First of February, the last month of summer as the sun tilted more to the side, was an auspicious day. I received an email inviting me to be on Strutt Your Stuff working committee by fellow artist Sheena Mathieson We had found recently we hold similar sensibilities around “art” “creativity” “inclusive”, “accessible” “for all abilities”.
Monday the sixth a warm and sunny day. Being not far from JStudio I rode up on my intrepid bicycle spotting an eclectic bunch of people sitting under a tree behind wire fencing.
Listening to the rippling of dreaming laced with many hopes and aspirations.
Mingled and punctuated with chilled tea and pressed fruit. It was not long before I was putting in my two bobs worth in. The conjuring meetings were held thus, weekly for an hour or so. With an emphasis on the so.
Quick as a flash we were holding an all-day workshop to facilitate rippling of dreams. There was printing, sewing, flower making, inking, medallion making with the weaving of words folding in and around the room. The day was gentle and enlivening at the same time.
Emails were piling up turning into the great scroll rolling through the ‘burbs. Social media was abounding with the clinking of the keyboards accompanied by the whoosh of up loading images. As the scroll was lengthening and the social media jamming we could feel the Strutt Your Stuff fashion Carnival was quickening.
Angela Pollock, Sheena’s right arm, extruded always a calm joviality keeping the volunteer bees humming. I loved it reveling the inclusiveness of it. Here we were all abilities ages all shades of beauty working toward a totally inclusive fashion parade.
Like the autumn settling the event was like leaves falling into place naturally in their own spot yet part of the all. On 18th day of Autumn the weather like us were calm going about our busyness dressing up JStudio, a little old rundown ex primary school. We scrubbed, swept, decorated installed whizzed to shops and back. All matter of doing activities.
17th day of Autumn had arrived, the evening of the grand fashion event was upon us. Like the weather, the gale force winds that accompanied the heat, swept us off our feet. The day was filled with doing those last minute tasks.
The photographs will tell part of the tale now. Welled up with happiness witnessing inclusion at its best and gentlest, I left after the fashion show to go to a dual 50th. I will put that day down as a bestie.
