Around 500 members of Barnet African Caribbean Association and the Walthamstow-based Afro-Caribbean Elders Association took part in the project.
Through a series of community workshops, they helped create two collaborative artworks celebrating heritage, home and belonging.
One of the pieces drew on Michael McMillan’s The Front Room installation at the Museum of the Home. The installation recreates what a British Caribbean family’s living room might have looked like in 1979. Using the carpet from The Front Room as a base, participants created a large-scale embroidery exploring the theme of home.
The group also created a Windrush-inspired square for Barnet Community Quilt which is now on permanent display at The Stonegrove Community Centre.
Participants explored traditional creative skills including crochet, embroidery, beading, making miniature Caribbean baskets and smocking with African fabric scraps.
During each workshop, the crafters shared stories and memories of family, migration and crafting at home in the 60s and 70s. The conversations were recorded and transcribed so they could be shared alongside the artworks.
Project lead, Elizabeth Joseph, said: “When we do these group workshops, people start talking and sharing about how they used to do these things or they saw their parents or their aunties doing these crafts.
“Talking to this generation, you learn so much about their past, their histories, their characters and their resilience.”
