PROCESSIONS Banners made in the Midlands, England

Artists: Molly Rozier, Sarah Cotterill, Libbertine Vale, Heidi Murphy

Contributors: Worcester Women's Equality Party, WooFems, Worcester Arts Workshop students and volunteers

Location: Worcester

Materials: mixed textiles

Exploring the herstory of the women’s suffrage movement, the vote and participants’ identities as women, the group decided on the themes of inclusivity, strength and support for this banner. These ideas were translated into the ‘Woman Tree and Sisterhood’, each leaf holding images of women that inspire the group, their daughters, mothers and each other.

The group were particularly taken with the concept of the ‘hidden’: things that aren’t necessarily noticeable to everyone, but understood by those who made it. For example, the secret messages stitched by the Suffragettes into their work. It also represents the ‘hidden’ women that worked in Worcester’s glove and porcelain factories many years ago. 

The names and initials of the group’s participants are graffitied into the trunk and branches of the tree. If you look closely, you might find some discarded gloves, a tea cup and faces that you might recognise.
 

Artist: Tracey Watson

Contributors: Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery Group 

Location: Nuneaton

Materials: mixed textiles

The group identified with the character of Emily Wilding Davison, a member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and a militant fighter for her cause.

Although much of her life has been interpreted through the manner of her death, the group felt that she contributed so much more for her cause, including going on hunger strike seven times and hiding herself within the Palace of Westminster. 

The butterflies on the banner were each individually created by individuals from the group, the butterfly a symbol of endurance, change, hope and life.

Artist: Anne Forgan

Contributors: Foleshill Women's Training and The Weavers' Workshop

Location: Coventry

Materials: mixed textiles

This banner celebrates the continuing solidarity of women in overcoming past, present and future struggles. The individual flowers represent the group – the tails of each one showing the name of a woman (heroine, sister, mother, friend) who has been a source of inspiration or support. 

While making the banner, the group shared the stories of why they were grateful to these amazing women and the difference they had made to their lives. Artist Anne Forgan designed and made the banner with the group, alongside the support of artist Karen Johnson.
 

Artists: Jo Ayre and Rita Floyd, Jean Gleave, Cathie Powell-Davies and Charis Jones

Contributors: Burslem Jubilee and volunteers. With British Ceramics Biennal

Location: Stoke-on-Trent

Materials: bone china, mixed textiles

Each button on this banner was made by hand from bone china clay in Stoke-on-Trent, the centre for ceramics manufacture in the UK. Two highly skilled bone china flower makers, who learned their trade working within the pottery industry, shared the process of making the intricate violet flowers and leaves. 

The makers could update them according to their own design. The buttons were made during workshops across Stoke-on-Trent, with women of all ages joining in to add their own individual pieces. In addition to making their own buttons, the Burslem Jubilee group sewed the banner and carried it with pride at PROCESSIONS in London.

Artists: Julia O’Connell and Julie Joannides

Contributors: Moathouse Neighbourhood and Leisure Centre; Women of Willenhall; Imagineer Productions' Monday Night Makers Group

Location: Coventry

Materials: cotton

This banner was created with three groups of women in Willenhall, Wood End and Radford. The women voted for which words should be put on the banner. They worked for hours, both in the workshop sessions and at home, to cross-stitch details onto the borders, stitching for the women that they cared about in their lives. 

The hummingbirds highlight the beautiful story and message of the hummingbird – one of perseverance and doing one’s bit to make the world a better place.  

Artist: Anne-Marie Lagram

Contributors: Shropshire Subversive Stitchers. With Disability Arts Shropshire

Location: Shrewsbury

Materials: felt, wool, embroidery silks, beads, buttons

Led by artist Anne-Marie Lagram, the DASH workshops examined the history of suffrage and the original banners made by Suffragettes in 1918. They researched inspiring women of Shropshire, and the names of these women can be seen embroidered onto the Shropshire Hills. The sun above the hills declares ‘We Are Here!’ (as no-one seems to know where Shropshire is). 

Bordering the centre are designs inspired by historic pin badges and issues that women still face and campaign about today, prefaced by hashtags. The hands framing the banner show the solidarity the banner has created for women in Shropshire.

The two banners’ central statements, ‘We Will Not be Still’ and, ‘We Have the Courage’, are drawn from longer letters written by the group to the Suffragettes. Two of these letters can be seen embroidered directly onto the purple blankets.

All the pansies are made by women from across Peterborough, some of whom could not attend the group’s weekly sessions, but wanted to contribute by making something at home. Everyone involved stitched their signature onto the reverse of the large banners and created personalised pennants, which were carried as part of PROCESSIONS in London on Sunday 10th June.

Artists: The Eloquent Fold (Carole Miles and Phiona Richards)

Contributors: Made in Corby

Location: Corby

Materials: polyester, cotton, silk, velvet, gold lame, buttons, brocade, mixed fibres 

This banner celebrates the individual and collective strength, grace and intelligence of women, especially the women of Corby. The violets were chosen as a symbol of growth, hope and inspiration. Together, the group became a ‘creative voice’ for women of all ages and backgrounds by sharing their past and present, as well as their hopes and aspirations for the future.

‘Deeds Not Words’ is also the town motto of Corby, so it was important to the group that it was included, especially given its connection to the Suffragette movement.