Skip to main content

Christmas Countdown Local 2022 #21 & #22 Inclusivity

 


Christmas Countdown #21  ... A few weeks ago, when I first started talking about Christmas, I raised the issue of a multicultural Christmas...  It is a joy to behold - a Christmas tree decorated  with colourful cultural items and flags from different countries. This tree was sponsored by the Refugee Hub, (Newcastle NSW)  There is such a balance here between traditional Christmas  ornaments as well as patterns and colours representing different ethnic groups.  To me, being inclusive means respecting  and celebrating different values and beliefs - just what the Christmas season is about. 

Bei




#22 Dragmas Christmas Photography 
In a local shopping centre, instead of photos only with Santa, the management are implementing their inclusivity policy  by offering Christmas photos with Timberlina , Drag Queen extraordinaire and friends. I imagine some are offended by this, but I saw it as a bit of fun and spreading some Christmas cheer.  It is  acknowledgement that we are not all the same, but we can live and love in harmony.   


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Too Precious to Waste

 Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons  More than a year ago, a decision was made.  The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2]  A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that ...

Christmas Countdown #25envelopes/22 - Christmas Cockatoo

  22 December Christmas Countdown #25envelopes - Christmas Cockatoo . This embroidered fabric collage on an old dyed doily is stitched on a recycled envelope . It is inspired by one of this year’s beautiful Australian stamps which features the Madonna and Child surrounded by Australian animals and birds . The sulphur crested cockatoo caught my eye the moment I saw this envelope and stamp. I see these cockatoos most days in our neighbourhood.  Last week, I commented on how Christmassy this scene looked -the cockatoo looked like a decorative ornament in the tree. Today’s exercise took a lot longer than the half hour I usually allocate as this one was also the work for Textile Artists’ Stitch Club workshop by Mandy Pattullo - all hand stitched.