The Europe Challenge

The Local Challenge

This rural town has a library and cultural centre that offers lifelong education for the cultural and social growth of the community. Everyone is welcome to join activities including book clubs for teenagers and adults, research groups on local history, the Knit Café, a pop-up community library located in the countryside and another in a supermarket. Now they are encouraging community participation in the history of thread–work in the area.   

 The Initiative  

They are promoting the practice of embroidery and knitting, involving children, teenagers, students and men. They are launching an urban knitting event “A thread of”, with the library as a Fab Lab including embroidery and crochet workshops, an extended Knit Café in collaboration with artists and institutions active in the field of textile arts. The library plans to become the Fab Lab where people can make their own personal project to express themselves.  

After The Europe Challenge

Their activities include a monthly KnitCafe, led by knitters and embroideries; collaboration to the collective art installation with library-goers; swap parties; the work of the newly formed artistic group CreArt has made the library a centre of creativity with its own exhibition. The librarians experienced such positivity with so many different people with different abilities and interests getting involved in activities for the first time. All the while, in an unusual place for them, giving their time, creating something together, and generally overcoming differences and respecting others’ proposals. They feel they benefit by being connected to the Europe Challenge network of libraries.  

Contact theeuropechallenge@culturalfoundation.eu if you have any questions or want to be connected with the team behind the project.