Arts Derbyshire

Artist profile

Amanda Haran – Community Textile Artist

Home / Artists & Art Organisations / Amanda Haran – Community Textile Artist

As an artist and citizen, I’m driven by a passionate curiosity for exploring the power of the little things and looking at these slowly and wholeheartedly. I’m a creative therapist, psychotherapist, and empath with a desire to start a kindness revolution (albeit relatively quietly and gently, using small words where possible). One small act of compassion at a time.

For me, creativity is a form of meditation. It lets me channel my emotions and feelings into my art, allowing the materials to respond organically. There are no mistakes in the creative process, just as there are no mistakes in life – everything has its unique purpose and beauty.

I have found that even the tiniest thing, whether a discarded object from the bin or a word, can invoke memory, emotion, and physical response. My work combines weaving, hand and machine embroidery with found and castoff treasures and repurposed items to create art that explores emotions or life events. I love collaborating and connecting and hope my enthusiasm for finding the creativity or beauty in the overlooked is shared.

Contact details

Creative Genre

  • Collaborative community textile artist with carbon sensitivity, wellbeing and kindness at the core of all creative practice.

Work Undertaken

    • Herbert Art Gallery & Museum community garden
    • Collaborative flag making project for Divided Selves exhibition curated by Hammad Nasar MBE
    • Work On Walls exhibition generating community responses included in the curation
    • Coventry Open increased the typical number of submissions from around 500 to over 1000 through grassroots roadshow and easy-to-use guide
    • Grown Up In Britain exhibition celebrating UK teenage life captured and curated photographs through regional roadshows
    • Daniel Lismore's Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken exhibition tours sensory offerings community ball series of group community created life-size art mannequins which toured high streets and community settings
    • Turner Prize 2021 Legacy - Coventry Banner organised with Array Collective over 200 individual and group banners made and installed at the Herbert entrance featured in research pieces and nominated for awards
    • Twenty Years - interactive installation encouraging engagement with contemporary art and socio-political ideas ran community sessions
    • Turner Prize 2021 exhibition tours to poorly served communities demystifying exhibition concepts collaborated with each nominee on community collaborative programming sensory backpacks and accessible easy read guide to the Turner 2021 with artist Anna Farley
    • Coventry Welcomes Festival supported Dr Seyedeh Naseriniaki create and install shop front community display with migrant communities
    • Beneath The Trees Festival with Coventry Arts Collective and #GreenFutures created large recycled denim textile mural live with passers by
    • The Brightest Moon support artist to Ali Ravenhall of Imagineer constructed six metre community woven moon installation to open Daimler Powerhouse community arts venue
    • The Risers selected as one of ten artists to exhibit and be internationally promoted for COVert Arts
    • Sew What? Arts Council England funded participatory slow mindful stitch embroidery project between International Womens Day and Mental Health Awareness Week focus on self-soothing techniques in women from non-traditional stitch backgrounds over 100 participated
    • Choose To Challenge Quilt And Coat second phase of Sew What? project to spread authentic supportive messages through quiet creative mindful and collective means. Over 50 participants stitched wisdom they would tell their 16-year-old selves made into a banner (later developed into coat of kindness at the Festival of Lights with Foleshill Creates and shown at Women's Convention hosted by Coventry Haven.) Banner exhibited at Festival of Quilts Europe's most extensive patchwork and quilting event piece now permanently displayed at Marlene Reid Centre Coalville
    • Walking Forest selected as artist member and anchorwoman for 10-year artwork exploring activism natural forest networks and communities. Culminates in planting of international woodland 2028. Initially staged an intervention in Coventry city centre which went on to culminate at COP26 Glasgow
    • Sanctuary - Built To Burn. Designed To Heal - participated in Processions as support artist and later became an Artichoke Heart to support community arts experiences. Through this worked on Sanctuary temporary structure community built to commemorate UK loss during COVID-19. Artichoke and American artist David Best collaborated locally to build intricately carved wooden structure in Miners Welfare Park Bedworth which was ceremonially burnt
    • Sitting Rooms Of Culture textile artist collaborator for Settee of Culture and new showcase area in Coventry Market
    • Welcome To Coventry contributed stitched piece for Coventry train station welcome sign redesign and opening new concourse (Coventry City of Culture 2021)
    • Common Threads Project stitched and videoed creative process of a piece for New York (US) based Thanksgiving promotions later curated story cloth selection as part of international conference Preventing Sexual Violence In Conflict in the City of Westminster. I am a supporter of this charity to help create pathways to healing
    • Archaeological dig University of Leicester offered garden as dig site as part of village-wide archaeological dig with Bosworth Links. Test pit 48

Work in Education

    • Positive Youth Foundation - banner making drop-in workshop
    • Hospital Education Service - supporting the making of banners creation of a mannequin in the style of Daniel Lismore and gallery tours
    • National Saturdays Club (Coventry) - Free opportunity for 13-16 year olds to learn new skills and prepare for higher education ran banner making workshops and gave gallery tours
    • Coventry University Arts Department - ran banner making workshops
    • King Edward VI College - artist in residence 6th form specialist college in Nuneaton
    • Hereward College - specialist in post 16 education for those needing complex educational support. Led site delivered workshops and regional gallery tours
    • Grangers Club - led arts workshops young people with learning disabilities (14 years to 24 years)
    • Gosford Park Primary School (Coventry) - led Turner Prize banner making workshops
    • Escape Arts - after school youth club for teenagers led involvement in several Herbert Art Gallery & Museum exhibitions co-curation collaboration

Portfolio

Portfolio

Become a registered member

Submit your artist to our directory by becoming a member of Arts Derbyshire.

Register

Sign up to our newsletter

Find out what’s on with the Arts Derbyshire newsletter.

Artists, creatives, cultural providers, arts and health specialists – Sign up for one of our professional mailing lists.