QAN celebrates the arts
'‘Several of the engagements should have been on my bucket list, they were so good, and the energy of the leaders of several different projects was breathtaking.'
The Quaker Arts Network (QAN) held its first in-person event since Covid this month. The annual general meeting ‘was an amazing day’, David Fish, from Rugby Meeting, told the Friend. ‘Several of the engagements should have been on my bucket list, they were so good, and the energy of the leaders of several different projects was breathtaking. I wrote a poem for the first time in fifty-one years. I danced (with my arms) for the first time since Parkinson’s affected me ten years ago.’
‘Kate Green, clerk, and John Lampen, co-ordinator, led a precise day of engagement, of diversity and of quality,’ added David. ‘The network believes that arts are “being Quaker”. Presenters referred to “being Quaker” all the time, [and] Meeting for Worship was held six times.’
The annual day on 1 June, at The Priory Rooms in central Birmingham, included reports and sixteen different activities. These included from Jackie Fowler, of the Quaker Music Network, and the Loving Earth Project. There were also sessions on mandalas, ‘seated dance’, fine art, writing books and poetry, and films to celebrate George Fox’s 400th anniversary in July.
The Friends also celebrated ‘raising over £5,000 for Quakers to have a big presence at the Greenbelt Festival’, said David.
The twenty-four delegates included Quakers from Okehampton, Winchester and Leeds, with two living in Europe taking part on Zoom.
