Sat 4th March 2006

Crafts Diversity Project Exhibition

The Gallery is hosting a touring exhibiton direct from St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, Glasgow. West Kilbride Community Initiative Ltd invite you to come along and view the work created as a result of Textile artist Paula Ramdhan's collaboration with St Mungo Museum. Paula explored sectarianism with groups from across the city, using a variety of textiles and screen-printing techniques. This is a Scottish Arts Council- and Scottish-Executive funded project, managed by Glasgow Council (Museums). Thanks to Glasgow Restorative Justice Services, Royston Youth Action, Kelvinhaugh and St. Peters Primary Schools.

Exhibition opening times 10am to 4pm, Wednesday - Saturday. From 4th - 25th March

The Craft Diversity Project was a six month collaborative project between artist Paula Ramdhan and St Mungo Museum, Glasgow Museums and Galleries.

The project worked with groups from across the city to explore sectarianism in Glasgow through the use of a variety of textiles and screen-printing techniques.

Participants explored objects in the museum relating to sectarianism and world religions and issues such as territorialsim in Glasgow. The final works produced by the project are an amalgamation of participants' ideas and Paula's own personal journey.

The Citizenship Panels - What causes divisions within our society?

Paula Ramdhan, artist in residence, explores this theme in these panels. She worked with young people to look at the causes of division, and in partucular sectarianism. Objects in the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art in Glasgow were used as the starting point for discussion.

The work you see here is a result of many workshops. Those who took part looked at the qualiaties you need to be a good citizen - each panel reflects the different issues that came out of these discussions.

Panel 1: Causes of sectarianism and racism

Panel 2: Institutional discrimination

Panel 3: Positive reflections

My role as a textile artist was to explore how attitudes, values and assumptions are formed, and to encourage groups to have an understanding of sectarianism, bigotry and its links to racism"

Paula Ramdhan

The Craft & Design Development Officer is delighted to be able to offer this unique opportunity for audiences in North Ayrshire to view such a high quality craft based educational project. Textile banners have a long history of use as a vehicle for expressing identity and belonging, and have been an important visual tool in communicating ideals. This project demonstrates the way in which the communal activity of working through ideas whilst engaged in the 'making' process has a valuable role to play in contemporary culture.

Thanks to John Ferry, Glasgow Museums for his help in bringing and setting up the exhibition, and to Paula Ramdhan, Textile artist for braving the weather and journey from Stirling to attend the exhibition preview."

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