PEOPLE from Batley are working with local artists to create a new textile artwork.
It will be inspired by local memories and stories and will be installed in the foyer of Bagshaw Museum when it re-opens next year.
Kirklees Museums and Galleries staff have been visiting groups and individuals in the Batley area to gather stories related to the history and cultural make-up of the town.
They’ve been working under the title of Tracing The Threads.
The design of the textile piece that they have been working on draws on the many and varied stories that they have been hearing.
A group of Batley residents have been meeting regularly at Batley Art Gallery with artists Jan Yates and Bronwyn Morris to work on the piece.
Local people have selected their favourite stories – some funny, some sad and some amazing – to include in the textile work. It will feature a range of different images, from rhubarb to mills and from chickens to shoes.
Expect to see vibrant and colourful, photographic images and fabrics collected from local people and expressed in a range of techniques, including drawing, silk painting, printing and sewing.
As the piece comes together, those involved are sharing their knowledge of Batley and helping museum staff to look for extra information and objects.
The piece is expected to go on permanent display when Bagshaw Museum re-opens in late spring or early summer next year.
