Anna Flanagan began convening gatherings of the Wild Wimmin Craft Collective in her colorful, crazy-quilt of a home in east Urbana about 10 years ago. From the beginning, the Saturday morning comminglings of compadres who share a love of art and craft, food and friendship were necessarily informal and random. That’s still the case. But, the frequency of the get-togethers has increased recently – perhaps in response to a more pronounced, collective need/desire to escape from the day-to-day madness and retreat to a soul- and spirit-nurturing space, if only for a few hours.

While some members of the collective occasionally have exhibited and sold their work through such venues as GCAP’s Artists Against Aids benefit, others take a more personal approach, preferring to express themselves creatively for the pure joy of it. Regardless of their individual motivations, the group has forged a glitter-covered, paint-splattered bond that’s stronger than the hot, waxy adhesive flowing from their ubiquitous glue guns.

Members of the Wild Wimmin collective are Jean Ascoli, Ann Bergeron, Jess Beyler, Millie Davis, Anna Flanagan, Felice Kaufmann, Melissa Merli, Melissa Mitchell, Carrie Stewart and Gail Taylor.