We're excited to share a new initiative that will kick off once we're in our new space on High Street: In 2024 and 2025 we will be researching and exploring products made from textile waste!
Building on the legacy of ArteSana, a community organization and fellow social enterprise in downtown Holyoke focused on transforming textile waste into handmade products, which came under one roof with us as a nonprofit partner in Spring 2020. Our gallery space, youth programs and community arts initiatives at Paper City Clothing Co have carried the name ArteSana since then in recognition of the shared mission to empower people and communities through art and culture. To learn more about the history of ArteSana check out their website and the below timeline that chronicles their journey from 2013 to 2020.
In our first phase we will be offering free community workshops around creative reuse of textile waste to support weatherization. Our first workshop offering is to take place during Holyoke Pride on Saturday June 22, 2024! More info here. We will be helping folks create their own door draft stopper (it's easy!).
INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR DRAFT GUARD: Stuff lining with textile waste found around the house. Choose items that are stained or ripped or cannot be donated to a thrift shop for whatever reason. If necessary, use the end of a broom to gently push the textile material till the bottom of the lining. Once full, tie the end ribbons. Slip under any drafty door and enjoy!
We will have a full lineup of workshops announced in July!
We will have more specifics to share soon, but for now we wanted to announce this first phase of the project and hopefully start expanding our network to partner with more individuals and organizations around recycling textiles. Please feel free to sign up to our mailing list, and we welcome your direct email to us at info@papercityclothingcompany.com
We are deeply grateful to Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for their support of this work and the Umass Arts Extension Service for their partnership.
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