Celebration of Polish community at Rugby art gallery

The Pajaki Project was the brainchild of artist Michaela McMillan, who secured a £1,000 grant from Rugby Borough Council in 2018 to take part in the project.

It marks the centenary of Poland regaining independence.

Michaela held a series of workshops at the town’s Saturday Polish School and a family workshop at the gallery during the project, which was inspired by the Polish folk art and craft tradition of making pajaki decorations to celebrate Christmas, Easter and other special occasions.

Pajaki, or ‘spiders of straw’, date back to the 18th century and comprise colourful and carefully cut pieces of paper and rye straw. The decorations were created by farming families during the winter when cold weather meant work was in short supply.

Michaela said: “The aim of the project was to explore the culture and heritage of Rugby’s Polish community and celebrate the cultural diversity of the town.

“While the tradition of pajaki has started to die out in Poland, it has been embraced by the arts and crafts community in Britain in recent years and the project was a great opportunity to engage the town’s Polish community with an important part of Poland’s heritage.”

The pajaki remains on display until May 4.

Organisations can now apply online for a Community Projects Grant or a grant from the council’s Rural Development Fund on the council’s website - www.rugby.gov.uk/grants

Cllr Emma Crane, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for communities and homes, said: “Community and voluntary organisations make a vital contribution to the borough and our grants aim to support a diverse range of projects which make a real difference to the lives of residents.”