PROCESSIONS Banners made in South West England

Artist: Elizabeth Loveday

Contributors: Cathie, Faye, Rae, Tracy, Cat, Jen, Sheelagh, Tamsin. With Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange

Location: Newlyn

Materials: fabric, embroidery silks and photographic transfers

Through an open call, a group of eight women came to together with textile artist and illustrator Elizabeth Loveday to create this banner. Each participant chose an iconic British female figure they wanted to represent, their choices reflecting the diverse ages and interests of the group.

The goddess Hera, protector of women, is portrayed on either side of the figures.

Artist: Elizabeth Masterton, with assistant artists, Caroline Wilkins and Emily Kemp

Contributors: staff, students and affiliates from Plymouth College of Art and Plymouth School of Creative Arts (PSCA). Lead at the PSCA: Ali Goodworth. Tattoo artist: Jedna Hall

Location: Plymouth

Materials: mixed textiles

The collective design of this banner emerged from a series of group discussions and creative workshops, which shared personal histories and political opinions. The motto, ‘the women before us and those to come’, was inspired by a painting by Sonia Boyce. It depicts a woman supporting the next generation on her shoulders. 

The two interlocked arms with tattoos represent indelibility and commitment. Ivy is a Victorian symbol of friendship and longevity. The slogan, ‘hold fast’, a traditional sailor’s tattoo, completes the design, suggesting fidelity, tenacity and strength against all odds, whilst obliquely referencing Plymouth’s masculine seafaring heritage from a 21st century female stance. 

Artist: Dorcas Casey

Contributors: students from Strode College. With Somerset Artworks

Location: Langport

Materials: mixed textiles

This banner was influenced by original suffrage banners, Thalia Campbell’s 1980s Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp banners, and Somerset’s culture and identity. Elements from an original Weston-Super-Mare Suffragist's banner were used as a starting point for the composition.

The slogan, 'Make More Noise', forms the centre point of the banner. It comes from a speech by Emmeline Pankhurst and sums up the sentiment of the suffrage processions - a call to women to be more visible, to make a spectacle, to make their voices heard. 

Glastonbury Festival wristbands have also been incorporated into the design. The festival is intertwined with local identity, protest and alternative ways of living. Follow the story of making the banner: somersetprocessions.wordpress.com

Artist: Denise Poote

Contributors: Lighthouse Poole: Carol, Manda, Laura, Liz, Jackie, Jane, Juliet, Michele, Dot, Wendy, Val, Linda, Susan, Rosemarie, Denise and Perdie

Location: Poole

Materials: mixed textiles

The group decided to make a triptych banner, which would explore the three messages that they felt were most important to communicate.

The pieces focus on commemorating the centenary, highlighting the group’s locality and expressing the need for equality.

Artists: Veronica Gould and Andrea Foxwell

Contributors: Devon Guild of Craftsmen
Location: Newton Abbot

Materials: cotton, embroidery silk

The banner has a navy-blue background with large scarlet symbols for male and female, joined by an = sign. The Suffragette colours form a narrow border around the banner. 

The original poles are made from hazel, grown in a nearby woodland. Flowing through the banner is a river of names. These are the names of the grandmothers, mothers, daughters and other women who have significance for the group members. 

The banner has the simple graphic message: equality. Nothing more, nothing less. The river of names is the matriarchal line of the group members, from those who had no vote down to their daughters.

Artist: Rosemary Edwards

Contributors: BridFem – Bridport’s feminist group

Location: Bridport

Materials: mixed textiles, beads

This banner celebrates women past, present and future through the power of women networking and working together. 

Based on previous struggles of women in the net-making industry in Bridport, the Wildcats of 1912 were the first women to strike and win. Arbitrated by Ada Newton, they kept their pay and became the first women to be unionised in the area. 

The central figure is inspired by the painting, ‘The Spirit of Bridport’. She is surrounded by flax flowers and made by the community to represent their interconnectedness and strength in numbers to get things done, in the spirit of ‘deeds not words’.