Back in college, my dorm had a weekly quilting club that somehow morphed into a therapy session (with more thread). I totally get what you mean about missing that communal art, and reviving those sessions would be amazing for building real connections. We'd gossip and stitch for hours, and I still have the blanket we all pieced together (it's hideous but I love it). There's something about working with your hands alongside others that dissolves barriers faster than any app or event I've tried. Seeing those hand-stitched gowns must have been a powerful reminder of how much we've lost in terms of shared creative spaces.