Community Threads

Community Threads was a successful two month pilot working in collaboration with Hackney Migrant Centre (HMC), where Draw On facilitated an art therapy group for adults visiting the service.

Hackney Migrant Centre offer free legal, housing and welfare advice to refugee, asylum seekers and migrants within London. They run a weekly day centre where visitors can enjoy a hot meal together, socialise and access valuable advice and health services in a  safe environment. 

Across eight weeks Draw On offered a creative table inviting visitors at the day centre to join together in sewing and embroidery. Over 80 men, women and children created an array of images onto Binka squares.

Comments and Feedback

During the groups many people commented on the therapeutic nature of sewing and the benefits of being absorbed in the art making. They spoke about how the sewing had helped to distract them from the difficult situations they were facing. We collected anonymous feedback to help us evaluate the project. Here’s what some of the participants said…

….I was feeling very anxious and very scared of what the future holds but after I felt relaxed and happy..

…It is good, enjoyable and a stress relief

Exhibition

Over the eight weeks participants chose to sew  their individual pieces together to create an incredible Binka quilt!

The Binka squares hold personal and collective messages for loved ones, HMC visitors and the group participants.

The Dalston CLR James Library kindly exhibited the quilt across January and February 2020.

This pilot project was made possible by the Mayor of London’s Culture Seeds fund.