Grandmother Council,
Workshops, Art, Music, Dance, Honoring Ceremony for The Women
Elders of Our Community
Living Earth Circle’s Grandmother
Council honors the women elders of our community and creates
a unique forum for their wisdom and expertise to be shared.
The event is open to men, women and
children and features a public Council of Women Elders, a broad
spectrum of workshops on personal wellness and social and environmental
responsibility, and an Honoring Ceremony for “Women of
Age and Wisdom”.
| Where: |
Ashland
Middle School,
100 Walker Ave, Ashland, OR |
| When: |
Saturday, April
1, 2006 - 8:30 am - 6pm |
| Tickets: |
Available at
Soundpeace |
| Cost: |
$75- $30 (sliding
scale) in advance
$75- $40 (sliding scale) at the door
$10 work/trade available (details)
scholarships available |
Among this year's
honorees are:
Agnes Baker Pilgrim, Gangaji, Harriett Rex Smith,
Jean Mountaingrove, Charu Colorado, Anne Stine
Irene Kai, Mouna Wilson, Marie Hunter-Ripper
Special Performance by
The Rogue Valley Peace Choir,
Debut of
The Children's Peace Choir
A
key intention of the conference is seeding and strengthening the
coming together of individuals for the betterment and stewardship
of our world. This includes a focus on personal growth and co-creativity.
The Wise Women's Memorial altar
will again be co-created by attendees, who are invited to bring
pictures or writings.
COLLECTIVE ART PROJECT:
Celebrating our theme of Empowering Creativity a collectively-
created art project will be open throughout the day at the conference.
A hoop-web frame has been made by Living Earth Circle as the
frame to support community inspiration. The hoop represents
the Earth and the web reflects all of creation. Onto it, we
invite you to weave your positive visions for the well-being
of all our relations. We will have many types of materials
available. All are welcome to come and co-create! All day and
workshop session #1.
 Don't
miss the Grandmother Council Art Show
hosted by the Nuwandart Gallery
for the month of April.
Opening on First Friday, April 7
Click
for Details...
|
GREAT
GRANDMOTHER
by Jessica Carper
2006 Grandmother
Council Commemorative Painting
ARTIST
STATEMENT FOR “GREAT GRANDMOTHER” (painting)
Great Grandmother is an archetypal representation of all the
grandmothers that have come before us, all those who are here
with us, and all those who will be coming to us in the future.
She stands liberated in nature smiling because she is at peace
with herself and the world around her.
The mountains behind her symbolize
her connection with her mother, the earth, and her father, the
sky. In another sense they symbolize the spiritual growth she
has gained and integrated into a material form for all those
around her to experience. Mountains offer us stability, changelessness,
and comfort much like the love of a grandmother. The moon peaks
up over the great purple mountain in fullness shedding light
in the deep dark sky. The cycles of the moon not only symbolizes
the passage of time, much like the creases and worn skin on
an elder, but also in a feminine sense symbolizes knowledge
acquired through deep reflection, since the moon reflects the
sun’s light. As Great Grandmother has changed and grown
she, like the full round moon in the painting, reaches her fullest
potency.
She reminds us that our lives
will forever be evolving towards wholeness and gently reminds
us of the things we must reflect on and not ignore in our lives.
The illuminated apple tree represents the sustenance, in the
form of love, wisdom, and knowledge, she will leave behind her
to all those who care to listen and remember her legacy. The
apple represents the courage it took in her life to search for
consciousness, to taste the truth behind illusions, and take
action even when it put her reputation at risk.
The flowers below her signify
Great Grandmothers beauty and femininity and their rainbow of
colors display the full array of her personality. Red representing
her passion for life, yellow representing the joy and laughter
she has shared with those around her, the blue representing
her secrets and mysteries, and the purple representing her intuition
and courage. The spider’s web that surrounds her signifies
the visions she has weaved throughout her lifetime. With each
string added, the web increases in size encompassing and connecting
us with her offerings.
Great Grandmother stands in
the middle of all that she has created with open hands offering
us her divine grace and blessings. She stands before us free
of fear giving us life energy and reminding us how she has so
dutifully served each one of us. Her tender old hands show us
all that she has accomplished and given so freely of herself
and all that she still wants to give. Now is our time to listen.
ABOUT
THE ARTIST (painting)
My name is Jessie Carper and I am 23 years old. I moved from
Blacksburg Virginia to Ashland in August to continue soul searching
in a new atmosphere. I currently explore several mediums, including
costume making, painting, sewing, found object sculpture, and
writing. Each medium allows me to experience different challenges
providing opportunities to develop diverse ways to go about
the creative process. My ideas derive from my intuition, my
heart, and from a higher consciousness. I feel that an inner
light, which makes most of my art an extension of my individuality,
guides my art. For this reason, my art is deeply personal, expressive,
emotional, and spiritual. The goal of my art is to discover
freedom, love, and healing, in hopes of perpetuation feelings
of hope, growth, and inner motivation from the viewer.
