Program Description

Patchwork Family Textile Workshop

This workshop is part of Mirthe Berentsen’s traveling project Beyond the Nuclear Family, which explores family structures beyond traditional norms. Drawing inspiration from the 1972 journey of Dolle Mina, a Dutch feminist collective who traveled throughout the Netherlands by horse and wagon to initiate conversations about care and family life, Berentsen continues this legacy of community dialogue. During her journey, she carries a wagon cover that transforms at each location—accumulating new textile pieces that tell local stories. Personal histories about families, ancestry, cultural knowledge, and traditions are woven together, creating a collaborative patchwork that reimagines what family can mean.

This is a free event but please complete the registration form to reserve your spot.

What participants should bring: A piece of fabric with family significance.

Workshop Process: During the workshop, participants are invited to bring a piece of fabric that reminds them of family—clothing, handkerchiefs, kitchen textiles, doll clothes, whatever feels meaningful. Together, we will embroider, cut, mend, and stitch pieces into a collaborative artwork. These will eventually be attached to the large wagon cover, where individual stories merge into a larger narrative about heritage, traditions, and new forms of connection.

Added value for your artistic practice! When the wagon cover is exhibited, all contributors can claim this as a ‘group exhibition’ on their CV. This offers a wonderful opportunity for artists whose care responsibilities—whether raising children, supporting partners, or caring for family—sometimes make it challenging to maintain consistent exhibition involvement.