About The RSN:
The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is the International Centre of Excellence for the Art of Hand Embroidery. Based at the historic Hampton Court Palace, we have been dedicated to preserving and innovating in the art of hand embroidery since 1872. Our thriving education programme offers courses for all levels, from beginners to degree level, and we teach onsite
and online in locations across the UK, and internationally in America, Japan, and Australia. Our renowned Embroidery Studio creates bespoke embroidery for fashion, art, and royalty and offers expert conservation and restoration services for valuable and historical embroidered pieces.
About the Project:
Fragile Threads (FT) is a new collaborative programme led by the Royal School of Needlework to help raise awareness, and increase understanding around climate change and species loss through the medium of hand embroidery.
Thanks to a £247,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), this new purpose-driven programme will help drive our ambition to preserve the future of hand embroidery by enriching lives through inspiring, teaching and innovation and offering far greater access to our knowledge and skills. In the UK, historic stitching techniques are in continual danger of
disappearing. Fragile Threads projects will focus on introducing rare, often regional, techniques into many areas of its programme as well as allowing participants to express their own biodiversity stories.
Nature has inspired extraordinary embroidery heritage. Fragile Threads is the RSN’s call to tackle the fragility of our natural world and ongoing species loss. By collaborating with partner organisations, we will work with and empower a diverse range of people to learn new skills and tell their stories through embroidery.
Partnerships with a number of visionary organisations include :
- Action for Conservation – a bespoke embroidery project to explore the importance of sustainable textiles; traditional craft; consumerism and fashion; biodiversity and activism.
- Hope For Home – working with socially isolated carers of advanced dementia patients to create simple nature-inspired embroidery piece.
- Global Generation – a series of workshops interpreting nature-based solutions through sustainable hand-stitching.
- Intoart – teaching artists with learning disabilities to create nature-based themed pieces, exploring sustainable materials, natural dyes and embroidery techniques.
- QEST – supporting QEST scholars to research and develop a single nature-based narrative through embroidery, working in diverse, non-textile mediums using sustainable materials.
- Around the World in 80 Fabrics – developing and understanding knowledge about the significance of plant, animal, bio-based and recycled materials, communities and craftspeople.
- As part of the initiative, we will also host a symposium and an exhibition towards the end of the programme. Additional projects and events will be weaved into our existing Educational Programme, including the BA Honours Degree in Hand Embroidery taught at Hampton Court Palace, and short courses for leisure stitching.
- Scope of work
This is a part time consultant role and is anticipated to be for a two-year period. The Project Lead will work closely with the Project Manager who will deliver the project on a day-to-day basis.
Proposals should be submitted electronically to HR at hr@royal-needlework.org.uk. Your proposal should include the following:
- A CV and cover letter that describes the consultant’s qualifications and experience
- An overview of how the consultant will deliver the NLHF project and how their qualifications and experience meet the brief
- Two references from previous clients.
All applications to be submitted by close of business on Friday 28th March.
Find the full application details online here.
