ADHD Spinnery Piknik: embroidery workshop w/ Eszter Kuzma
You are warmly invited to the embroidery workshop ADHD Spinnery, which will take the form of a picnic led by our current resident Eszter Kuzma!
Come relax, calm your mind, and experience the power of community through embroidery. Together, we’ll revisit the tradition of communal spinning, and each participant will embroider a plant of their choice – a symbol that may carry personal or intuitive meaning.
No previous experience is required.
Embroidery supports focus, reduces stress, and develops fine motor skills.
A relaxed, creative atmosphere open to all ages – families with children are especially welcome.
📍 Location: City Park, Košice (on the work of Dan Graham)
📅 Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 | 17:00–20:00
💸 Fee: 8 EUR – includes materials, guidance from the instructor, and light refreshments. Feel free to bring your own snacks or drinks for the picnic!
Registration: https://forms.gle/9CpVXQx9Dt6DAQqP9
ABOUT WORKSHOP🌿
In the Hungarian tradition, the most important place of community life was the spinnery, where people gathered to transform the hemp and flax they had harvested together into yarn, which grew into a huge communal event. Not only did it help villagers connect, but it also helped them to court and choose a mate. All members of the village community were required to visit the sinnery to maintain the community.
The concept of it was primarily for women, but men could also join. The flax harvested was used to weave yarn and later textiles. These textiles were also used to make bed sheets, blankets and pillows to keep the farmers warm during the winter. Thus, working with yarn became a sign of care. From the autumn harvest to the end of carnival, spinning was an occupation that developed into a wide variety of institutions: there were spinning classes for young people and also for young people, which were spaces for mating and for getting to know each other through the shared experience of spinning.
Connecting through creation is good for the human spirit and needlework for mental health. Many therapeutic programmes use embroidery, knitting and crochet because it has been shown to alleviate depression, reduce anxiety, help social connection and build self-esteem.
During the workshop, each visitor can embroider a plant of his/her choice from the symbol library, which can shed light on the meaning of the plant in the guest’s life. ADHD Spinnery is designed to focus attention on the task at hand and distract from distracting thoughts. The embroidery technique does not require any particular manual dexterity, but it does develop fine motor skills. The practice of focused attention alleviates insomnia and the rhythmic movements reduce stress. It helps to focus, return to the present and get rid of intrusive thoughts for a while.
Community needlework is a calming meditative activity while connecting with others. Through connection and working together, inhibitions can be eased and a more relaxed, liberated mood can be achieved through the practice.
The workshop will be held in English. Translation into Slovak can be provided if needed.
For more information, feel free to contact us at:
📧 monika.padejova@kair.sk or petra.houskova@kair.sk
We look forward to seeing you!
The residency program is supported using public funding by the Slovak Arts Council. The Slovak Arts Council is the main partner of this project. The residency of Eszter Julia Kuzma is organized thanks to the partnership with Budapest Gallery. The project was also supported by the City of Košice and the Košice Self-Governing Region.