SISTERS OF CRAFT in TAITO LEHTI

"Weaving connects women across the world" is the title of an extended reportage about SISTERS OF CRAFT in the latest issue of TAITO, a well known Finnish handcraft magazine http://www.taito.fi/taito-lehti.

Six full pages and many photos! We feel very proud and delighted that our story keeps spreading. A big thank you to Camilla Granbacka for a well written text that focuses on the deeper values of handcraft. Below the full story in Finnish and a two page summary in Swedish :)

SISTERWORKS - work empowers women

Craft continues to bring people together, and we are very happy to have met an inspiring group of craft sisters here in Melbourne. SISTERWORKS is a non profit organisation helping asylum seekers, refugee and migrant woman in Melbourne to settle in the Australian society. By supporting the women's creative skills and training in language, design, business and marketing skills, the women gain knowledge and self confidence to work towards their own financial independence. As we feel like this is a project we want to support, Dieter is making a photo-documentary about their work. 

"SisterWorks builds on the traditional skill of these women, to enable them to make and sell handicrafts in Melbourne markets and ‘pop up’ shops. We encourage them to tap into their underlying business and entrepreneurial ability to change their own lives. This simple principle has allowed women to improve their income, develop their English and interact with the broader community. This has connected them to their own culture while forging bonds with their new culture, Australia. Their families see them with new respect, and they now have the confidence and motivation to leave their homes, take on new challenges and face the future with hope."

In only a couple of years SISTERWORKS have come to include 45 lovely craft sisters from different countries and a number of passionate volunteers. Their skills and dedication are truly inspiring. However their work is in serious need of funding to keep developing. Therefore support their campaign at START SOME GOOD http://startsomegood.com/Venture/sisterworks_inc and you help to make a difference. 

Read more about SISTERWORKS on their webpage: http://www.sisterworks.org.au

UPDATE

Time flies, and it sure has been a while since our last update... In the beginning of September we left Europe for Melbourne, where we've now settled for the year to come. Dieter is finishing his photography studies at CATC Design School while I continue working in my field. Melbourne is a vivid and exciting city with lots on offer when it comes to culture. We're excited to be part of it all and to see where it will take us next.

We received great feedback on the exhibition and the book, which inspires us to keep up the project next to our studies and work. Here's an update from Injalak Arts and Crafts Centre in Northern Australia, who participated in the project...

The plan is to arrange a second exhibition in Melbourne sometime next year, but more about that later. We are also planning to print a second edition of the book, but as there is still some books left, just email us if you're interested and we'll send you a copy.

Sunny spring greetings from Melbourne!
/Minna & Dieter

WITH GRATITUDE

It sure feels like time is running fast right now. It's already a week since the exhibition opening and in two weeks we're heading back to Melbourne after a wonderful summer in Europe.

We hereby would like to thank all who where able to participate on the opening-night and everyone who have visited the exhibition so far. It was great sharing our experiences of the last year and getting such a positive response on the book. A sincere thank you to After Eight for hosting the exhibition as well as to Svenska Kulturfonden, Svensk Österbottniska Samfundet and Konstsamfundet for believing in the project and giving us the financial support to make it all become reality. 

The exhibition at After Eight is still going until 20th of August, where it's also possible to purchase the book. For you who can't make it to the exhibition but still wants a copy of the book, feel free to contact us and we'll send you one.

TIME FOR BOOK RELEASE!

We are very proud to present the arrival of our book: SISTERS OF CRAFT - A photographic essay about women's craft and culture. The book is dedicated to the inspiring craft sisters we have met on our journey. Their beautiful work and words of wisdom is a cultural tribute to women craftsmanship. This is our way of spreading their stories.

The book will be released at tomorrow's exhibition opening for a special opening offer of 35 € (normal price 40 €). Cash payments only. By purchasing a copy of the book you contribute to women's craftsmanship and help for the project to be continued. 

Hope to see you all tomorrow from 7 pm at After Eight, in Jakobstad.
A warm welcome! 

Minna & Dieter

SISTERS OF CRAFT - A photographic essay about women's craft and culture

June and July so far have been very busy but great two months, exchanging Australian winter with European summer. While visiting family and friends in Belgium and Finland, we have been working hard behind the scenes preparing for the exhibition and the book. With many hours of work and few hours of sleep we managed to complete our entire story in one book, which will be released on the day of the exhibition. 

The exhibition itself, which will open this coming Monday is all shaping up as well and we are very much looking forward to share our story about woman's craft and culture through many photographs taken on this journey as well as the baskets,  jewelry and textiles we purchased from the crafts woman we have met and worked with. The exhibition will be held in Minna's hometown Jakobstad in western Finland until the 20th of August. We hope this will be the first of several exhibitions to come. 

We welcome you all to the opening event at After Eight in Jakobstad on Monday 4th of August at 7 pm. 

SISTERS OF NGARRINDJERI - weaving lives together

After 3400 km across the Australian continent we reach Ngarrindjeri Land, a coastal community near Adelaide. Here the Ngarrindjeri people have lived along the lakes and riversides for thousands of years. The aboriginal basket weaving first started in this area and at Camp Coorong cultural traditions and ancient weaving skills are carried on. 

Auntie Ellen is a passionate Ngarrindjeri weaver running the cultural museum with the help of her family. She learned how to weave 33 years ago and never stopped since. Weaving goes like a thread through the women in her family and she is now passing on the knowledge through weaving workshops.  

The grass used for weaving is called rushes and grow near the seaside. 

Earlier rushes could be found every where in the area, but due to cultivation of the land and severe draughts some years ago, the rushes are harder to find these days. The rushes are dried for 2-3 weeks and soaked in warm water before weaving to become flexible. The rushes remind me of the grass (säv) used for weaving in my homearea in Finland and the baskets are suprisingly similar in expression. 

“Stitch by stitch, circle by circle. Weaving is like the creation of life, all things are connected" Auntie Ellen explains as she shows me how to weave. She's a patient teacher who sees teaching as her calling and as a way to keep the Ngarrindjeri culture alive. "Once people try weaving themselves, they truly appreciate the craft."

I couldn't agree more... 

I find it peculiar that I had to come all the way to the other side of the world to learn a weaving technique so similar to the one done in my home area. Maybe it's sometimes necessary to go via another culture, in order to fully appreciate your own. 

“When you are weaving you start small. Like your own family, as you weave out it’s like you are adding your grand children and then your relatives. The weaving binds them all together close to your heart. 

Auntie Eileen McHughes / Ngarrindjeri Weaver

TJANPI DESERT WEAVERS

Tjanpi Desert Weavers is an inspiring evidence of women craftmanship and creativity. What begun in 1995 as a project to create meaningful work for aboriginal women in remote parts of central Australia, has grown into a successful non-profit organization that today provides income for over 400 Aboriginal women artists in 28 communities. 

Fibre art is traditionally not made in Central Australia, but thanks to Tjanpi the interest for basket weaving is growing. Colored grass, feathers and other natural materials are made into baskets and sculptures with a truly unique and artistic expression. The women are paid upfront for their artwork which can be found in galleries and craft shops throughout Australia. 

Even if Tjanpi isn't part of our project is was a joyful experience to visit their gallery and shop in Alice Springs and listen to their story. A selection of their charming artworks can be purchased from their online gallery at http://www.tjanpi.com.au/. 

photos: Tjanpi Desert Weavers

SISTERS OF ARNHEM LAND

May has been a busy but exciting month for us, when we embarked on a road trip through the Australian continent to explore the aboriginal craft culture. For two weeks we drove 5400 kms from Darwin to Melbourne, visiting selected art and craft centers and met up with basket weavers in north, central and south Australia. A memorable trip through a magnificent Australian outback that  gave us a valuable insight into the aboriginal culture and traditional ways of living today. 

Many of the indiginous communities are situated in remote and restricted areas where non-aboriginal people need permits to enter. Living close with nature the aboriginal people can maintain the cultural and spiritual traditions of their anscestors. Most of the art and craft centers are aboriginal owned and play an important role in the cultural lives of these remote communities.

An extra long wet-season this year with massive floodings has made many communities in Arnhem Land inaccessible by road until just recently. Injalak Art and Craft Center in Oenpelli about 300 kms east of Darwin, is one of them. Situated in a truly beautiful area, surrounded by wide flood plains, spectacular rock formations with ancient rock paintings and billabongs. Bordering onto the true magical Kakadu National Park, it is the home of an aboriginal community of about 1400 inhabitants.

Injalak started 25 years ago and today about 200 local artists produce traditional fibre art, textile printing and paintings. Basket weaving is considered women's business while painting and textile printing is mainly done by men. All artists are paid up front for their work and the profit goes directly to the community. We met up with a few women artists to learn about traditional basket weaving.

The baskets are made from the leaves of the Pandanus tree which are typical for Arnhem Land area where fibre art has a very long tradition. In the early days the baskets were used to carry food and weaving materials but now they are mainly made to make a living and to keep the craft tradition alive.

The fibers are still dyed in a natural way with local berries, seeds and plants and are woven into colorful fibre objects. The colors of the baskets depend on the dyes available at the time, and baskets made in the wet season are usually brighter in color than the ones made during the dry season. Weaving is a natural part of daily life for the women and basketmaking gives them a fairly good income.

 The weaving skills are taught from mothers to daughters and granddaughters and with that a wealth of knowledge and cultural traditions are passed on.

“I ask them, What is this? They say, It’s a basket. I say, It’s not a basket, it tells a story, like you might write a story in a book. But without books. We have our hands and the basket - the colors and patterns in a basket are like letters, commas, capital letters. They are the message. With the diffrent colours, the different stichings, you start from small up and up and up. It’s like going through the university. 

...

When my grandmothers collected food, they saved it in a basket and shared it. Now we are putting our knowledge in the basket and we share it - mother to grandchildren - and now you have to share it with your family. Our stories are stories about connections between all women. It doesn’t matter which colour, we’re all the same. “

Lak Lak Burarrwanga / Weaving lives together at Bawaka 

Read more about Injalak Arts and Crafts on their webpage www.injalak.com

MAASAI MODERN - SIDAI DESIGNS

SIDAI DESIGNS is an inspiring mix of traditional women craft and contemporary design. Sidai Designs is a non-profit organization, founded by American designer Eszter Rabin in 2011 that works for sustainable employment and education among maasai women in northern Tanzania. Traditional beading skills are combined with modern aesthetics into beautiful accessories that appeal to the western market. The maasai women receive fair income for their work as well as education in reading, writing, Swahili and English. Their guiding values describes the essence of sustainable women craft. 

EMPOWERING WOMEN - We believe in empowering and supporting women in their community by creating a sense of purpose and hope through sustainable employment.

PRESERVING TRADITIONS - We believe in preserving the rich cultural heritage and beading skills of the Maasai that have been their mark of beauty and prosperity for centuries.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - We believe in providing a long-term solution to poverty by creating employment opportunities.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS - We believe in limiting our impact by using mostly recycled materials and educating our women about the importance of preserving the land.

FAIR WAGES - We believe in paying a fair income that allows the women to cover not only their basic needs and medical expenses but also education for their children and savings for their families.

EDUCATING A WOMAN IS EDUCATING A VILLAGE - We believe that when a woman is educated, it’s more likely that she will educate her children, which in turn benefits the community as a whole.

THE POWER OF ART AND CREATIVITY - We believe that creativity increases opportunities for self-expression and enjoyment, increases a sense of self-esteem, and builds social capital.

Read more about their work at www.sidaidesigns.com/ and support women craft by purchasing their beautiful accessories at http://shop-sidaidesigns.com/

photos: www.sidaidesigns.com