Virtual Exhibition - Spirit of Mayflower: Language of Sculpture

All Libraries, Nottingham

Date -
Time All day
Venue All Libraries

An exhibition exploring ancestry, macramé knotting and The Mayflower.

Artist Rachel Carter has worked with adult and school groups in Nottinghamshire Libraries to create a touring exhibition linked to her family history, the Mayflower story and her own work.

Spirit of Mayflower Macrame Tree

The 'Family Tree’ created for the exhibition using knotted macramé patterns stitched onto fabric is shown alongside family stories from the Mayflower travellers, and Rachel’s Nottinghamshire ancestry.

2020 marked 400 years since Pilgrims from Nottinghamshire set sail on the Mayflower for America. As a Mayflower 400 artist, Rachel Carter has been tracing her Nottinghamshire ancestry while working on a new art commissions inspired by the Mayflower story. She has explored this idea in recent adventures, crossing the Atlantic by boat and in artist residencies at Harvard’s Peabody Museum & the Pilgrim Monument and Museum in Provincetown USA. 

Photo Credit: Neil Pledger

Learn how the pupils from Redlands Primary School made the macrame tree bark!

Click here to watch Rachel's online square knot tutorial

Click here to watch Rachel's online half square knot tutorial

Learn how the Scrooby Knitting Group made the macrame leaves!

You can also have a go at making a macrame hanging.

Thank you for watching the macramé online workshops, we would love to know your thoughts! Please take a few moments to complete this short feedback form to help us better develop our library and culture offer. 

You can also share your creations with us on our Facebook page and use #mayflower400macrame 

Read some of the Family History Stories

Watch the interview with Ey Up Notts where we talk about the exhibition on display at Creswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre

If you'd like to find out more about macrame and weaving, you can look at our Recommended Reading List here.

Return to Mayflower 400

Spirit of Mayflower
Pilgrim Roots

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This is a Virtual Exhibition

Anyone can take a look!