August 1, 2024 · Alabama ChaninCRAFTING THE FUTURE, TOGETHER
Last year, as we were considering the future of this organization as a non-profit, I knew we couldn’t build that future alone. We needed honest feedback and buy-in from our community. We needed to know what people valued about this work and what they wanted to see from it going forward.
Thanks to a generous donation, Project Threadways’ leadership team conducted a Constituent Engagement Study over the course of six months, interviewing board members, employees, artisans, guests, and collaborators. In the spirit of transparency, I want to share some of the findings with this broader community.
People
When asked about the highlights of their experience with the organization, constituents across groups spoke about “the people”: team members, guests, artisans, symposium attendees, and neighbors in the Shoals. This community is why we do what we do.
“This company is run almost entirely by women, in the South, in not a big city, and we show up because we love it. When you purchase an Alabama Chanin piece you are helping enrich us. You’re helping fund this community. It started here, it’s staying here.” — Project Threadways team member
Connection
The work of Project Threadways sits at the intersection of production, craft education, and academia. Those we interviewed count this in-between space as a huge strength, allowing Project Threadways to connect not only the worlds of fashion, craft, and education, but also to draw connections between past and present, local and global.
“What are the glimpses of hope? What are our re-entry points as consumers and individuals today? You can draw people to this small town in Alabama who are drawn to the broader mission of what you’re doing. It’s about placemaking and communities connecting with their paths and forging new paths forward. It’s a broad vision that anyone can connect to.” — Guest and maker
Future
Finally, we asked what constituents would like to see for the future of this work and organization—and nearly everyone wants to see the impact grow. More community involvement. More workshops and trunk shows on the road. More collaborations between networks. A location in downtown Florence that would return stories of textiles and manufacturing to the heart of the town.
“I’m excited to see how we’re able to make more relationships with people working in textiles and create a robust community of people interested in preserving those stories. Also, taking Threadways out into the world will get us a greater number of collaborators that we can bring here to learn about our story.” — Project Threadways board member
Already, these findings have informed Project Threadways’ road map for the months ahead, and we plan to conduct an abbreviated version of the study in years to come to create a regular system of feedback.
Thank you to all who participated in this study and to the donors who made it possible. We hear you, we’re grateful, and we can’t wait for what’s next.
xoNatalie and all of us @ Project Threadways
P.S. We welcome comments and ideas anytime to think@projectthreadways.org.