Get set to stitch, sketch and embolden your embroideries! We are asking you to help artist Joshua Raffell shape the exhibition 'Sensibilities on the Bonnet'.
This Summer at The Arc, Winchester, the lives of regency women, lifted from the lines of Jane Austen's novels and made tangible with real-life audible tales of tragedy and triumph, will arrive at the gallery. The exhibition 'Beyond the Bonnets' will be a lively literary and true-to-life display. Records, letters, objects, novels and an immersive sound piece will paint a suitably revealing picture of historical feminine labour to accompany celebrations of Hampshire's most famous working woman's 250th anniversary, Jane Austen.
Commissioned to accompany ‘Beyond the Bonnets’, we are crafting an installation set to champion stories from the driving force of Winchester: working women.
In the exhibition, ‘Sensibilities on the Bonnet’, the mechanical is more than just a metaphor.
Atop the City Space gallery, a giant crochet engine held fast by two improbably proportioned legs will find its energy source in local stories, while three bright bonnets receive maintenance from three unforgettable female figures. Whether fixing, growing or painting, they can’t help but grab attention. Will your eyes be drawn more by the brightness of their heads or the skill of their work?
Leading the project, artist Joshua Raffell is crocheting, chatting and collaborating his way through the spokes and sparks of struggles and successes taking place beneath the bonnet of our city, but he needs your help!
This post gives you a guide to creating an image of an inspiring woman with connections to Winchester to exhibit. Help us unveil what really fuels our society.
The exhibition's open 17 July - 7 September 2025 in City Space, The Arc, Winchester.
How can I join in?
All ages and abilities can take part in this self-led activity. The instructions in this pack should answer all your questions on how to make and submit your artwork.
Instructions:
Create an image of an inspiring woman with connections to Winchester. This could be your mum, a family member, a work colleague, a friend and a well-known or famous person from either the past or present.
Your pictures can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like to make them – even choosing one colour to represent the inspirational woman you are drawing would be enough. Have fun and enjoy creating your artworks!
The work is intended to be added to the finished sculptures in Joshua Raffell’s installation, as such they cannot be returned.
Preferably the work will be A5 in size, but rule breakers will be included wherever possible. The work will not be displayed on flat surfaces so may become distorted.
The artwork can be created in any 2D medium, e.g. paint, pencil, felt tip, crayon, print, photography, collage, needlework, textiles, crochet… to name a few. Go on, surprise us! Your work can be signed or unsigned. We’ve created three categories to inspire your artwork – choose one or make one for each!
• Portrait – a portrait style picture, looking at who this woman is, their life story and what makes them an amazing person!
• Graffiti or calligraphy – the woman’s first name written in whatever style matches their story.
• A combination or abstraction of the woman’s portrait and first name – draw the feeling or spirit of this woman and how you relate to them.
• Be creative; invent your own category!
How to submit your work? The deadline is Saturday 14 June 2025 and you'll need to hand it in to the Information Desk at The Arc, Jewry Street, Winchester, SO23 8SB. It's open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm/Sun 11am-5pm.
Examples of previous exhibitions created by Joshua Raffell:
Find out more about Raffell here: JOSHUA RAFFELL ART - Joshua Raffell Art
Download the instructions here:
