Image taken from @saraclasperart @make_a_mends
sara clasper
Crafts, Business & Enterprise, Community & Voluntary Action, Environment
Suggested by Mary Julyan and Susie Bryant
Sara Clasper has done so much for her community - supporting, volunteering, being a voice for women, teaching and sharing skills and always working with energy and passion to share her love of art. With her business partner Sarah Perry
She opened the Make A Mends shop in Redruth which over the last 2 or 3 years has delivered exactly what the shop name states: upcycling and recycling to save our plant and save money; teaching people sewing, mending and making skills and often providing ongoing support for free.
In October 2022 and 2023, Make A Mends received local arts funding to research the past, present and future of repair culture amongst traders in Redruth. Together with their local community they created ‘Artwear’ outfits to spark conversation and to be worn in celebration of International Repair Day. In the lead up to the 2024 general election Make A Mends had a key role in a Cornish ‘craftivists’ gathering to send messages about climate emergency to local politicians. Constituents were invited to weave, knit and embroider gifts with environmental slogans for their electoral candidates, to show that nature and climate crisis are high on voters’ agendas. Sara and Sarah talked about the history of craftivism, a popular form of gentle protest that has grown in the strength in the past decade and demonstrated ways of conveying messages through craft skills using various recycled materials.
I first knew Sara when she was actively involved in supporting Portreath Brownies and teaching the girls skills such as painting, sewing and recycling. I have always admired her love of our planet and find her so interesting to listen to whether she is talking about wildlife, climate change or simply her love of life.