Interwoven, a new exhibition at Window on Heritage, The Glasgow School of Art’s accredited museum space, opens today Friday 6 March, and runs till 31 March.
The exhibition brings together textile making and storytelling to explore memory, connection, and belonging. Created by members of Maryhill Integration Network’s Oasis Women’s Group, the exhibition is a creative response to The Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections, celebrating community and the sharing of cultural heritage.
Participants drew inspiration from the collections to develop individual fabric panels, translating personal ideas and memories into textile form. These works were brought together as vibrant collages, forming a collective tapestry that weaves humour nostalgia, and storytelling through themes of home, family, love, and friendship.
Creative sessions led by artist Sara Abdelnasser Abdelkader provided space for learning, exchange, and collaboration. Multiple voices and perspectives emerge through the textiles and the stories that accompany them, reshaping how heritage collections are encountered and understood. These narratives are shared through wall texts and an accompanying booklet, extending the dialogue between the past and the present, the individual and the collective experience.
Sara Abdelnasser Abdelkader on the creative process behind Interwoven:
“Beginning with a tour of the archives, we each gathered objects that stirred memories and created resonance inside of us. These inspirations evolved from sketches into prints, eventually finding a home on fabric panels. By integrating beads, paint, and diverse textiles, each piece was transformed through the personal artistic style of each participant, in collaboration with one another.”
The project was funded by Museum Galleries Scotland’s Sustainable Co-production Fund, which is part of Delivering Change, a programme that supports museums and galleries across Scotland to make changes to help all people access culture. The Delivering Change Sustainable Co-production Fund was made possible thanks to National Lottery players and People’s Postcode Lottery players.
Participants of the Oasis Women’s Quilt Group who created the individual panels which comprise the completed quilts:-
Sara Abdelnasser Abdelkader, Thanaa Mashaly, Naima Grini, Shaimaa Alrashwani, Nazik Ahmed, Hanadee Alamate, Nasra Ismail, Esra Abdalla, Denise Stronach, Yan Jiao, Fana Aregay, Amira Yousif, Ameena Frouh, Zermina Qayyum, Shameen Hanif, Sara Elhaj, Sameea Ahmed, Duaa Raad Al Shimmari, Amani Alhamad, Minaxi Champaneri, Veneruru Katjiteo.
The exhibition will run at Window on Heritage, the GSA’s accredited museum space, in the Reid Building from 6-31 March, with a preview event on Thursday, 5 March 2026, 12pm – 3pm.
For further information please contact press@gsa.ac.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About GSA Archives And Collections
The Archives and Collections at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) illustrate the history of the institution and the development of its teaching practices since it was established in 1845. As one of the oldest art and design institutions in the UK, GSA holds a museum collection of over 5,000 items, including furniture, works on paper, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, and metalwork, alongside a small amount of born-digital material. Many items were originally acquired as teaching tools, while others have been, and continue to be, collected as examples of work by staff and students. The collections also include 280 works by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which form a Museums Galleries Scotland “Recognised Collection” of national significance.
Alongside the museum collection, GSA holds a comprehensive institutional archive. This includes correspondence, photographs, ephemera, student records, minute books, and reports, as well as over 100 deposited archives from individuals and businesses associated with the School. Together, these materials provide a rich insight into GSA’s people, buildings, and activities.
About The Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world.
Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy, delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3,500 students and staff across architecture, design, fine art, innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1,500 students annually.
