Craftivism Gallery 2025

Wreath

Bow Brickhill Women’s Institute

By crafting this wreath, we wanted to raise awareness of all types of violence against women and girls and shout out about the need to take action. Violence against women and girls has been a long-standing concern of the WI throughout its 110 years. We want women and girls to live the lives they choose, free from the fear of abuse and harassment. We have included maple leaves to signify the origins of the WI in Canada and oak leaves and acorns to represent the strength and resilience of women when working together in solidarity for a cause.

Butterflies of Change
C2C Social Action / Milton Keynes Women’s Centre
https://www.c2csocialaction.com/

Each butterfly represents a woman’s voice for safety, strength and hope in Milton Keynes.

Community Action
Community Action:MK
www.communityactionmk.org

Community Action:MK supports the Milton Keynes community and voluntary sector. We believe in helping communities to become more resilient, sustainable and strong and work to encourage equality. The hands represent the caring nature of the team and the cat's cradle shows the connected nature of all the work we do with the many groups and networks we look after and help. The crocheted piece is related to the work we do with the NHS through the integrated discharge hub and the house represents making places feel like a home rather than just a building. The piece around the base is a nod to the work we do with diverse communities in the area particularly the refugee community.

Bunting
Community Action:MK
https://communityactionmk.org/

We set up a stall in the centre:mk on 8th March, International Women’s Day and invited the public to decorate our bunting with messages of hope, and a safer world for women and girls. 

Your Voice Matters
Kerry Bentley
Crafty Boaters Group

Asking for help is not a weakness. It is a strength. You have the right to be heard, the right to be safe and the right to heal.

A Knotty Problem
Isolde Watts
Crafty Boaters Group

White Ribbon Ambassador
Jane Whild
Crafty Boaters Group

He is ‘Hi-Viz’

He does heavy lifting

He is safety conscious

Ride and Shine (in Safety!)

Breeze Network Milton Keynes
https://www.letsride.co.uk/groups/milton-keynes-breeze

Women deserve the freedom to move.
According to Cycling UK “Women make half as many trips by bike as men, and are more likely to be put off cycling by a fear of busy traffic. Women shouldn’t feel forced to choose between a busy road and a dark isolated path. There should be a route that feels safe and welcoming. This isn’t just about transport - it’s about equality, opportunity and giving more people the freedom to ride. Because when we make cycling safer for women, we make it safer for everyone.”

Survivor
Emily Darlington
emily.darlingtonmp@parliament.uk

They Spoke: And We Rose
Farina Noorani
www.beyondimagesstudio.co.uk

This is my tribute to the courageous Pakistani Women who broke barriers and raised their voices against injustice, violence, and oppression. This pillar honors those who stood for education, identity, and rights, transforming personal and communal struggles into national inspiration for women. From facing violence and surviving injustice, to earning global recognition, including a Nobel Prize and international acclaim, these trailblazers lit the path for generations of daughters to dream, speak, and RISE! Crafted from recycled paper, cardboard, and papier-mâché (fragile materials strengthened when glued together), the pillar itself symbolizes resilience and the enduring strength of these women. Their voices continue to echo through this work, reminding us that lasting change begins when even one voice dares to be heard.

Boundless Patience, Unseen Power
Jyoti Parimi Art
Instagram: @jyotiparimiart

This piece portrays women of all races and backgrounds uniting to hold a diya (oil lamp), a symbol of light

and resilience. Their hands, bound by chains, barbed wire, cuts, and flames, are outlined in gold, reflecting

how society glorifies women’s pain and normalises their suffering. Yet, even bruised and burdened, women

continue to rise, give, and endure. This painting honours their strength and selflessness while calling for

recognition, rest, and healing, a reminder that we must speak up for those whose voices are dimmed, and

ensure every woman’s light is celebrated, not defined by their pain.

Through All The Pain
GottaLoveEndo
Instagram: @GottaLoveEndopjcreations.co.uk

This piece portrays women of all races and backgrounds uniting to hold a diya (oil lamp) , a symbol of light and resilience. Their hands, bound by chains, barbed wire, cuts, and flames, are outlined in gold, reflecting how society glorifies women’s pain and normalises their suffering. Yet, even bruised and burdened, women continue to rise, give, and endure. This painting honours their strength and selflessness while calling for recognition, rest, and healing, a reminder that we must speak up for those whose voices are dimmed, and ensure every woman’s light is celebrated, not defined by their pain. Acrylic painting on canvas cloths - painted with brushes as well as using techniques similar to applying henna, and more.

When the World Wouldn’t Listen
GottaLoveEndo
Instagram: @GottaLoveEndopjcreations.co.uk

This woman portrays a woman screaming orange waves of sound under the theme of painting the world orange to stop violence against women. The waves of orange in this painting are filled with very intricate details which represent the true depth of the issue and the extent of its complications. But the woman screaming shows us that we all have to keep advocating, no matter what. 

Acrylic painting on canvas cloths - painted with brushes as well as using techniques similar to applying henna, and more. 

Snake of Hope

Hummingbird Family Centre
www.facebook.com/HummingbirdFamilyCentre

Robins of Hope
The Sherington Belles WI

Created from donated materials, this collaborative piece carries the care of many hands, united in purpose to stand against violence towards women and girls. Every element - from the tiniest bead to the largest fabric piece - carries worth and meaning when joined with others as a whole. Our piece will adorn the Sherington column, itself representing unity between adversaries. The Robins symbolise hope and resilience, representing the strength of women supporting women. The ragged, knitted and sewn elements are mixed and unique fruits, flowers and leaves of Autumn, a time of change, transition and reflection. We stand with you.

The Crown

Tending our minds, owning our peace, restoring what some tried to break

Mindfulness Inspired Art CIC, Milton Keynes
www.mindfulnessinspiredart.com

Bringing together carers from ethnic minorities, women survivors, and neurodivergent individuals, our community uses mindful creativity as a path to wellbeing, empowerment, and connection.

Each strand in this joint abstract art represents a personal journey - a story of survival, resilience, and a powerful commitment to self-care. Through free well-being workshops funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, we provide safe, inclusive spaces where crafting becomes both compassion and promise.

Creative workshop at Lush
Community Action:MK
https://communityactionmk.org/

We held a workshop in the Lush store in the centre:mk. We invited the public to decorate fabric squares with messages calling for a safer world for women and girls. These messages were glued onto a sheet to wrap around a pillar at the MK Rose. 

Safety Through Creativity
Muslim Women’s Activities Association 

For White Ribbon Day, a group of young Muslim women came together to take a stand — not just with words, but with thread, fabric, and imagination. Each participant created a hand-embroidered triangular piece of art, a symbol of unity, strength, and the shared commitment to ending violence against women and girls.

Every stitch tells a story. Each young woman was given the freedom to design her own piece, choosing colours, patterns, and symbols that reflected her personal journey and creative vision. In doing so, they expressed their independence, their identity, and their solidarity with women everywhere.

Through this creative process, the participants not only learned embroidery skills but also built confidence, patience, and a sense of community. The project became more than an art display — it was a shared experience of empowerment, reminding us all that change begins when we are free to express, to create, and to stand together.

Each triangle may be small, but when joined, they form a powerful message:

Together, we stitch a future free from violence.

Bloom

Q:alliance Youth Group
www.qalliance.org.uk

Our piece celebrates the ongoing journey of progress within the LGBTQ+ community.

Bloom

Q:alliance
www.qalliance.org.uk

Our piece celebrates the ongoing journey of progress within the LGBTQ+ community. Made from progress flags, it intertwines symbols of pride, resilience, and unity. Each flower crafted from the flag fabric represents growth, blossoming from shared struggles and collective hope. Through these blooms, we honour the beauty of diversity and the continual evolution of inclusion and acceptance.

Ties That Bind

Milton Keynes Repair Cafes
(Wolverton, Newport Pagnell and Stony Stratford)

www.facebook.com/groups/repaircafemiltonkeynes
This piece was made from non-repairable items brought into the Repair Cafes. 

HOWEVER, these are the minority. 

Our talented volunteers (Men and Women) make every effort and excel at sending happy customers home with repaired and working items and all for free!

Our teams are in sympathy with and support the idea of freeing women from all types of violence and subversion, and how, for some, love and ‘duty’ can become a heavy load.

Ring of Hope

Sexual Assault and Abuse Support Service

Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes, SAASSBMK

www.saassbmk.org.uk

Orange and White Ribbon the World

Soroptimist International Milton Keynes
www.sigbi.org/milton-keynes

Created from orange and white ribbon and handmade flowers, it represents the “Orange the World” and “White Ribbon” campaigns to raise awareness to End Violence Against Women and Girls across the world.

“Orange” symbolizes a “brighter future free from violence against women and girls”, representing hope and a commitment to a world where women can live without fear.   

“White” symbolizes purity - now the symbol for men and boys to pledge “to never use, excuse, or remain silent about such violence”.

The Orange World globe highlights this is still a world wide issue to be resolved. 

Single Bed Quilt
Synagogue Sewing Group
We are a group of Interfaith ladies who enjoy sewing and quilting.

We decided to make a single bed quilt that, after the event, would be donated for use as either a fund-raising raffle prize or perhaps for use in a safe house.  The design is based on the “disappearing squares“ technique, using fabric and small blocks left over from other projects, so there is very little wastage. Quite a few of the quilts that are made by members of the group, like this, are given to child-supporting charities.

Listening vs Hearing / Seeing vs Looking

Timothy Baird Layden

www.instagram.com/timothyblayden

Breaking Chains, Weaving Threads of Resilience
Trubys Garden
A white heart-shaped wreath to commemorate women and girls from all walks of life who have suffered violence from men they know, love, and trust. 

Black chains and padlocks entwine symbolising oppression and control, while delicate butterflies suggest resilience, transformation, and hope. The scattered keys evoke that they hold the keys of freedom. 

Threads of red, green, white, and black - the colours of the Palestinian flag - are woven throughout, honouring the strength and endurance of Palestinian women. Their steadfastness and resilience in the face of occupation, apartheid, and genocide.

Together, these intertwined elements speak of pain, endurance, and hope.

Lost Soul (domestic GBH (violence))

Westbury Fabric and Fibre Guild (WFFG)
www.facebook.com/wffcraftersguild

This piece was made to show empathy and love to those who
are/have been the victims of domestic abuse.

How it can destroy a person, making them feel that they have no worth, identity or self respect. 

They feel trapped, invisible, ashamed and responsible…. A LOST SOUL.

From the outside we see a beautiful cosy house but for some it is a cage in which they are imprisoned. 

The floating flowers and hearts are to signify freedom. The fabrics used as an art form are to show how fabric can brighten and enhance our lives.

Healing Tree of Life with Nature

Wolverton Knit and Natter
Wolverton Community Orchard
Wolverton Creative Void
Wolverton crafters
Ruth Crosfill

Representing the power of the love of Nature to heal after abuse, a sculpture representing my (Ruth's, and too many others)personal journey.

A number of Wolverton's crafters contributed elements using their textile skills. I, Ruth, assembled them. Most materials were reclaimed for economic and environmental reasons.  Conversations, group and private, were had about being a survivor. Some had never spoken of it before. I am eternally grateful that MK ACT helped me when I needed it.

Reaching for a Safer World
Fawcett Milton Keynes Group
https://www.fawcettmk.org.uk/

We support the National Fawcett Society's action to End Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG). We are committed to this movement, and our local actions include encouraging parish councils to become White Ribbon accredited and writing to our local MPs to ask them to vote in support of Making Misogyny a Hate Crime.  We co-organise the Annual Orange and White Vigil at the Milton Keynes Rose on 25th November, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and White Ribbon Day. We campaign for a pillar, at MK Rose, dedicated to this dual awareness day.