Following exhibitions at the Museum of Science and Industry and HOME, we are very excited to host The People’s Community Dukinfield exhibition of Craftivism at the theatre, from the 26th of April.
First established as a drop-in crafts café, as part of the Local Exchange’s work with Jigsaw Homes in Tameside, the group have gone on to establish themselves as a Resident’s Group – The People’s Community Dukinfield.
“I would describe [our group] as like friendship and kindness and we’re always welcome for people to come […] anyone can come” – Bailey, age 8
The People’s Community Dukinfield have transformed their community hub into a vibrant centre, bursting with artwork covering every wall, home to a flourishing garden, and alive with the bustle of the group’s weekly crafts club, £1 lunch club and 4 annual community parities.
“Because it doesn’t matter whether you’re good, bad or indifferent. You can put down onto paper or clay, or into any medium, how you feel. And we’ve done a lot of that expressing how you feel. […] And they’ve [the projects] made us feel very proud and worthy of them. Anybody who comes here and feels worthless, well they shouldn’t, because their creativity is brought out in the projects we do.” – June
The group’s craft projects, facilitated by artist Sam Edwards, centre around community voice: from an embroidered banner titled ‘Enough is Enough’, presented to MP Andrew Gywnne in protest to the cost-of-living crisis; to their latest work, ‘Save Our Baths’, which highlights the closure of community spaces. The People’s Community Dukinfield’s exhibition of Craftivism opens 26th of April 2024 at the Royal Exchange.
