40 Objects for 40 Years
Silver Rings (2019) made by women living in refuge, working with Rita Patel
These four sterling silver rings were made by women living in refuge.
This project took place in 2019, delivered in partnership with Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid, with jeweller Rita Patel and artist Melanie Tomlinson.
Workshops for mothers and children were run in the morning, followed by workshops just for women in the afternoons. The rings were made in Rita’s last session with the women and every participant attended that day, determined to complete the complicated, technical process. The rings were made by each woman, for themselves: a simple silver band tailored to fit them, and them alone, perfectly.
Rings made in this context symbolise many positive things, for me they are reminder of the many skills and people that make a Craftspace project happen, and the stages of work involved in placing a skilled and emotionally intelligent jeweller in a complex setting, supporting women who have had almost everything taken away to make something of their own: permanent, precious and beautiful.
Nominated by: Learning and Engagement Manager, Katy.
To celebrate Craftspace’s 40th Anniversary, we commissioned the artist Stewart Francis Easton to create an artwork which would explore the story of Craftspace through 40 objects. Stewart created a series of four beautiful graphic quilts.
