Cultures of Care is my current Arts Council England-funded project running until summer 2025.
The project has involved looking at stories of care focussing on people, places and objects. I’ve been exploring how artist activities and creative practice contributes to a culture of care. There are multiple strands of the project, most of which have concluded now. Find out more about them below.
The final showcase event of the project is Cultures of Care Gathering, 19-20 July 2025. This takes place in Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire.
Film
A short 4 minute film about my care-based work, about reflection and rest being part of the work. This is a gentle introduction to my thinking and working now. Made by Richard Foot in spring 2024. Watch the film here
Cultures of Care projects
An exhibition by Maker Membership exploring the theme of making with care.
Hearth & Home, a new body of work exploring displacement and belonging in the landscape.
Making Meaning Journal, a publication exploring the meanings behind my creative practice. Issue 2 focusses on nature connection and land-based projects. It is free to download.
During the first year of Cultures of Care I was visiting artist with a local Wellness in Nature group. Read more about this project and my learning and reflections here.
This is a free online monthly group to share thoughts about care in creative practice.
Making Meaning Podcast on Cultures of Care
Some of the episodes in 2024 have been focussed around care in my creative practice. You can find those podcasts listed here.
A community project exploring personal and emotional stories of Charnwood Forest. Details here
Land Shapes exhibition took place in August 2024. This small showcase brought together my recent work around gardens and working with nature, as well as two collaborations with Mandeep Dhadialla and Karen Logan.
Material Evidence Online Exhibition
Material Evidence exhibition was held in 2023.
This project has been created by people from sanctuary-seeking backgrounds who are supported by the British Red Cross in Leicester in collaboration with artists Mandeep Dhadialla & Ruth Singer.
In 2023 I gave an online talk about the project and edited this into a podcast which is available for free in all podcast apps and on this website.
Artist Collaborations
I am working with Karen Logan and Mandeep Dhadialla to create new works inspired by the themes of care. The outcomes will be shared in summer 2024
Maker Membership Supported Spaces
During the project I am offering free places in my Maker Membership for creatives who have traditionally been excluded from artist development and the creative sector. All spaces have been taken now.
Keep up to date with the project and opportunities to get involved by joining my Studio Stories email list.
I noticed last year that a lot of my previous work has been centred around care, including curatorial care in museum work, about community care in the projects I work on. My artist support work is something I do because I care about creative people and their practice. The narratives I explore in my textile practice as often around care, from Criminal Quilts giving voice to the women who were criminalised because of their poverty to my Emotional Repair exhibition which covered grief, mourning, loss and repair, right back to my Narrative Threads exhibition in 2015.
Ruth Singer 