Am I not a Woman or a Sister? With Rachel Carter

Join artist Rachel Carter as she shares her sculptural journey researching her ancestors working in the Darley Abbey cotton mill of the early 1800s and the textile industries’ links to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Discover how Rachel’s research developed into a new sculpture highlighting the contributions of women to the wealth of the industrial Midlands.

Historically many of our statues have been erected by leading civic organisations, businesses and through public subscription. They celebrate and commemorate events and people that have helped shape our cities and nations. But did you know only 5% of public statues in the UK represent women and even fewer women of colour? What does their absence signify?

Rachel Carter is a sculptor, she will explain the inspiration for the design of her statue, and the untold stories of these women – our hidden heroines. Rachel says: “Many of my commissions are underpinned by my love of history and ancestry, and I feel honoured to be able to represent our shared and complex histories within sculpture. Looking at my own ancestry often provides inspiration for new work as I add to the long legacy of weavers, knotters and makers that stretch back over 350 years of our Midlands industrial past.”

You’ll also hear some of the poetry written as part of the project.