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The SAORI Bridges of Elm Park

A Worcester Freestyle Weaving Studio Production

  

Photos of North Rail of Red Bridge Courtesy of Donna Dufault of Erb Photography (left) & Mihoko Wakabayashi (right)

A Community Peace Installation of 66 Banners in Elm Park, Worcester, MA, USA

                                                   Wed.-Sun., AUGUST 25-29, 2010                                                                             

Hand-Woven by Saori Weavers of Worcester & the World

Explore Our Rich Photo Galleries of the Bridges Installation

Photos by Erb Photography (official photographers for the exhibit), SAORI Worcester, and other local photgraphers (all photos credited)

THE HEART OF THIS GREAT HUMAN EXPRESSION KEEPS BEATING

THROUGH OUR SAORI BANNER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Sponsored by ARTS Worcester & SAORI Worcester Weaving Studio

PLEASE keep supporting the 15 low-income Worcester Public Schools students now Weaving on full scholarship at our Studio

by Sponsoring/Owning one or more of these exquisite Banners through your tax-deductible gift to ARTS Worcester!

Funds to get these dedicated students started came from Heroic Sponsors of the First 41 of our 66 Banners!

Now won't you please help support these blossoming young fiber artists by claiming the gorgeous banners still waiting for you?

VISIT the Individual Banners Gallery to see which tapestries are available, and to learn about all the Banner Donors and the Stories behind each Banner!

Interested in sponsoring-owning a banner? = Contact Us!!

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

For Basic Information on SAORI Weaving, visit our What Is SAORI? page.

The SAORI Bridges of Elm Park was a 5-day Community Peace Installation in Elm Park, Worcester, MA, one of the oldest public parks in the USA. It expressed the 3 basic ingredients needed for Peace in any community: Creativity, Co-operation, and Contribution. The installation consisted of 66 banners, hand-woven and donated by SAORI freestyle weavers who live locally, across the 50 states, across Canada, and in Japan. Many of the weavers are considered to have "disabilities", whereas others are not: within this project, such distinctions simply did not matter. The banners were draped over Elm Park's two iconic bridges by a team led by SAORI artist Mihoko Wakabayashi. The event marked the 25th anniversary of the bridges’ most recent restoration. Park visitors were able to view and touch the work from dawn to dusk daily, enjoying it from a distance or by walking on the bridges. The reflection of the banners in Elm Park Pond were an integral part of the total effect. Every evening during the installation, we held a community sing-along that brought people of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities together. The whole event was a moving experience for hundreds of people: artists, monitors, and anyone who came to enjoy it.

THE SAORI Worcester Scholarship Fund: How this Project keeps on working for Community Peace and Human Development

Since the installation, SAORI Worcester has been giving the banners as thank-you gifts to any individual, group, business, or organizational Sponsor who makes a tax-deductible gift to the SAORI Worcester Scholarship Fund, managed by ARTS Worcester, a not-for-profit local arts organization. This Fund provides tuition and materials for SAORI Freestyle hand-weaving classes for low-income, at-risk children attending Worcester Public Schools.

To express interest in SPONSORING a Banner, call Saori Worcester at 508-757-4646 or send us an email

CREATIVITY, CO-OPERATION, & CONTRIBUTION for this Installation

All labor, materials, and cost of shipping of the banners to Worcester were donated by the artists. Volunteers also provided round-the-clock monitoring over the 5 days of the installation to prevent mischief or vandalism. Erb Photography (http://erbphoto.com), the official photographer for this installation, donated a generous part of the cost of their services. The installation was co-ordinated with and drew additional attention to the August-October Art in the Park sculpture installation throughout Elm Park, and was an official “Art in the Park-related Event.”

For more about what this Exhibit means for: 1) SAORI in North America; 2) transforming our notions about "disability", & 3) those who will receive scholarships, read Nat Needle 1-page Essay

Also Read these Great articles about the Exhibit in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and in Worcester Magazine

                        Vision of Red Wooden Bridge by Painter Nancy Smith, imagined a year before the Exhibit         

 SAORI Worcester Freestyle Weaving Studio, 18 Winslow St., Worcester, MA 01609, offers classes year-round! To learn more...

Go to the Saori Worcester HOME page