Community art – wool art created by many hands
Changes in the demand for wool have led to a surplus of wool in recent years.
How can we find a use for Dutch wool other than the rubbish tip?
How much value do we place on wool?
How are we going to showcase the beauty and unique qualities of local wool?
These questions occupy our minds every day. At Wolweefsels, many hands join forces in the Wolgoeroe studio. Thinking outside the box and brimming with energy, artist Inge Visser devises innovative uses for wool. Together, we bring these ideas to life, transforming them into works of art and objects that are well worth seeing.
Connection
Community art is all about connection. Connection between the wool fibres, which become intertwined through water, soap and movement, and thus felt into an incredibly strong material. Connection between people and nature. And connection between people themselves.
Felt & Vivaldi – The Four Seasons
Felt & Vivaldi – The Four Seasons is a unique community art project. Many people are working together to create four large works of art made from felted wool. The work was presented during a surprising and festive evening on 1 November 2025, which brought together visual art, music and more in an experience for all the senses.
Inspiration
Felt artist Inge Visser drew inspiration from her childhood memories. Her grandfather used to take her out into the countryside. To the vegetable garden, the beach, out in the boat past endless reed beds, and picking flowers and plants on shore. Inge learnt a great deal from him about plants and life through the seasons. He also introduced her to Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’.
These days, Inge dyes the wool for her felt artworks using plant-based pigments and draws inspiration from her walks in the countryside.
From late 2022 to spring 2024, Inge worked with the day centre and many volunteers on the first community art project. The artwork, measuring 12 by 3 metres, has been given a permanent home at the Nature and Health Centre (NGC) in Maarssen. The bonds forged through working together on such a large-scale artwork are incredibly valuable to all those involved in the project. There was a unanimous call for more. Inge’s idea for ‘Vilt & Vivaldi’ was received with open arms.
Every week, we spent more than 8 hours creating four large felt artworks, made from 100 per cent Dutch sheep’s wool. Entirely handcrafted and dyed with plants, harvested locally where possible. Each piece symbolises a season. Washing the wool, removing dirt and hay, carding (‘combing’) it on a carding machine, dyeing the wool with plants, and felting the wool. All these steps contribute to bringing the vision of ‘The Four Seasons’ to life in felt. For the carding of the wool, Inge collaborates with the ‘De Valkenier’ day centre run by Abrona in Maarssen. In addition, the carding machine went ‘on tour’ through Stichtse Vecht, visiting places such as children’s farms and community centres, so that more local residents could take part in this special project.
Find out more about the unveiling evening on 1 November
Community art
Connections between people are forged through working together. Through doing something. That literally gets us moving. In community art, we involve care organisations and local residents. We bring them together to experience the joy of working with wool. To create together and take pride in something made with their own hands. For a new health centre in Maarssen, we created a work of art that is displayed high up in the ridge of the building. Clients from the Abrona De Valkenier day centre in Maarssen and local residents carded the wool. The wool was washed, dyed and felted in Studio Namenia’s workshop. The artwork is 12 metres wide and 3 metres high. We worked on this artwork from February 2023 to May 2024. The felt artwork symbolises the five elements of Chinese medicine. On 26 May 2024, the artwork was unveiled with a ceremony at the Maarssen Nature and Health Centre.
The felt artwork can be viewed during the centre’s opening hours.
Community art in the media
- An article about our community art project, Wolweefsels, appeared in the magazine *Handwerken zonder grenzen* (issue 237, June 2023). Read the article
- RTV Utrecht report (6 June 2024) on the culture programme ‘Route C’ about the creation of the artwork. Watch the report
- RTV Stichtse Vecht podcast – 16 May 2024: The link between adventures and wool Listen to the podcast
- Article from AD.nl, Utrecht, 6 June 2024: Maarssen proud of ecological tapestry created by local felt artist and volunteers. Read the article
- VAR article 6 June 2024: Festive unveiling of a massive felt artwork in Maarssen
Contributions to community art
Would you like to contribute to the Community Art project?
You can do this in the following ways:
- Take part in washing, carding and felting during the workshop mornings at Studio Namenia. The workshop mornings are scheduled for Tuesday mornings.
- Donate wool to the project. We are currently looking for wool from Ouessant, Drenthe heath sheep, Kempen heath sheep and Schoonebeeker sheep.
