Stitching Across Borders

Stitching Across Borders kicks off at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery on Thursday 29 October, 18:00. It's a series of collective textile-making sessions led by artist Siqing Zhan, and the first one is just the start of a long run that carries through to next summer.

The sessions ask what stories queer people of colour and migration communities carry with them, and what happens when those stories are brought together through textile-making. You'll draw on the Queer Heritage South archive to see how textiles have been used to challenge and celebrate past political projects, then make a contribution that becomes part of one final collective textile. All levels of experience are welcome and materials are provided, and the sessions are open to people with an authentic, ongoing connection to queer people of colour and/or migration communities.

What you make doesn't just stay in the room. The resulting piece will be displayed in exhibitions in March 2027, marking the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK. The project is run by Queer Heritage South, powered by Marlborough Productions and made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

If you can't make the first date, there are plenty more to follow: 26 November 2026, 28 January 2027, 25 February 2027, 25 March 2027, 29 April 2027, 27 May 2027 and 24 June 2027, all starting at 18:00. It's free to take part, and the sessions are held at the museum in the Royal Pavilion Gardens, BN1 1EE.