Help Us Create the HushFest Community Gallery

This July, something quietly beautiful is taking shape across Cornwall.

As part of HushFest, Cornwall’s Festival of Quietness, we’re inviting people from across our communities to contribute a small piece of creative work to a shared exhibition celebrating quietness.

Together, many individual contributions will form the HushFest Community Gallery; a community-created exhibition exploring the richness, creativity, connection and possibilities that can emerge through quietness.

Hundreds of small pieces, each shaped by a different perspective, will come together to create something larger than any one contribution alone.

You don’t need to be an artist.

You don’t need special materials.

You don’t need formal training or experience.

We’re interested in your perspective, not perfection.

Whether you consider yourself quiet, shy, introverted, sensitive, or simply feel inspired by the themes, you’re welcome to contribute.

A Celebration of Quiet

We often talk about creating space for quieter voices, experiences and ways of being. HushFest is an opportunity to do that through creativity, offering us a platform to express the value, beauty and depth in quietness.

Too often, quietness is misunderstood as an absence of something. Yet we know it can also be a source of creativity, connection, reflection, appreciation, imagination and insight.

The Community Gallery is an invitation to explore that.

Each person will create something small. A drawing, photograph, collage, textile piece, painting, poem, print or mixed-media work. On its own, each contribution tells a story. Together, they create a wider picture of what quietness means across Cornwall.

We’re excited to see the variety that emerges because there is no single quiet experience.

Four Themes to Explore

Your contribution can respond to one or more of the HushFest themes.

Quiet in Nature

The calm, wonder, connection and restoration that can be found in the natural world.

Perhaps it’s a favourite coastal path, the movement of waves, birdsong at dawn, a garden visitor, the texture of bark, or a place where you feel at ease.

Quiet in Self

The inner world of thoughts, imagination, contemplation, self-discovery and reflection.

This might be inspired by a memory, a question you’ve been sitting with, a creative idea, a quiet ritual, or a moment of noticing something you might otherwise have overlooked.

Quiet in Relationship

The listening, understanding and meaningful connections that can flourish without needing lots of words.

Perhaps it’s a friendship, a shared silence, a thoughtful gesture, a conversation that stayed with you, or the feeling of being accepted as you are.

Quiet in Creativity

The focus, flow, expression and joy that emerge through making, creating and exploring ideas.

This could be inspired by writing, music, crafting, photography, drawing, gardening, cooking, or any creative process that helps you connect with yourself or the world around you.

What Can I Create?

Your contribution might include:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Collage
• Photography
• Printmaking
• Mixed media
• Textile art
• Illustration
• Abstract art
• Poetry or words presented visually

There is no right way to respond to the themes.

Your piece doesn’t need to explain quietness for everyone. It only needs to reflect something meaningful to you.

Need Some Inspiration?

You might like to reflect on questions such as:

• Where do I notice quietness?
• What colours, textures or images represent quietness to me?
• What moments of quiet have stayed with me?
• What does quiet beauty mean to me?
• How does quietness support creativity, reflection or belonging?
• What strengths, possibilities or forms of connection can emerge through quietness?

These are simply prompts. There is no single right way to respond.

Want Some Company While You Create?

Creating can feel easier when we have a little space and encouragement to explore ideas together.

If you’d like to reflect on the themes with others, you’re welcome to join one of our HushFest Ideas Lab calls. These relaxed online sessions offer space to explore the festival themes, discuss possibilities, and develop ideas for contributions.

You can find upcoming dates and sign up here:

HushFest Information and Ideas Labs

We also host a regular online Silent Art Club, where people create together in a calm, pressure-free space. You can work on your HushFest contribution or simply enjoy some dedicated creative time alongside others.

You can find out more and sign up here:

Online Silent Art Club

Why Your Contribution Matters

One of the things we value most at Quiet Connections is creating opportunities for people to contribute in ways that feel natural to them. Some people enjoy speaking. Others enjoy organising. Some create through music, photography, writing, crafting or making… The Community Gallery offers another way to be part of something larger.

A small piece created at your kitchen table, during a quiet afternoon walk, in a sketchbook, or while experimenting with materials can become part of a shared exhibition that helps tell a richer story about quietness.

When visitors step into the gallery, they won’t be seeing one person’s interpretation of quiet. They’ll be seeing many different experiences, perspectives and expressions sitting alongside one another.

How to Take Part

Create an original visual piece inspired by one or more of the HushFest themes.

Your work should be suitable for display at A5 size (14.8cm × 21cm). It can be submitted physically or sent digitally for printing.

Find out more about the project and get the submission form here.

Deadline

Friday 26th June 2026

All submissions should include the information on the Submission Form available here (page 3).

Digital submissions

hushfest@quietconnections.co.uk

Physical submissions

Quiet Connections
Create Contemporary Crafts Hub
Donald Thomas Centre
Chapel Street
Camborne
TR14 8EF

You can also drop off your contribution, ideally on a Tuesday between 10am and 8pm (Quiet Connections Meets here between 6-8pm each Tuesday).

Selected works will form part of the HushFest Community Gallery, exhibited during HushFest from 4th to 10th July 2026 at St Cubert’s Church and shared as part of the festival’s digital legacy.

A Shared Celebration

Quietness is often experienced privately. The Community Gallery is an opportunity to make some of those experiences visible. It’s a space to simply to share one small piece of your own perspective.

Together, these individual contributions will become something larger than any one piece alone; a shared celebration of quietness created by communities across Cornwall.

We look forward to seeing the many different ways quietness comes to life through your creativity.