The Leitrim Design House was delighted to celebrate an exhibition of artwork created in Leitrim by sixteen Ukrainian women living in the county.
The opening reception launch for the Connecting Cultures through Craft exhibition entitled ‘Creativity through Connection’ was held at The Leitrim Design House as part of Culture Night 2023.
Members of the public, old and new communities were invited to join us to celebrate this work and learn a little about the Ukrainian culture. During the event some of the group shared their thoughts and culture through a very moving tribute of words, music and song.
Over the years The Leitrim Design House has instigated multiple projects with the aim of Connecting Cultures through Craft. This group exhibition of textile works entitled ‘Creativity through Connection’ grew out of a series of twelve mixed media textile workshops by experienced Leitrim textile artist Catherine Gray over the summer of 2023. These workshops were offered to the Ukrainian community living in the region as an outlet for self-expression and a chance to connect and integrate within the community through craft. This exhibition is a culmination of the artwork produced by the group.
We invited Catherine to work with some of the Ukrainian community living in the region over several months. These workshops held by Catherine in The Dock throughout the summer of 2023 offered an outlet for self-expression in a supportive setting, enabling fluid communication through visual language in collaboration with the participants allowing their own voice to shine through.
A beautiful collection of textile works evolved from the group through various printing, stitching and layering processes explored through the classes. We’d like to thank all the participants who took part in the workshops, for sharing their creations and experiences with us and to Catherine Gray for the dedication, commitment and skills she brought to the project. Catherine's work can be viewed here.
‘Creativity through Connection’ was funded by Creative Ireland under the Creative Communities Programme through the Leitrim Arts Office and was facilitated by The Leitrim Design House. We are also very grateful for the support of the Leitrim County Council for this event.
