference paper targeting museum/gallery outreach coordinators; a short film, illustrative examples and good practice guidelines openly accessible via a dedicated website; and a report disseminated to agencies with policy making influence.
The familiarity of textile making processes such as sewing and knitting means these activities are accessible to participants and researchers in varied contexts across a range of disciplines, from clinical medicine and occupational therapy to community building and sustainable development. Researchers using participatory textile making activities are gaining rich insights into questions of artistic, scientific, social, material and cultural value. Despite this diversity, there is little academic material supporting the development of robust investigative approaches. Although the AHRC Cultural Value project and Connected Communities research shed light onto broader participatory arts activities and issues of community engagement, there remains a problematic gap in methodological confidence which is limiting development in the specific field of participatory textile making. The associated practical, ethical and conceptual challenges are encountered in research and non-research contexts, indicating scope for knowledge exchange to enhance impact and promote good research practices.
In summary, the network will explore three research questions:
- How is participatory textile making being used as a new methodological approach to research?
- What issues does this raise for the validity and effectiveness of the research?
- How do participatory textile making projects engage and impact participants?
The grant will fund network activities structured around three key events that respond to the research questions:
A 2-day Case Study Workshop at Clayhill Arts, Somerset, will bring together researchers using participatory textile making across the range of disciplines to examine ways in which this new methodological approach is being used in research contexts. Sampling these diverse participatory making activities will concentrate discussion in order to identify key methodological issues for further exploration and set the agenda for the second event.
A 1-day Critical Reflection Workshop at the Arts University Bournemouth, with input from researchers, 'critical friends' from associated academic fields, project commissioners and professional textile practitioners, will focus on investigating the validity and effectiveness of these new methodological approaches for research contexts. Findings will support good practice guidelines and critical feedback for peer reviewed case study articles.
A 1-day Study Day at Derby Museum & Art Gallery will be dedicated to exploring how these participatory textile making activities engage and impact volunteer participants. Enthusiast maker groups will be invited to join network discussions on the ethics of volunteer participation, co-creation of works and participant representation in research outcomes. Knowledge exchange between all stakeholder groups will facilitate new lines of collaborative research enquiry.
The network will produce outcomes accessible to academic and non-academic audiences invested in participatory making activities: a collection of peer reviewed case study articles; two further co-authored papers on the methodological value of these approaches; a conference paper targeting museum/gallery outreach coordinators; a short film, illustrative examples and good practice guidelines openly accessible via a dedicated website; and a report disseminated to agencies with policy making influence.
Planned Impact
Beyond academic beneficiaries, the Stitching Together network will primarily impact four groups of stakeholders:
- volunteer participants and textile craft enthusiast groups who take part in participatory textile making activities for research and in non-research contexts.
- professional textile practitioners commissioned to facilitate these activities.
- project commissioners from museums and galleries, and third sector educational outreach coordinators delivering participatory textile making activities with their public audiences.
- agencies involved in public funding directives and with policy-making influence concerning public engagement in the creative arts.
Academic researchers using participatory textile making activities frequently overlap with these groups of stakeholders and the network will provide a platform for the contribution of experiences and insights from each of these perspectives. Representatives from these different groups at national (Arts Council England), regional (Craftspace), and local (Derby Museums; Walford Mill Crafts) levels have been invited to join the network to promote knowledge exchange between stakeholders.
Volunteer participants and textile craft enthusiast groups engaged in participatory textile making activities will be impacted both indirectly and directly. Indirectly, the improved practices of researchers, professional textile practitioners and commissioners will enhance the quality of their experiences of participatory textile making activities and the representation of their involvement in future research outputs. Those who engage with the network directly at the Study Day event will gain an awareness of what engaging in these projects involves and contribute to a mutual understanding of the ethical implications of their participation. They will also have the opportunity to discuss potential collaborative research initiatives with other stakeholders.
Professional textile practitioners will develop improved understandings of the ethical dimensions of their work undertaken with volunteer participants. Participation in network events offers an opportunity to reflect and share their experiences, contributing to their professional development. Greater awareness of the value of their approach in research contexts will enhance opportunities for new collaborative research initiatives.
Project commissioners and educational outreach coordinators will develop a more sophisticated understanding of the demands of participatory textile making activities as well as the manifold benefits to both individuals and communities. As a result, an improved awareness of the creative potential, practical challenges and ethical implications will enrich their engagement with professional textile practitioners, volunteer participants and researchers. The network will offer opportunities to develop proposals for new collaborative research initiatives.
Agencies and policy makers: network activities and outputs intend to influence policy concerning participatory textile making projects. Invited 'critical friends' with direct links to influential policy-making agencies (Arts Council England; Crafts Council) will help to raise the profile of participatory textile making activities outside the network, ensuring a better understanding of these research practices and their value to commissioning organisations and their communities of participants.
- volunteer participants and textile craft enthusiast groups who take part in participatory textile making activities for research and in non-research contexts.
- professional textile practitioners commissioned to facilitate these activities.
- project commissioners from museums and galleries, and third sector educational outreach coordinators delivering participatory textile making activities with their public audiences.
- agencies involved in public funding directives and with policy-making influence concerning public engagement in the creative arts.
Academic researchers using participatory textile making activities frequently overlap with these groups of stakeholders and the network will provide a platform for the contribution of experiences and insights from each of these perspectives. Representatives from these different groups at national (Arts Council England), regional (Craftspace), and local (Derby Museums; Walford Mill Crafts) levels have been invited to join the network to promote knowledge exchange between stakeholders.
Volunteer participants and textile craft enthusiast groups engaged in participatory textile making activities will be impacted both indirectly and directly. Indirectly, the improved practices of researchers, professional textile practitioners and commissioners will enhance the quality of their experiences of participatory textile making activities and the representation of their involvement in future research outputs. Those who engage with the network directly at the Study Day event will gain an awareness of what engaging in these projects involves and contribute to a mutual understanding of the ethical implications of their participation. They will also have the opportunity to discuss potential collaborative research initiatives with other stakeholders.
Professional textile practitioners will develop improved understandings of the ethical dimensions of their work undertaken with volunteer participants. Participation in network events offers an opportunity to reflect and share their experiences, contributing to their professional development. Greater awareness of the value of their approach in research contexts will enhance opportunities for new collaborative research initiatives.
Project commissioners and educational outreach coordinators will develop a more sophisticated understanding of the demands of participatory textile making activities as well as the manifold benefits to both individuals and communities. As a result, an improved awareness of the creative potential, practical challenges and ethical implications will enrich their engagement with professional textile practitioners, volunteer participants and researchers. The network will offer opportunities to develop proposals for new collaborative research initiatives.
Agencies and policy makers: network activities and outputs intend to influence policy concerning participatory textile making projects. Invited 'critical friends' with direct links to influential policy-making agencies (Arts Council England; Crafts Council) will help to raise the profile of participatory textile making activities outside the network, ensuring a better understanding of these research practices and their value to commissioning organisations and their communities of participants.
Publications
Shercliff E
(2020)
Stitching Together: Participatory textile making as an emerging methodological approach to research
in Journal of Arts & Communities
Shercliff E
(2020)
Stitching together: Ethical dimensions and innovative approaches to participatory textile making
in Journal of Arts & Communities
Shercliff E (guest Editor)
(2020)
Stitching Together special issue Part One
Shercliff E (guest Editor)
(2020)
Stitching Together special issue Part Two
Shercliff, E.
(2022)
Embroidering: rhythms and patterns of stitching together
| Title | Stitching Together film |
| Description | A short film created by R & A Collaborations: Stitching Together - Research Network. Duration: 7 minutes, 35 seconds. This short film was produced in order to: a) document the network's first event, a 2-day Case Study Workshop held at Clayhill Arts in Somerset (UK), organised for researchers who use participatory textile making across a wide range of disciplines to present and discuss their work with peers, and invite attendees to sample these working methods in a series of specifically organised participatory making activities. b) promote the network and participatory textile making methods as an approach to research. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | The Stitching Together film is presented on the home page of the research network's dedicated website, and is therefore a convenient and easily accessible introduction to the project for all audiences: academic, professional practitioners, non-academic and third sector organisations, as well as interested individuals. The film has also been used to introduce the project and its core concerns to peers and colleagues at the network's second event, the Critical Reflection workshop, held at the Arts University Bournemouth (UK), and elsewhere. |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/341998032 |
| Description | Identified key characteristics of participatory textile making activities Identified key benefits and challenges of participatory textile making activities Identified key ethical considerations related to participatory textile making activities |
| Exploitation Route | Improved understanding of how to initiate and conduct participatory textile making activities. Improved understanding of participants' experiences of participatory textile making activities. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | To date we can report on the impact achieved through the publication of the 'Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines: Advice for facilitators of participatory textile making workshops and projects'. These guidelines aim to highlight all the aspects of a participatory textile making project that need to be considered in order for it to work well from the point of view of the participants and enhance the quality of engagement with community-based creative activities. The publication in November 2020 was promoted via social media and was accompanied by an online launch event attended by an international audience of more than 120 people. The publication is available as a free download via the Stitching Together website. It can also be ordered for free as a print copy for those without easy access to the internet. To date there have been more than 1000 requests for the Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines from across 17 countries. Beyond academia the Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines has garnered interest from community-based arts educators, practitioners working with community groups, volunteer community arts initiatives, museum outreach coordinators and therapists. The Guidelines are also being promoted via public-facing arts and engagement organisations such as: Engage; Voluntary Arts; Artworks Alliance; the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE); National Needlework Archive; CLOA - Cultural & Leisure Officers Association; Libraries Connected; as well as via policy influencing organisations such as the British Council and the Crafts Council. The majority of people asked use the guidelines to support their ongoing participatory textile making activities whether that is for research or socially engaged practices, or in work that combines both. In addition to this, some have used them to help plan new projects and write new projects proposals for academic and non-academic contexts. Many others intend using the guidelines to help them in their teaching practice and/or develop new workshops, both inside and outside the formal sector. Lastly, there is interest in the guidelines to support museum and gallery outreach activities, public engagement initiatives and to help communicate the principles and motivations for socially engaged participatory textile making to partner organisations. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | Fashion Fictions: imagining sustainable fashion worlds |
| Amount | £202,044 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/V01286X/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2021 |
| End | 05/2023 |
| Description | Global Challenges Research Fund |
| Amount | £6,886 (GBP) |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2021 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | Participatory Research Funding |
| Amount | £4,870 (GBP) |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | Participatory Research Funding |
| Amount | £2,925 (GBP) |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2022 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | 'Sharing Practice' case study for Engage, the gallery education network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Engage, the gallery education network, based in the UK, has a collection of resources and toolkits on their website available to their members and the general public. Case studies by Engage members are included in this resource to showcase examples of good practice. We produced a case study for the Engage website that recounts our process of researching and writing the Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines. The intended purpose of this case study was to share our methods of researching, writing and reviewing the document as an example of good practice. We anticipated this would be of interest to people working in the gallery education sector should they want to produce similar good practice guidelines documents. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://engage.org/resources/stitching-together-good-practice-guidelines/ |
| Description | Arts University Bournemouth Open Lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The presentation, titled 'Making Together: the quiet power of participation' was delivered by Dr Emma Shercliff and took place on 17th February 2022 at the Arts University Bournemouth as part of the AUB Open series of lectures designed to share research undertaken at the university with a local/regional audience. Attendees joined in-person and online via Zoom. Emma Shercliff presented some of the research findings from the Stitching Together network project and showcased work from some of the Stitching Together network members. The lecture sparked questions from the audience, particularly from audience members interested in developing participatory projects. The event presented an additional opportunity to disseminate the Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines. Overall, the lecture helped to raise awareness of the important role hands-on making experiences can play in building communities and several audience members expressed changed views as a result. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Case Study Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The 2-day Case Study Workshop was organised to examine ways in which participatory textile making is currently being used as a new methodological approach to research. Thirteen researchers attended, including the PI and Co-I. These researchers represented PhD students, research assistants and early career researchers, and professors with considerable research experience, which allowed for the sharing of good practice. Some of the researchers invited maintain creative careers as professional practitioners alongside their academic roles, which promoted a holistic understanding of participatory textile making as a creative practice as well as a research approach. The researchers attending the event were invited to demonstrate and share their approach to using participatory textile making activities with others in small group workshops. Discussion during these workshops centred around the key themes of planning, experience and outcomes, which allowed us to tease out the characteristics of each activity and identify key methodological themes. Some of these themes have been developed into a series of blog posts and case studies on the dedicated website in order to communicate the discussions to network members unable to attend the event in person. These themes have also been developed further through the second network event, the Critical Reflection workshop, and into a collection of reflective case studies to be published in a special edition of the Journal of Arts and Communities later this year. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://stitchingtogether.net/2019/05/08/a-fabulous-first-event/ |
| Description | Creative Research Methods Twitter chat |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The PI and Co-I were invited to host the June 2020 edition of Dr Helen Kara's monthly Creative Research Methods Twitter chats #CRMethodsChat on the subject of Participatory Textile Making as a Creative Research Method. 6 questions were discussed over 1 hour with an audience primarily consisting of researchers from across a wide range of disciplines (e.g. Education, Social Sciences, Public Health, Visual Arts) and from several different countries including the UK, Germany, Poland, Australia, USA. There were 211 tweets over 1 hour, averaging one tweet every 15 seconds, making this edition one of the most popular and vibrant of the Creative Research Methods Chats. It provided the Stitching Together network members with an opportunity to extend the reach and influence of the project, connect with researchers in other disciplines, find areas of common interest and share research findings, references, resources and projects. New contacts have been made and new members added to the network. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://wakelet.com/wake/zHAFR4LLGZNNJPGVuOT3Y |
| Description | Critical Reflection Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The Critical Reflection Workshop was the Stitching Together research network's second event. Eighteen attendees, including the PI and Co-I, were invited to a 1-day workshop held at the Arts University Bournemouth. Attendees were involved in participatory textile making activities, either as researchers, professional practitioners or commissioners of projects involving participatory textile making. The practical, ethical and conceptual challenges associated with participatory textile making activities are encountered in research and non-research contexts, indicating scope for knowledge exchange to enhance impact and promote good research practices. The overarching aim for the workshop was to tackle some of the difficult questions raised from the first workshop, the Case Study Workshop, and investigate the issues raised by these activities for the validity and effectiveness of the research considering in particular what this means for the key areas of ethics, impact and innovation. Discussions were led by 'critical friends' whose knowledge and expertise from the wider fields of participatory arts and craft communities enabled us to consider the questions from our textile perspective in relation to the bigger picture of communities and participation in the arts more generally. These discussions informed: a) methodological content of the case studies presented at the first event in order to publish examples of effective research for dissemination. b) draft good practice guidelines to be shared within and beyond academia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://stitchingtogether.net/2019/08/07/a-brief-summary-of-the-second-event-the-critical-reflection... |
| Description | Guest blog post for the Artworks Alliance website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The guest blog post, titled 'Historical Parallels and Contemporary Considerations' was written for the Artworks Alliance, a network of professionals established to support the continuing professional development of artists working in participatory arts. Our blog post sets participatory textile making into a wider context for an audience familiar with participatory arts activities but not necessarily with the specific histories and practices of participatory textile making. The intended purpose of the blog post was to raise awareness of participatory textile making practices, outline key benefits and challenges of working in these ways and direct the audience to the Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.artworksalliance.org.uk/historical-parallels-and-contemporary-considerations/ |
| Description | Guest blog post for the Social Research Association (SRA) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A guest blog post for the SRA blog: this presented the opportunity to promote the work of the Stitching Together research network to researchers outside the Art and Design disciplines and offer insights into participatory textile making as a means of research inquiry. The blog post outlines key characteristics of participatory textile making activities and identifies challenges that researchers may encounter. It also signposts readers to Stitching Together resources should they wish to use these methods in their research activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://the-sra.org.uk/SRA/Blog/stitchingtogether.aspx |
| Description | NCRM Material Methods 'In Conversation' video for online distribution |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A 20 minute video of the PI and Co-I in conversation with Dr Sophie Woodward for the National Centre for Research Methods broadcast via the NCRM YouTube channel. This is the second episode of an NCRM "In Conversation" series, Material Methods, that focuses on the emerging field of material methods. The conversation allowed us to introduce the Stitching Together network activities and members' projects to audiences outside the Art and Design disciplines (the NCRM has 15.6k subscribers to its YouTube channel) and explore the potential for cross-disciplinary developments of these practice-based material methods. To date, the video has had 541 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl8dCuZYwVE&feature=emb_logo |
| Description | Networking event for the Stitching Together community |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A follow-on networking session took place on Thursday 3 June to support the Stitching Together community to share new ideas, make new contacts and seed new projects. As part of this event, 2 mentoring sessions were offered to 9 people interested in seeking specific guidance for: developing proposals for projects, professional development, project management, accessing funding. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | PhD student webinar 'meet up' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The online meet up was organised to offer an opportunity to PhD students using participatory textile making to share and discuss their research amongst peers. Given the travel restrictions imposed due to Covid 19, many PhD students have been further isolated from opportunities to network, build confidence in presenting, and receive constructive, specialist feedback discussion. This 'meet up' event was organised by two of the Co-Investigator's PhD students and was supported by the PI and Co-I. Participants included: 12 PhD students, 2 research fellows and 4 PhD supervisors. The online webinar format allowed for contributors across the UK and Europe to attend and has provided PhD students with a foundation for further peer networking. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Regional 'meet-up' for network members in Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The 'meet-up' was initiated in order to share and extend the principles and discussion themes from the 1st network event, the Case Study workshop, with network members in Scotland who were unable to attend the main event because of their geographic location. The member's projects and key discussion themes were then presented to a wider audience of network members and non-members via a blog post on the dedicated website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://stitchingtogether.net/2019/08/02/informal-regional-meet-up-edinburgh-18-7-2019/ |
| Description | Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines consultation meetings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Network members responded to a call to review drafts of the Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines. We held two rounds of review consultation meetings (online via Zoom) with a total of 11 network members, where each was able to draw upon their particular area of expertise in order to comment on and suggest additions or revisions to the draft. This has resulted in the sharing of good practice amongst network members during the consultation meetings and also via the publication of the Good Practice Guidelines. In addition to this, network members were also invited to contribute images of their participatory textile-making projects to illustrate the guidelines. This allowed us to promote and disseminate network members' work to a wider audience via the Good Practice Guidelines. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines launch event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines launch event was hosted online via Zoom (November 2020) and was therefore able to reach a wide, international audience: over 120 attendees. The Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines was devised to provide advice for facilitators of participatory textile making workshops and projects, including professional textile practitioners, artists, academic researchers, people working within museums and galleries, community activists and amateur enthusiasts. At the launch event the PI and Co-I, co-ordinators of the Stitching Together network, talked through the guidelines and their hopes for how they will be used. We also welcomed a number of contributors to the guidelines - Catherine Reinhart, Lynn Setterington, Rosa Tolnov Clausen, Sarah Brown, Hinda Mandell, Mah Rana and Lindy Richardson, all practitioners and researchers - to talk about their projects featured in the guidelines. Attendees were enthusiastic to learn more about the various different projects, the contexts in which the speakers were working and their approaches to involving volunteer participants in the textile-making activities. The Zoom chat and links to further information were shared with attendees after the event. A recording of the event is available to view via YouTube: 81 views so far. After the talks, attendees could meet informally in breakout rooms to discuss and share ideas with each other, the hosts and the presenters. Over 1000 print and digital copies already distributed to 17 countries including the UK, USA, Germany, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and India. The guidelines have garnered interest from community-based arts educators, practitioners working with community groups, volunteer community arts initiatives and museum outreach coordinators and therapists as well as academics across a range of disciplines working in participatory research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00JnL93cf2M&feature=emb_imp_woyt |
| Description | Stitching Together Study Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Stitching Together Study Day was a free one-day online event held on Thursday 13 May 2021 which provided space for people with interests in participatory textile making activities - whether participants, facilitators, community activists, researchers or commissioners - to come together and share experiences, insights and challenges. We wanted to offer opportunities to showcase work in different formats and for participants in these projects to voice their experiences. As part of this initiative, the Stitching Together website hosted 10 short films exploring aspects of participatory textile making selected from a call launched with FilmGeographies. The event was divided into three sessions, spaced throughout the day. Each session included a combination of pre-recorded and live presentations made by participatory textile making facilitators and participants, panel discussions with film makers, and invitations for attendees to join in stitching activities. Those taking part in the event included: 7 facilitators, 3 artists, 7 participants, 2 PhD students and 8 academic researchers/practitioners. 9 of these had also made films. The event had around 150 attendees across the day. A Padlet was also set up to allow attendees to share comments about the presentations, films and activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://stitchingtogether.net/study-day/ |
| Description | Stitching Together Twitter feed |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We use the dedicated Stitching Together twitter feed to communicate the research network activities and updates to audiences beyond the core network members and to individuals who cannot attend events because of their geographic location. The twitter feed is also used to highlight new network members, and to communicate information about other relevant and associated events, workshops, conferences, exhibitions and new publications of interest to the network and its followers. The account currently has 1332 followers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/StitchingTgthr |
| Description | Stitching Together website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The aim of the dedicated Stitching Together website is primarily to communicate the activities of the network to a wide audience in an open and easily accessible manner. This is achieved via regular blog posts updating visitors to the website with news and comments. A series of 'guest posts' allows network members to share and extend discussions. The website hosts a list of all network members including a brief profile describing each member's participatory textile making activity and links to further information about their work enabling the promotion of their activities as individual practitioners and researchers, and the potential for communication and exchange between members and other interested audiences. There are currently 103 members profiled on the website. In addition, the website hosts a repository of participatory textile making projects undertaken by network members. These are collated via a pro forma template to disseminate case study examples of current research and practice, and illustrate the breadth of disciplinary contexts for participatory textile making in research and approaches to designing participatory textile making projects. The website currently holds 29 case studies. The website also hosts links to the publications, guest posts and recorded online events/broadcasts produced during the grant period: A two-part special edition of the Journal of Arts and Communities containing 17 articles. The Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines - an electronic PDF of the Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines can be downloaded via the website: 1854 copies downloaded so far. Video recording of the Stitching Together Good Practice Guidelines launch event. Video recordings of the Study Day panel discussions. Films selected from the collaboration with FilmGeographies. Padlet discussions with participants during the Study Day event. Material Methods 'In Conversation' with Dr Sophie Woodward for the National Centre for Research methods. 'Sharing Practice' case study for Engage, the gallery education network. Guest post for the Social Research Association blog Guest post for the ArtWorks Alliance blog Stitching Together research network film by R&A Collaborations. Statistics of visitors to the site: 2019: 2,631 2020: 4,809 2021: 5,921 2022: 3,511 2023: 663 (so far) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://stitchingtogether.net |