Threading Together was a cross-generational arts project, using embroidery and photography focusing on diverse food cultures.

The Kent Community Foundation grants team were very impressed with this Dover Arts Development initiative. They presented the project to the Lawson Endowment for Kent fund, who were delighted to award a grant to this cross-generational project using embroidery and photography to better connect Dover’s diverse range of local businesses, specifically its restaurants and cafes, to the wider population.

18 Participants from across the community stitched 29 “plates” of food-related motifs  inspired by individual cultures and personal memories.

Gwen Hedley, an experienced textile artist and educator, guided and inspired the embroidery part of the project. The final piece consisted of the plates stitched by hand to a Chinese embroidered tablecloth.

The photography element was delivered by our project partner Andrew Dennis (AJD Solutions) with Benjamin Bowles and involved 10-12 young people from Dover Technical College. The students took photographs relating to the world’s food culture accessible within Dover thanks to the variety of independent coffee shops and eating places. At a time when society appeared very divided the project aimed to bring people together and foster greater inter-community and intergenerational understanding as well as create a sense of pride in Dover’s town and community.