Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre Photograph 004

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of one of the smaller rooms of the Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre. This room stores the Kaiapoi Museum's collection.

Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre Photograph 005

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre's main floor. There are St John's uniforms hanging from a clothes rack at the end of one of the stacks.

Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre Photograph 002

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre's main floor, taken in August 2013. There are St John's uniforms hanging from a clothes rack at the end of one of the stacks.

Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre Photograph 001

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre's main floor.

Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre Photograph 006

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre's main floor.

Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre Photograph 007

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre's main floor, taken in June 2014.

Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre Photograph 003

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the Canterbury Cultural Recovery Centre's main floor. A notice board displays information for Lyttelton Museum staff. There are St John's uniforms hanging from a clothes rack in the foreground.

Townsend Telescope: A brief history

Articles, UC QuakeStudies

A document outlining the history of the Townsend Telescope and Observatory at the Christchurch Arts Centre.

Women's place-making through craft in in post earthquake Canterbury

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

INTRODUCTION: There is little research on the role of creative arts and craft in disaster recovery. This article reports findings about the emergent role of crafting from research conducted after the 2010–2011 series of earthquakes in Christchurch and surrounding districts in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, the article focuses on the significance and differing interpretations of the notion of place expressed by participants through their craftwork, in this case led by women and mediated by the post-earthquake geographic and temporal context. METHOD: This qualitative research included nine individual interviews and five focus group interviews with crafters from Christchurch and surrounding districts. There were 35 participants in total, 33 were women. Applied thematic analysis was used to code the data and identify themes. These themes included connection to place, the symbolism of craft, the healing experience of craft groups and places for women. The notion of place was evident across all three themes. FINDINGS: The findings from the research demonstrate differing ways in which the significance of place was reflected in the craftwork. Participants interpreted the concept of place in descriptive, symbolic, and therapeutic ways. IMPLICATIONS: More understanding about the way creative endeavours like crafting can be used to help ameliorate the impact of natural disasters is needed. Social work practitioners are encouraged to explore place-based wellbeing during their work with service users and to include aspects of artistry, craft and creativity.