October marked the end of our Quantock Nature Calling sessions with a sharing and celebration event at National Trust Coleridge Cottage.

Luan started the day with a lino printing workshop using the bird designs we created in session 5. Choosing our favourite designs, we practiced printing on small postcard-sized maps of the Quantocks. We then came together to print our birds on a large-scale map of Africa and its neighbouring countries. One-by-one we produced a flock of birds venturing on different journeys across the world – representing those taken by our participants, as well as the birds we have been exploring throughout our sessions.

The afternoon called for tea and cake, a walk in the Quantock Hills, and an opportunity to share our creations with visitors, funders and local organisations. Collaborative textile hangings adorned the walls, made from the group’s earlier cyanotype, punch needle and needle-felting work, photographs documenting the creative processes were projected on the wall. Bringing together the work we have produced over the project, the room became a vibrant display of connection and creativity.

Thank you to everyone who came along to celebrate Quantock Nature Calling, and for the team at National Trust Coleridge Cottage for providing us with a space to create. We hope to share some of the artwork around the county, so watch this space!

Photographs by Jon Barrett and Kaylee Winchcombe

The Quantock Hills National Landscape and Somerset Art Works have developed this project to offer a series of creative workshops, led by artist Luan MacDonald, for AfriQuan groups and communities – African families living around the Quantock Hills in Somerset.