To the Sun, Moon and Stars...

A Recoverist Month event

Recoverist = recovery + activist

Textile artist Lois Blackburn believes a little bit of crafting goes a long way towards opening-up conscious and creative conversations on things we find hard to talk about.

In this series of free craft based workshops exploring recovery from substance use, Lois will introduce the concept of talisman's and symbols of luck as a form of protection and as an object rich with associations of power, influence, and importance.

Using metals, fabric, stitch, wire and clay, participants will create their own artworks which will be included in an exhibition at the Gallery Oldham next year.

Each workshop focus' on a new theme so participants can attend as many or as few as they like.

Creating as a form of collective activism will generate collective conversations on all thing’s recovery and much, much more - exploring recovery as the name of the game and a realistic lifestyle option for Oldham’s people and communities in recovery.

No experience is necessary to join To the Sun, Moon and Stars workshop. Participation is open to all people in recovery across Oldham, and including their friends, family and significant others.

Lois Blackburn exhibits her work internationally and her work is housed in public collections including Bankfield Museum, Halifax and Leighton House Museum, Kensington. In 2018, two quilts were archived with The Quilters’ Guild.

Her work focuses on the creation of issue-based artworks, often using batik, quilts and hand fans. She has 25 years’ experience within the arts and health field. From 2006-2021 she set up and ran the Community Interest Company arthur+martha with poet Philip Davenport.