3 – Making and Growing

A Digital Community Exhibition – July 2020

Together with the rest of the UK, Wycombe Museum went into lockdown on 23 March due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Museum staff worked from home to begin with, then most were furloughed. Keeping in touch with our volunteers, one of them suggested we do an exhibition of local experiences of lockdown. This became possible with funding from Arts Council England, and we appealed for photos of lockdown through social media.

The images we received divided into sections, reflecting the main themes of lockdown:

Section 3 – Making and Growing

Art, crafts, gardening and baking helped many of us pass the time spent at home. These photos show examples of lockdown creativity from giant jigsaws to miniature houses.

By Julie Vartiainen, taken in High Wycombe
Art and craft at home during lockdown
By Julie Vartiainen, taken in High Wycombe Art and craft at home during lockdown
By Hilary Payne, taken in Downley
"A product of a quiet afternoon with the children and the Hamma beads. The rainbow symbol popped up in all the windows, so I made my own version. I remember thinking, 'I'll make this and keep it as a momento of this strange quiet time. It'll probably be the first and last time I have time to play with Hamma beads'."
By Hilary Payne, taken in Downley "A product of a quiet afternoon with the children and the Hamma beads. The rainbow symbol popped up in all the windows, so I made my own version. I remember thinking, 'I'll make this and keep it as a momento of this strange quiet time. It'll probably be the first and last time I have time to play with Hamma beads'."
By Gen Watkins, taken in Stokenchurch
"I have an allotment in Stokenchurch and this has been one place that it has been possible to attend during lockdown. I have really enjoyed spending time there and have successfully grown spinach this year, as well as built a mini garden for VE Day and prepared my plot for this year's crops. We hope to see a healthy abundance of herbs, peas, runners, tomatoes, beetroot, garlic and onions along with strawberries and raspberries."
By Gen Watkins, taken in Stokenchurch "I have an allotment in Stokenchurch and this has been one place that it has been possible to attend during lockdown. I have really enjoyed spending time there and have successfully grown spinach this year, as well as built a mini garden for VE Day and prepared my plot for this year's crops. We hope to see a healthy abundance of herbs, peas, runners, tomatoes, beetroot, garlic and onions along with strawberries and raspberries."
By Elly Crawley, taken in High Wycombe
Kingsley in the garden with Shannon. "We have to stay at home because of the Big Germ."
By Elly Crawley, taken in High Wycombe Kingsley in the garden with Shannon. "We have to stay at home because of the Big Germ."
By Elly Crawley, taken in High Wycombe
Art in the garden, a few days after lockdown began
By Elly Crawley, taken in High Wycombe Art in the garden, a few days after lockdown began
By Deirdre White, taken in High Wycombe
"At the beginning of lockdown, Stephen White started a 40,320 piece jigsaw. It has 10 sections which are then fitted together to make a completed jigsaw which is 6.80 metres x 1.92 metres. Each section is a different Disney film. This photo of the first section took 108 hours over 16 days to complete."
By Deirdre White, taken in High Wycombe "At the beginning of lockdown, Stephen White started a 40,320 piece jigsaw. It has 10 sections which are then fitted together to make a completed jigsaw which is 6.80 metres x 1.92 metres. Each section is a different Disney film. This photo of the first section took 108 hours over 16 days to complete."
By Della Fitzgerald, taken in Marlow 
"The garden is all I need."
By Della Fitzgerald, taken in Marlow "The garden is all I need."
By Catherine Grigg, taken in Downley
"Pineapple upside-down cake. My daughter's school ran a weekly bake-off contest with entries submitted via photographs. The theme for this entry was a celebration pudding. Like so many other people, we quickly began to run out of flour and the man in our local shop told me it had become 'like gold dust'. But I managed to order catering-sized bags to share with neighbours. This kept us all baking throughout lockdown!"
By Catherine Grigg, taken in Downley "Pineapple upside-down cake. My daughter's school ran a weekly bake-off contest with entries submitted via photographs. The theme for this entry was a celebration pudding. Like so many other people, we quickly began to run out of flour and the man in our local shop told me it had become 'like gold dust'. But I managed to order catering-sized bags to share with neighbours. This kept us all baking throughout lockdown!"
'Best of Allotment' by Terry Hastings, taken in Stokenchurch
'Best of Allotment' by Terry Hastings, taken in Stokenchurch
"Stokenchurch community allotments. Centre-piece and altogether picture of nature, fauna, self-grown vegetables, and a place to relax. Nature in balance and a reminder of self-sustainability."
'Best of Allotment' by Terry Hastings, taken in Stokenchurch 'Best of Allotment' by Terry Hastings, taken in Stokenchurch "Stokenchurch community allotments. Centre-piece and altogether picture of nature, fauna, self-grown vegetables, and a place to relax. Nature in balance and a reminder of self-sustainability."

Our thanks to:

Everyone who submitted photographs and captions Deirdre White, whose idea this exhibition was Arts Council England

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