To celebrate the final day of Emily Ryalls’ Divine Archives and to coincide with the weekend of International Women’s Day, The Art House (TAH) will host an exciting programme of free drop-in and bookable workshops on Saturday 7 March, welcoming shared creative processes to spark conversation and connection, and to celebrate female friendship.
The workshops will invite participants to explore, connect and create alongside the objects from the exhibition, including performance, sculpture and photography. The immersive environment will become a space for curiosity, reflection and exchange, encouraging participants to respond to the work, share stories, and connect with one another in meaningful ways.
The workshops are for those who identify as women, and are designed to create a supportive space where participants can feel comfortable, empowered and free to celebrate their lived experiences.
Spaces are limited for bookable events, so you will need to secure your place, other sessions are drop in and you are welcome to turn up without booking in advance. If you have booked a session which you can no longer attend, please let us know so we can free your space to another participant.
Knit Social with Sophie Houghton | 10:00-12:00
This session will exist as a space for women to gather, create, and think together. Recognising knitting as a practice historically carried by women, often undervalued and dismissed, yet capable of holding deep intention, political meaning, and collective strength.
Bring along your current knit project or use this as an opportunity to start a new one as we gather in the gallery with a drink surrounded by the work of Divine Archives, making room for reflection, conversation, and connection. The space will be a place for mutual respect, understanding and shared purpose to celebrate knitting as a multi-generational grounding feminist practice.
Zine Making with Hannah Platt | 11:00-14:00
Drop in for a relaxed, creative drop in zine workshop, celebrating women’s voices and lived experiences. We’ll draw on the rich history of zine making as a DIY community led art form, rooted in sharing stories and creating space for expression outside of traditional publishing.
Using simple hands-on techniques, such as cut and paste collaging, writing and drawing you’ll shape a pocket-sized zine. All materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own personal materials to help share your stories. This can be anything from photos, maps, pieces of text, magazines etc.
No experience needed, and you’re welcome to stay for as little or as long as you like. No booking is required.
Self Portraiture with Emily Ryalls | 13:30-15:30
Join artist Emily Ryalls for an intimate self-portraiture workshop that invites women to explore the powerful act of reclaiming their image. Through conversation and hands-on making, this session creates space to reflect on identity, visibility and self-representation.
Working in a relaxed and supportive environment, participants will be encouraged to experiment, share experiences and connect with others, discovering photography as a creative and quietly radical tool for storytelling.
Participants are encouraged to bring a mobile phone for documentation, and are provided with a medium format film camera to work with during the session.
Radical Quilting with Lucy Juniper | 14:30-17:00
Honouring the labour and creativity of women before us, participants will discover how quilting has long been a powerful act of quiet rebellion. We’ll explore the feminist and radical roots of traditional quilt block patterns including the coded symbols of solidarity and how women in history were honoured through design.
Through discussion around the significance of reclaiming traditional crafts, you’ll learn how quilts became both art and activism, shaping cultures and amplifying voices often left out of the historical record.
During the workshop, participants will be invited to design and make their own quilt patch, learning sewing techniques and capturing their own story in textiles. No prior sewing or quilting experience is necessary and no booking is required.
Open Mic Night Led by Emily Ryalls | 17:00-19:00
An open, welcoming space to share stories, poems, songs, thoughts, and works-in-progress, our Open Mic invites women to join in or just listen. Rooted in care, solidarity, and shared experience, it’s a gentle closing moment to reflect on the day’s themes and celebrate the power of women’s voices in all their forms.
Afterparty at Vinyl Social | 19:00-21:00
Finally, following the open mic, the celebrations continue with a Ladies Deck Night during Vinyl Social at Elliots Bar, Wakefield. An afterparty centred on the shared sounds of women, the night extends the spirit of the day through music, celebrating women’s creativity behind the decks.