“Making Connections” Collage/Quilt Workshop
To Saturday, August 24, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Stop by the Field Library in downtown Peekskill and help Create Peekskill’s multicultural community collages/quilts and celebrate the rich diversity of our city. No sewing required, just cut, glue and let colors, fabric patterns and pictures tell your story. People of all skill levels and ages, from seniors to school children (with adult supervision), are welcome and encouraged to join in. All materials are provided and free.
There will be four workshops in total, led by an artist. The first session will be held this Saturday, August 24, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Field Library. The second workshop will be held on Friday, August 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the community room at the Lofts on Main, with the entrance at 921 Diven Street. Together, the people of Peekskill will help bind the community together. Two enlarged outdoor vinyl banners created during the workshops will be displayed in the Library Plaza. Two additional locations are yet to be determined.
The goal of Making Connections, part of Peekskill’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), is to focus on community engagement, strengthen partnerships with other community organizations and key stakeholders, bring together diverse elements of the Peekskill community to promote awareness of our diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, learn from and value each other, and strengthen Peekskill’s identity as a center for the arts.
Making Connections is sponsored by the Peekskill Arts Alliance and funded by the DRI Grant, ArtsWestchester, and WinWaste. For more information, visit (email protected)
Alison Begany’s hand-crocheted display
Before heading to the Making Connections collage/quilt workshop, take a look at the display case as you enter the Neighborhood Center. The display cases feature unique, hand-crafted crochet pieces from Alison Begany.
Alison started crocheting at the tender age of eight. “I just loved the amazing effect of pulling loops of yarn through loops of yarn and ending up with a sophisticated creation at the end of the pattern.”
Anyone who has watched the Olympics recently may have caught five-time medalist and 2024 silver medalist Tom Daley of Great Britain knitting and crocheting when he wasn’t competing. Crocheting, “with its repetitive, rhythmic, almost meditative movements, is a stress reliever. Like meditation, it can lower blood pressure and heart rate and even slow age-related cognitive decline,” Begany says.
Knitting and crocheting is not just a hobby, it also has health benefits. Working with yarn has relaxing effects and can reduce anxiety by providing a sense of control, which reduces feelings of insecurity and rumination, thus releasing serotonin. It can lower cortisol levels, boost confidence, and reduce the risk of memory loss. Finding a group of crocheters can help by giving you a community to belong to, reducing depression and loneliness and giving you a sense of belonging. Finally, crocheting and knitting can help you enjoy giving back, as you are making things and giving them away with a sense of joy and pride.
Be sure to check out Alison’s beautiful crochet exhibition at the Neighborhood Center before it ends on Labor Day weekend.
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