A Spirit of Mayflower both sides of the Atlantic
Whilst Rachel is over in Provincetown in the USA a team of seamstresses at Gainsborough Old Hall has been busy working on the Tudor style dress that will be digitally scanned to form the basis of the sculpture which will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the historic Mayflower voyage of 1620.
Over in the USA Rachel has been busy teaching visitors to the Provincetown Museum and Pilgrim Monument (PMPM) how to weave using the Macramé method. The museum is close to the spot where the first pilgrims set foot in America and the visit is providing Rachel with plenty of inspiration for the project.
Rachel will complete her residency at the PMPM and return to the UK to carry on developing the project further, the next stage will be to visit women’s groups within the areas where the Mayflower Pilgrims originated from, known as the ‘Pilgrim Roots’ areas, these include Nottingham, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire, to create a series woven panels to include on the final dress and combine them with those she created during her eight-day journey on board a cargo ship, which set sail from Liverpool Docks at the end of July, and whilst in Provincetown.
The Language of Sculpture – Spirit of Mayflower’ is supported by Arts Council England and endorsed by Mayflower 400 as a Spirit of Mayflower project.
Useful links
https://www.mayflower400uk.org