5 December 2024 – 2 January 2025 

This wall hanging was made at Art in the Park Studio, a charity devoted to enriching lives through art. They run art, environmental, heritage-based projects for all ages. Their well-resourced studios are located in Burgess Park, Southwark. They work with all ages and abilities but especially focus on providing projects devised for vulnerable older adults and younger adults with learning or physical disabilities or mental health problems. They also do many projects with local children and young people. They aim to bring art to as many people as possible, whatever their age and ability, and to make art outdoors as much they can – both as an inspiration and as a site for artwork. They also do outreach in many venues, working with local partners such as care homes.

This exhibition celebrates stories from the Windrush generation. Art in the Park’s regular older group, ‘The Chumleigh Group’, some of whom are Windrush generation, created these beautiful hand-painted and batiked silk pieces, inspired by stories of remembered life in the Caribbean; of beginnings, journeys and arrivals, and they have put them together into a collaborative wall hanging.

The luxury silk crepe-de-chine that they used to create the artwork was generously donated by Sanjit Vallance.

Participants: Fitzroyal Pulinskii, Ian Kerr, Swinda Mark, Chris Daniels, Steven Overall, Dorothy Watkins, Carol Agana, Andrea Sinclair, Cecilia Washburn, Albee (Chia-Hui) Chen, Kerry O’Brien