Here is some background on the recent portrait series;
CRAFT
Husby as a village and estate name stems way back in time. You will find stones carved with runes, still standing. Nowadays it is a township, one of many of the Stockholm City municipality. Husby is also known as an “outer suburb”, an area of “alienation” also designated by Swedish Police as one of “special vulnerability”. To mention a few names and who knows what they will come up with next?
Nevertheless, the sight meeting a visitor of Husby gård, home of the Husby arts and craft community since 2002, is more one of the peaceful countryside. A group of red painted, wooden houses at the edge between the city and the farmed landscape. The Husby arts centre offer members and neighbours a meeting and working space for arts and crafts, including any kind of visual arts, pottery, sculpture, textiles or media. It hosts a cosy cafeteria, a gallery, workshops, ateliers and an art exhibition hall.
For us living in and around Husby, the centre is an oasis for mind and soul. A meeting place across ages, genders, professions, languages and experiences. A positive cultural force, if you like, in a neighbourhood that struggles with a few social challenges. A place for children to realise their creativity, side by side with older people of every age.
As one would expect, perhaps, the arts centre and its community is managed, run and used to a large extent by women, and has so been for more than two decades. This series of portraits, presents seven of these women artists and artisans.
