The peace & harmony flags created by the children of this very talented community truly tell us, how they see the world...
How does one choose, I really can't as they are all my favorites, even the recycled fabrics have their own stories. The fabric above is from an old nursing uniform scrub, when we nurses wore all white, prior to it's being tie dyed, when I worked in the hospital, so many decades ago.
The flag being worked on above, by one of our youngest & most talented artists, he chose one of my father's pillow cases. Oh, how my father would smile, & be so very pleased with this project, as his father, my grandfather had worked for many years in the Garment District of NYC. Hmmm, I wonder, perhaps some of the thread he sewed with, perhaps just some, might have come from our beloved Willimantic's Historic, Thread City...
This next fabric painter having created what appears to be a red & yellow flower on a navy background seems to be using her strength & skill in getting as much glitter out of the tube as is possible, ultimately it pays off, as her flag, along with the others came out quite charming..
The creation being made above is by one of the library staff members, who so charmingly told me a snippet of her family's story- of her father & herself being peace activists & her father's dedicated involvement with the Peace Pagoda in Massachusetts. Quite a remarkable & inspiring story to learn about, in such a brief encounter, so very beautiful, & enlightening. Here she is working on another recycled medical scrub, this scrub had belonged to my brother's best friend Doug, who was an excellent pulmonary specialist in the field of medicine, during his young lifetime...
As you can readily tell, I love them...
All of them...
For their beautiful & unique artwork, & the generous spirit, the children & the staff of the Willimantic Public Library devoted so generously their talents to this ongoing project, of which a portion of some of these flags, will eventually be collected, strung together, to be presented to the
United Nations, as a gift & a reminder of what all the children of the world, truly want.
The activity proved to be an immense success, as it was booked from 4:00-5:30pm, which provided ample time for set up, & a relaxed atmosphere of getting to know one another as different people would stream into the library's activity room from time to time. Preteens, very young primary age children, to staff, all took part. I must say this is an extremely gifted community, as many of the blank fabrics that were chosen by our participants were not limited to the typical colors, this group reached for the purple, blue & pink fabrics just as readily as the more neutral colors. Also, as much as they seemed to enjoy using the stamping objects to create their design, there was an immense amount of freehand artwork that really did, at times, take my breath away.
It was a truly wonderful experience, & still to this moment, I can't really think about it deeply without welling up with tears, as I found out yesterday, much to my own surprise that at this juncture of my life, I am really unable to speak about certain topics aloud, for the cause for peace really does overcome me with an overwhelming feeling, I just can't describe. I think for now, it is due to a bit of an overload, of perhaps, knowing too, too much, due to the radiation exposures, & overall suffering in Japan, & my own disbelief, of the military action in Libya. Since childhood the dream of a better world for all peoples, has been what I have devoted my life work to, & now with world events that are far too real in repeating actions of the past, I think the contrast of the dream, & seeing & knowing of the present day, & true reality, is a bit heavy to bear at times.
So what have I learned from this recent community art experience- Well number one is, that as I am loading up my craft supplies in the future, I am to also practice what it is I want to say to the children, & to practice it, word for word, over & over, if I must, as I want to be sure, that for future activities such as this, that any tears that need to be shed, regarding the world situation, will have been expressed, prior to any activity. It is important to be present & real, for certain, as my purpose, in my life work, is to always, present the hopefulness, of what peace, love & understanding, can ultimately achieve, & I, like all of us, do have my own feelings regarding these world events & situations, but I can & will work on this, much as one who works in a hospital emergency room, which I had done so many decades ago, did quite well, & found it most rewarding & satisfying. I will once again, find a way to allow myself to feel it, but to also continue to do this very important work. As human beings we do & can meet these challenges, each & every day.
Thank you Gail- To you, your very kind, welcoming & very helpful staff! I wish you all a wonderful springtime, as you all go forth working so very hard continuing to inspire the children of your community to full fill their ultimate potentials, one book, one discussion & one activity at a time....
& the Peace Garden is now a more peaceful, beautiful & hopeful place, because of this added experience, of which I sincerely say- "You all will remain a special place in my heart, forever... "
Please feel free to share this link http://thepeacegarden.blogspot.com/
© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden
1 comment:
What a Wonderful Day you and the children had. I felt through your Blog, that I was there...It sounds like they benefited as much as you did Cheryl, by your teaching. Emotions is a natural thing to express, and you being the sensitive Lady that I know you to be, handled yourself with much dignity...I am sure the Willimantic Public Library is most grateful. Thanks for sharing.
B. Malin
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