Instagram

Lovely to be at the opening of the @oldparcelsofficeartspace Open yesterday. And great to find other artists using text in their work, including @ellie_clewlow_studio and @k.drakeart I’ve also included a photo of Ethel by @maryannstevensartis
Just delivered ‘Inside Pages’ to @oldparcelsofficeartspace for the Open Exhibition next month. This piece raises awareness of the many conflicts in the world that don’t even make the inside pages of many newspapers. Thanks to @guar
Chuffed to see my quilt, Uprooted, in the new edition of The Quilter from @thequiltersguild it has recently been accepted into The Quilt Collection alongside a quilt by the esteemed @sara.impey More about the quilt on my blog , link in bio. #activ
Thank you to @normanreagallery for hanging my work so beautifully. And thank you for inviting me to join the panel discussion this evening. #displacement #textileart #activistart
Just spent a lovely day with @_artiyya @bradfordschoolofart We learned about the importance exciting work Attiya has been up to since graduating. Then she lead us through the process of making our first collage self portraits. It was great to see
Just delivered these three pieces to the @normanreagallery @uniofyork for their next exhibition 'Displacement' which opens on 27th November and then is open weekdays 9.00 - 17.00. I shall be joining a panel discussion on Monday 1st December 18.30. At
Today is Armistice Day, when we should be thinking about disarmament and no more wars. Instead the headlines over the last week or so have been about the conflict in Sudan, leading to genocide. Who is supplying the arms? There is evidence that some o
Responding to headlines about increased flooding risks, followed by UN warnings about the failure to stem CO2 emissions. Social justice includes climate justice. So as COP30 looms on the calendar this is a call for @keirstarmer to act on is words an
Trying out more ways of stitching words on a banner. JUSTICE is the key word at the centre of my manifesto and so appropriate for this trial. Stitching from the back allows a thicker thread to be used. It also means you have to get used to mirror wr
Articles 19 and 20 of the International Declaration of Human Rights make it clear that the right to peaceful protest is a human right. This government is following the last one in making it more and more difficult for citizens to peacefully protest.
A Call for Action

A Call for Action

Mary Whitehouse
Activism, , Activist textile art

After debating the difference between a quilt and a banner earlier in the year, and having made plenty of quilts, but no banners, this autumn has been an opportunity to remedy this.

On 5th October 2025 the good people of York rallied to counteract the hate talk that was beginning to circulate around the St George Cross flags that were appearing in the city. I have been volunteering with Refugee Action York for some time and a number of volunteers joined the Stand Up to Racism Rally in York..

This was the moment to make my first banner.

Mary holding a banner with words Refugees Welcome.

There were many other banners, both home made and printed. I reflected how the type of the banner carries messages about the protester.
There were many hand written on a piece of cardboard – these express passion and are maybe the result of a last minute decision. Some humour always works well.

The people organising the rally made sure they brught plenty of ready made banners for those who didn’t have their own banner but still wanted to give voice to the messages.

And the handmade banner reflects the commitment of the maker, who probably hopes to use it again in future rallies. These stitched banners are not made the evening before!

Uprooted

Uprooted