A new project out of the UK

I recently had the wonderful chance to meet through Skype, Bobby Britnell, a textile artist from Shropshire  in the United Kingdom. A quick look at her website shows her interest in textiles revolves around creating beautiful surfaces in her own work while opening her home for students to take workshops on the art of embroidery and stitch.
New Lines of Enquiry, 2008

So how does this fit into my blog on bark cloth.....

Bobby has taken her interest in textiles with her as she travels to and works in Uganda. She  and her husband work with the local community to run a small organization in the town of Kisaabwa, Hands up for Uganda, focusing on the traditional crafts of basketry and woven mats. As a textile artist herself, Bobby is passionate about engaging with the women in Kisaabwa and learning about their materials and crafts.

Bark Cloth which grows readily in this part of Uganda is being used as part of an exciting collaborative project between 'Hands up for Uganda', Bobby Britnell and Janet Middleton from Star-Child Shoes.

Surfaces on bark cloth

 

"We aim to engage textiles artists from the UK and further afield in its conception. We require artists to decorate and embellish a piece of bark cloth in any way that they like and these pieces will be made up into 'ART SHOES' by Janet as a part of two exhibitions in 2014, in Birmingham and London. This exhibition will not only exhibit dozens of 'Art Shoes' but also the craftwork from the women of Kisaabwa."

Amie Adelman and I will both be a part of this project - so more updates will follow!

As a wonderful side note -  on the organization's farm in Kisaabwa ,100 Mutuba trees have been planted!