New Queer Craft Club in Worcester Searches for an Accessible Meeting Place
{ Maya Capasso }
Sitting around a table full of creative, welcoming LGBTQIA+ people was only a fantasy a few weeks ago before I joined the first meeting of the Woo Queer Craft Club one Thursday evening. What began as an idea in the Queer Exchange: Worcester Facebook Group became a dream come true when two local crafty community members decided to make it happen.
"I kept seeing queer craft meetups advertised in Western Mass or Boston. It was disheartening to see that there isn't something similar in Worcester, considering we have such a large queer community," says Cyrus, one of the leaders of the Woo Queer Craft Club. Ellie Sienkiewicz, the other group founder, also shares why she decided to organize the group. "I like organizing things, and I wanted a cool, social space to meet people I'm aligned with and interested in. A queer social space, but that isn't oriented towards spending money or going to a bar. I realized that if this is what I want, I have to make it happen."
Cyrus initially posted in the Queer Exchange: Worcester Facebook Group to find an already established queer crafting club that meets once per week, but they soon discovered that something like that has yet to exist. "I kept asking people if they knew of such a group, like when I posted about it in the Facebook Group. People said, 'No, but if you started one, I would join.'" That's when they and Ellie teamed up to get the ball rolling.
Cyrus and Ellie's vision for their craft club is unique. "Meeting every week is important to us because the group can fall apart otherwise. I think it makes people feel more comfortable coming, even if they don't show up every week," Ellie says. "I also like that we're doing open crafts. You can bring any craft you want. I've been pleasantly surprised at how many different crafts people brought. I think it's exciting to learn and get inspired by other people in the group."
The first meeting was on the evening of Thursday, August 3rd. As someone who rarely socializes with new people, I felt my nerves bubbling up when I entered the meeting location. But as soon as I joined the others, I felt welcomed and comfortable.
As our friendly group sat together at the table, almost everyone worked on a different kind of project. A few people crocheted, some knitted, others were drawing or painting, another made a collage, one decided to play with clay, and I brought my needle felting supplies. While sometimes we sat together in a comfortable silence as we focused on our craft of choice, the table was often alight with conversation. We talked about everything from our favorite Studio Ghibli movies to unique hobbies like sword fighting and, of course, discussed our favorite mediums to work with while crafting.
"So far, we've assembled a warm and genuinely great group of people," Cyrus shares about the current craft group members. "To see that there are people who are coming back and might come back week after week. It's nice to know for people who start coming that if they come regularly enough, or even once in a while, they'll get to know people they can relate to."
Because the Woo Queer Craft Club is so new, they have yet to nail down a permanent, accessible location to host the weekly meetings. Cyrus explains why it's essential to find a place that everyone feels comfortable in: "If we're hosting a group that caters to queer people, we have to keep in mind that many queer people are neurodivergent or have accessibility needs. Theoretically, we could sit in a random coffee shop or at someone's house, but is that accessible to everyone or the most possible people? Probably not. So we want to be thoughtful about that."
In an ideal world, the craft club would love to find an ADA-compliant meeting space that is free to use every week for no cost. Somewhere members wouldn't feel pressured to spend money or drink alcohol. The area must be relatively large so the group can include as many members as possible. Plus, it needs to be available to use during evening hours. So far, the group has met at a local brewery and a local arts center, but neither of those locations fulfills all of the criteria to create an accessible and inclusive regular meeting space.
If you know about a potential meeting space that meets all or most of the above criteria, don't hesitate to contact Ellie and Cyrus via the Woo Queer Craft Club Facebook Group. Additionally, if you want to join an open community of creative and kind queer craftspeople, please join the Facebook Group and fill out the questions for approval.