We are thrilled to share with you the inspiring journey of the ‘Weaving Willow’ project, a testament to the power of community collaboration and socially responsible corporate partnerships at The Hunt Museum’s RECHARGE Living Lab. This groundbreaking initiative not only celebrates cultural heritage but also pioneers innovative solutions aligned with the museum’s Climate and Sustainability theme for 2023.
Uniting Communities and Corporates
The Hunt Living Lab’s mission is to unite vibrant communities and socially responsible companies, leveraging their corporate social responsibility budgets and programs to develop innovative products and services for the museum. Through the Living Labs methodology, corporations, Irish museums, and local communities joined forces to co-create a project aligned with the museum’s vision for the RECHARGE Living Lab.
The Birth of 'Weaving Willow'
From these participatory efforts emerged the ‘Weaving Willow’ project, born out of co-ideation sessions involving local corporations, Irish museums, and community members. Working closely with corporate partner Cook Medical, we embarked on a journey of co-creation to bring the project to life.
The Fruits of Collaboration
The ‘Weaving Willow’ project yielded remarkable results, including:
- Four living willow sculptures in the Hunt Museum garden, each inspired by an object from the museum’s collection,
- One community-made Muc Dubh sculpture inspired by an object from the Hunt Museum Collection,
- One Stent sculpture and living Willow Fence at Cook Medical,
- Three employee wellbeing willow weaving workshops at Cook Medical,
- One temporary willow garden sculpture created by a group of young people from St. Gabriel’s School,
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- Willow bird feeder and willow lantern making workshops for the community to experience and learn a new heritage skill.
A child in a floral dress and blue cardigan plays in a grassy area, interacting with a large, circular woven structure. A handwoven animal sculpture made of twigs is displayed on a table in a studio with shading from skylights and artwork on the wall. A circular patch of lush green willow plants, surrounded by grass and mulch, set against a backdrop of leafy trees. A person's hand with red nail polish holds scissors, trimming colourful woven branches into a decorative basket shape on stone pavement. Two people stand near a large, colourful circular structure made of intertwined ropes, set against a backdrop of grass and trees. An elderly man and a child collaborate on a craft project using sticks and materials on a small chair in a well-lit room. Two boys hold crafted items made of twigs, smiling in a bright, colourful room filled with other children engaged in activities. A group of people engages in a crafting workshop, creating structures from natural materials at a long table filled with supplies.
A Successful Iteration
The ‘Weaving Willow’ project marks the successful completion of one iteration in testing the RECHARGE CSR cultural heritage community model at The Hunt Museum. It demonstrates the potential for meaningful and enduring impacts when corporations, museums, and local communities come together in pursuit of a common goal.
Delve Deeper into the Journey
For a deeper dive into The Hunt Museum’s process, Living Lab methodology, and more insights and photographs of all the above, we invite you to explore our diary entries on the RECHARGE Platform documenting this transformative journey.
Visit the main RECHARGE participatory platform here.
