Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

  It's great to celebrate your heritage right where you live ...  Newcastle China week 2019 showcased  a 2-day program consisting of a  Wine and Tourism Business Forum   on Friday 6th September and a free   Cultural Festival   on Saturday 7th September. The Cultural Festival took place in the beautiful bush campus in Callaghan at the University of Newcastle, only about five minutes from where I live.  It's a  celebration of  the contemporary and traditional Chinese culture, food, art, lion and dragon dances with interactive displays, food markets, wine tasting and demonstrations. The food offerings were many and varied from traditional Chinese snacks to all sorts of Asian and fusion inspired treats, as well as ubiquitous festival food like fairy floss!  The Festival aims to celebrate cultural diversity and inclusiveness while offering a fun-filled day to engage with students and welcome the...

  Since I came to live in Newcastle NSW (Australia) in 1999, the city has changed... architecture alone has changed the look of Newcastle.  As I walked by the old newspaper building , I was a bit sad to see a crane lifting materials for the apartments being built behind the facade of the original building. It wasn't just that the old building is no longer, it is that the local newspaper has changed too - no local office, printed elsewhere electronically. Yet I felt happy that at least the building will become "home" to many people  and that its history won't be lost.  Last week, I also captured this shot of an old 1823 building reflected in the new City of Newcastle administration building. While the new building will be spectacular as it is, I really liked the idea of the past being reflected in its shiny glass exterior.   There are some really amazing buildings which have appeared in Newcastle in the last few years.  The University of Ne...

Mandala XIV - hand stitched mandala - Annette Tubnor  Classic theme inspires Newcastle artists ...   Source :  Timeless Textiles website  The artists and makers who are members of the Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists (NCEATA) were challenged to respond in  “Black and White” for a new exhibition opening this month at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery.  Black and White Art Works  by Ruth Spence, Anne-Marie Kelly and Karen Murray  For many of the textile artists, who typically love to explore the richness of colour in their work, the  “Black and White” theme led them to previously uncharted territory. Wilma SImmons said the NCEATA artists had worked creatively with the black and white palette.“When black and white take centre stage, an artist’s message, and their emotions, shine through” she said. “Stripping out colours adds clarity and depth to their chosen subject.” Detail of "Is it Just Black and...

STITCHED UP is now in its third week of exhibition and breaking all records of visitors - such an overwhelming response - so it is inevitable that a few people have had their photos taken with Wednesday's children,  the stick doll installation.... First of all, Ben, a member of the amazing installation team at The Lock-Up. Thanks for taking such care installing 'the girls' - the digital laser level worked wonders and did I hear you talking to a few them?  Ben from the  installation team The Lock-Up  Wednesday's children up on the wall.  Then, of course , my own family - not all positive critiques, but you can't win them all!   Many of my friends have been really supportive.... they have even visited a few times. Here are some of my Rotary friends on the opening night. Members of the Rotary Club of Wallsend-Maryland - Clarice, Cia, Sandy, Wilma, Christine   Unexpected visitors even dropped by las...

"Heartbroken" by Nancy Crawford ( Canada)  Stitched Up  is an exhibition featuring 24 contemporary international and national textile artists on show at  The Lock Up  from Friday 23 June 2017 until 6 August 2017. It coincides with the 150-year anniversary of The Newcastle Industrial School’s opening; and is resulting from a partnership between The Lock Up and Timeless Textiles galleries. Stitched Up is co-curated by Anne Kempton (Creative Director Timeless Textiles Gallery) and fibre artist Wilma Simmons, both from Newcastle NSW. .  This exhibition conceptually provides a  voice  for the 193 girls who attended the Newcastle Industrial School, translated into contemporary fibre art. "Memory Cloths " (193) by Anne Kempton, Australia  The title  Stitched Up  is very apt in two ways… Firstly, each of the artworks has been stitched – mostly by hand for many hours – capturing the story of ‘The Girls’. The artists hav...

Neglecting my blog in the last month was one of the sacrifices I made for Wednesday's Children. Just a recap since it's been such a long time since I mentioned them.  Here is my submission for the exhibition "Stitched Up" - bringing to life the girls who were  placed in care at the Newcastle Industrial School 1867-71. I have now created 193 art dolls, made from sticks and strips of cloth. Wednesday’s child is full of woe (from a nursery rhyme c.1838) The stories of each of the girls in the Newcastle Industrial School and Reformatory   have been r researched by local historian, Jane Ison. Each story captured my heart....  Stick dolls seemed an appropriate way for me to honour the life of each of these girls and to compensate for lost childhoods.  I like to think if they had the opportunity they might have made little dolls from found materials - sticks and scraps of fabric, just as I enjoy making them 150 years later. These dolls are artistic repres...