UDHR Quilt Block Focus

Two weeks ago I wrote about joining in on the Universal Declaration for Human Right's Quilt Project.  You can read about it here. Today I will explain the focus of my block and part of the meaning behind it.
Every artist in the project either asked for a certain article of the Declaration or was assigned one.  I asked for Article 27 which reads as follows:
 1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which they are the author.

This article covers a lot of ground in terms of the rights of artists and scientists and their freedom to operate within their culture or outside of their home culture, while also keeping their rights to the benefits of their work. Tal and Stephanie wanted to encourage the artists and crafters involved in this project to bring issues that matter to them to the forefront of their 8 x 11 inch block. We were also encouraged to use languages other then English if we were multilingual.  So the first part of my article is in English and the second section I've embroidered in French.

My mind jumped around quite a lot at the beginning because there are so many directions that a statement like article 27 can take someone. But as I narrowed my focus down, it became clear to me that my focus would be a Canadian issue and relate specifically to the relationship between First Nations and Canadian Settler cultures.

I have done enough research in the last few weeks to write a long essay on this topic. So in order to keep this to a comfortable blog post length I'll keep the explanation brief.

Sensitivity and respect are paramount to me when relaying any experience of a culture that is not in my ancestry, so how to represent cultures without appropriating imagery was a concern. I continued to narrow the focus and decided that for a textile based project I should focus on textiles. In that focus I wanted to depict how First Nations art was colonised by the two dominant settler cultures in Canada, namely the British and French empires. Since I have lived in Quebec and British Columbia I chose two First Nation groups from each region to feature. Coast Salish (specifically Squamish) blanket weaving, and Iroquois (specifically Mohawk) beading. From France I decided to use Toile style fabric and from England embroidery of an English rose.   

As the piece develops further I will share more images and will write more about the meaning of the piece.

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JJ

Atelier

This word has stuck with me the last two weeks.  I love it.  This french word for studio or workroom, atelier, it is superior- if a word can be that.  It is a romantic word.  A word of action and substance.

As we walked the ancient narrow streets of Montpellier France this summer we came across this lovely scene. Others may have noticed the dresses first, or the freshly watered plant, or the lovely hand painted sign saying "Le Fil et son Aiguille" (the thread and its needle).

But I looked inside and saw a solitary artist making her work.

"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction..." -Virginia Woolf

Not only to write fiction, but to paint, to sew, to make, to think, to be.

An atelier of one's own.  A space that is quiet, and yours.

Just a simple thought for today in a time that is not simple.

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JJ

Visiting Giverny

Today is a chilly and grey day here on the Pacific coast so I thought I'd remind myself of warmer days.
Have you heard of Claude Monet's Giverny home?  His glorious garden, pink house, yellow dining room?  The brilliant blue kitchen tiles, sunny studio and lily pond?
All of this and more is found a short drive outside of Paris.  Due to some car rental delays we barely made it in time to get in by the cut off of 5:30 pm but I am so grateful that we visited.
It is a feast for the eyes and there is no wonder that Monet painted there until his death as inspiration is around every corner.

I hope this warms your day. As it brings back lovely memories for mine.

JJ

Van Gogh in France

What can one say about looking at art in France... it is crazy how much there is to see.  You could look at art around the clock and be there for months.  So inevitably I had to cull and pick certain places, museums and galleries over others in the hopes that someday we will return and I can see ones that I missed this trip.

Arles was a place that I was drawn to see because of Van Gogh's short time living there.  While there we visited The Fondation Vincent Van Gogh and walked around the town.  The famous yellow house no longer exists, but the Cafe Vincent Van Gogh remains and the town has erected displays at some of the locations that Van Gogh immortalised in paint while he lived there.

The Fondation is a modern gallery that had two exhibits on:  "Van Gogh in Provence" and artist Glenn Brown's "Suffer Well" which had several pieces that referenced to Van Gogh's life and work.
The space is intimate and very well curated showing examples of Van Gogh's evolution from classical to expressionistic painting.  It is possible to see the whole gallery in about 2 hours which is perfect when viewing art with children.

Glenn Brown's work.  Above Suffer Well and below one of his sculptures made of oil paint referencing Van Gogh's thick brush strokes and palette.

A few scenes of Arles. 

 There were also many highlights of seeing Van Gogh's paintings in the Musee D'Orsay.  Seeing the third version of Bedroom in Arles in person was incredible.  That painting seemed to exude light.
More about the art on our trip to come.

*please click through the title of the post to comment or see a list of past posts.

JJ