"I've got yer back": A community art and anatomy project.

Abstract

This article describes a community collaborative project, "I've got yer back," that utilized the craft of needle felting to raise awareness and develop understanding of the anatomy of the human spine. The project took place in 2023 and engaged with participants from across the United Kingdom and abroad and its completion was timed to coincide with National Back Health Awareness week in October 2023. We describe the process of creating a vertebra using needle felt and examine how the particularities of the process and the use of the sense of touch helped participants notice and understand the complex form of the human vertebra. We consider how the project encompassed creative processes of hands-on learning to enhance knowledge about this aspect of human anatomy. We discuss how the project evolved to include public and academic participation in a shared goal and argue for the effectiveness of seemingly simple and straightforward art or craft workshops in teaching relatively complex science. The article includes detailed feedback from participants who reflect on the process of learning through making and how it went on to affect individuals in very different, and sometimes very personal, ways.