Crafting Mindfulness Through the Past Stephanie Piper
Event details
Get up close to nature under the tree canopy and enjoy crafting replicas of historical pottery or prehistoric stone beads.
Our hands-on workshops are designed to improve mental health and wellbeing by providing a place to sit, craft, learn and be outside. The event includes a short introduction to the time period as well as the crafting techniques you will be using.
Join us at the York Experimental Archaeology Research (YEAR) Centre as we think about connections between the past and present.
All materials are provided and no experience is necessary. Suitable for anyone aged 12+.
At the morning sessions you will be crafting prehistoric beads, while at the afternoon sessions you will be making replicas of historical pottery. Please bring a small container (around lunchbox size) to the afternoon session if you wish to transport your creation home.
Learn more about the York Experimental Archaeology Research (YEAR) Centre.
This activity will take place outdoors and the ground may be uneven in places. Please wear comfortable clothing and footwear. Could you also please let us know of any mobility issues in advance so that we can provide appropriate support/routes. Email: yorkfestivalofideas@york.ac.uk
Photo credit: YEAR Centre
About the presenter
Dr Stephanie Piper is a Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of York, who is a specialist in the Mesolithic (middle stone age) of Northern Europe, with a particular focus on hunter-gatherer mobility, and using stone tool raw materials to trace the movement of communities. In 2023, Steph was part of an interdisciplinary team from the departments of Archaeology, Health Sciences, and Environment & Geography awarded a York Environment Sustainability Institute Discipline Hopping Fellowship for the project Craftwell. The Discipline Hopping programme was delivered via NERC funding, and the project aimed to investigate the connection between outdoor heritage crafting and mental health and wellbeing in the student population. Steph delivered the outdoor workshop component of the project, working with participants to create replicas of archaeological objects inspired by Stone Age beads or Anglo-Saxon pottery.
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