League of Artisans is excited to announce Leek Textile Weekend is coming your way with an online talk on 16th January and a weekend of events 20th and 21st January 2024.
Journey with us as we set off from Leek to Liberty via India, exploring the silk, natural dyes, block prints and embroidery that made Leek world-famous. Delve into the historic collaboration of William Morris and Sir Thomas Wardle. Discover the influence of Indian artisans and their expertise in plant dyes and wild silk, and applaud the magnificent work of the Leek Embroidery Society.
Leek Textile Weekend is not just about honouring the past but discussing how the knowledge that shaped our town’s industry can help transform the future, exploring the relevance of old dye secrets, the environmental impact of textiles on the River Churnet, and how we can create more regenerative fashion and textiles in the future. There will also be the opportunity to learn new skills, such as Phulkari embroidery stitches from Punjab, India, or how to identify, forage and extract dyes from plants and biowaste in a full day of talks, demonstrations and workshops at the Foxlowe. All events are free other than workshops.
Meanwhile five community groups from across the Moorlands will spend the weekend with artists from Kinetika for a silk and natural dye flag-making workshop at The Nicholson Museum and Art Gallery. With a 25-year track record of combining world-class bespoke designs on large-scale, Kinetika will work with these groups to design spectacular flags using natural dyes reflecting the colours of Leek.
And Leek Textile Weekend is just the start, because League of Artisans has been awarded Arts Council England funding to run a whole week of activities from 23-29 September 2024.
League of Artisans director Carry Somers said: “Commerce, creativity, the Arts and Crafts Movement, Gothic Revivalism and Aestheticism all found their home in Leek, creating a centre of textile excellence and cultural collaboration. Our aim is to bring alive this heritage for new audiences, inspiring creative action as we learn lessons from the past. I hope Leek Textile Week will become an established event in the region’s cultural calendar.”
Leek Textile Weekend is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. This project has also received £4800 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the form of a Cultural Arts and Heritage grant from SMDC, as well as funding and support from OUTSIDE Arts. Sarah Bird, OUTSIDE creative director said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Leek Textile Weekend and Leek Textile Week by working with League of Artisans to convene a community steering group. This group will help shape the programme, and ensure that local voices and stories are well represented. It’s a really exciting and ambitious project, weaving together the rich textile heritage, creativity and community of the Staffordshire Moorlands.”
Councillor Bill Cawley, Cabinet Member for Communities at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, said: “We are delighted that, along with the UK Shared Prosperity Fund support, Arts Council England have invested in Leek Textile Week. Leek has a rich textile heritage and we are proud that we can celebrate this together as a town in 2024. We look forward to supporting the festival team over the coming months as we provide events management and environmental support to create a sustainable event where everyone is welcome.”
Join us for our online launch event on 16th January at 5pm, where we will be exploring the intricacies of the Arts and Crafts movement, the historic collaboration between William Morris and Sir Thomas Wardle, and the influence of India and its continuities. Speakers include Róisín Inglesby the Curator at the William Morris Gallery, Cathryn Walton, local historian, and Dr Emma Ferry, design historian. This will be the first of six free webinars exploring textile themes relating to Leek, with support from the British Council.
Upcoming webinars will be delivered in collaboration with Nila House in Jaipur, a dynamic platform for artistic exchange, innovation and education founded by JCB director Lady Carole Bamford. Director of Nila House Anuradha Singh said: “We are honoured to be considered an ideal partner due to our impact in the field of textiles and natural dyes, our commitment to artisanal practices, and our strong connections in both the East and West. The concept behind Leek Textile Week, celebrating the rich textile heritage of the town and forging connections with Indian artisans, resonates deeply with us.”
For more information, visit: https://leagueofartisans.org/events
