As we toured the Our Linen Stories exhibition, it became clear that there are lots of elements that make up the ecology of design. This section of the exhibition celebrates some of the ways in which we can support designers to generate interest and income for their local communities.
For example this can be done by introducing young children to a new technique for the first time, or supporting established designers who are forging a career for themselves. There are many ways that we can nurture design in the linen industry, and enhance local communities in the process.
Chapter 4 of Nurturing Design Talent is called ‘Thinking Museums’. This part of our exhibition looks at how museums can be more than simply repositories for wonderful objects. Museums can reach out into communities.
A great example of this is Irish Linen Centre in the Lisburn Museum, Northern Ireland creating their Flaxie puppet. The puppet is a symbol of their Flaxie Buds Early Years Programme of educational outreach. This enables very young children to learn from museum exhibitions and collections. The aim of this outreach is to build long-lasting relationships with visitors and to create connections with new audiences.
Flaxie Puppet
Cloth puppet, designed with reference to the flax flower, Educational Outreach tool, offered for exhibition by Irish Linen Centre
Textiel Fifty Years
Book by Annemiek van der Veen and Gert Staal. ‘Textiel Museum Tilburg 1958 – 2008’ Pub. Audax Textielmuseum
