Diving into Motherhood Sculpture – 1996
In 1996, Majura Womens Group worked with ceramicist Kayleen Watts to create a sculpture named Diving into Motherhood. The sculpture, which depicted a small fat woman diving off a high column into the unknown, was gifted to the Birth Centre at Canberra Hospital where it continues to amuse and intrigue mothers patiently awaiting their babies.
Dickson Pool Mosaic – 1999
In 1999, Majura Women’s Group came together to create a mosaic expressing the creative selves of its members. The mosaic depicted a woman holding a flowing ribbon reaching out and linking her with the people around her. It was gifted to Dickson Swimming Pool creating beauty and serenity in a rectangle on the pool wall. With her alluring smile, blue swirls and glittering curlicues, the mosaic delights mothers and their splashing children on warm summer days.
Canberra Hospital Textile Wall Hanging – 2001
In 2001, Majura Women’s Group used various dyeing, painting, printing, stitching and quilting techniques to transform a bolt of plain white cotton into a textile wall hanging measuring approximately 3.1m x 1.8m. It was gifted to The Canberra Hospital where it provides comfort to patients and their families. Julie Tarrant provided a personal account of the wellbeing benefits of the group at the launch of the ACT Action Plan for Mental Health Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention Plan 2006 to 2008. She recalls noticing the colours and images of the artwork while waiting alone in a corridor for news from her critically ill mother’s surgery. She went from feeling helpless and sobbing to experiencing a “wonderful feeling of hope fill my chest and imagin[ing] all those women who were there with me – most of whom I will never even know.”
Dickson Library Ceramic Tiles Mural – 2002
Majura Women’s Group collaborated with local ceramicist Bev Hogg to create the mural situated in the children’s reading corner of Dickson Library, which was launched by Katy Gallaghar with funding from artsACT. The mural depicts Australian animals – the cockatoo, the platypus, the kangaroo, the possum, the koala, the wombat and the mythical creature, the bunyip – that feature in famous Australian childrens’ books like the Magic Pudding. The handmade ceramic painted tiles are wonderfully tactile, which is perfect for children who love to touch everything!
QEII Mosaic – 2004
To celebrate Majura Women’s Group’s 25th anniversary, the group created a mosaic called “Nurture” with funding from artsACT. The piece is a true mixed media project incorporating everything from ceramic and vitreous glass tile to lego, baby bootees and handmade tile which makes for really interesting viewing and texture–and says a lot about motherhood. Over 50 women worked on the project, under the direction of community artist Linda Davy and interns Amanda Bruhn and Helen Martin from the Canberra Institute of Arts.
It was launched by Jon Stanhope on 18 March 2005 and was donated to the Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre. The name “Nurture” was chosen, according to Mia Menzies, the coordinator of the project, as it succinctly describes the essence of the Majura Women’s Group and QE II. At its launch, Ms Menzies reflected on how “empowering” the process of creating the artwork was for all women involved, and her hope that it will provide “an introduction to the idea of community social support for women at home with children”.
I’m Just A Mum: Rich stories of Motherhood – 2007
During 2007 the group undertook a narrative therapy project and published a book detailing the journey and worth of motherhood through the eyes of 18 full time mothers.
The book was a significant statement of support for those who chose to become full time mothers because often this particular group feel “their choice is not supported by the wider community”, that they are “overlooked” and “fall into being self-deprecating about [their role]”. It highlights the value of being a mother, and what that can bring to the community. It is a beautiful affirmation of the importance of motherhood in all its diverse forms and gives these women a much deserved voice, making this project particularly important for participants.
The project was completed with the aid of Majura’s sister group Brindabella Women’s Group, and local support agencies Relationships Australia, the YWCA, and Inanna.
The “I Promise Your Family Will Eat This” Cookbook – 2008
How many times have you stood in your kitchen and thought ‘I have no idea what to cook for dinner’? How do you find a meal that is nutritious, economical, different from last night, doesn’t take too long to make and, the killer, that the children will eat?
Majura Women’s Group, collaborating with Brindabella Women’s Group, set out to create a compilation of recipes that work for all busy mothers. These are the standby recipes that the women know the family will eat. The cook book was the culmination of a year-long project examining nutrition and physical activity, and as such contains numerous suggestions for good family physical activity at the end as well. Funding for the cookbook came from HEALTHPACT, the ACT Health Promotion Grants Program.
Kippax Library Heartland Mosaic – 2008
Majura Women’s Group worked with well known local community artist Tess Horwitz to design and make a mosaic entitled ‘Heartland’ which celebrates the group’s love for their home-town Canberra. The project, which was funded by ArtsACT, echoes many aspects of Canberra’s history, environment and geography from the bogong moths, to Parliament House, Northbourne Avenue, falling autumn leaves and the Canberra bushfires of 2003. It provided women with a chance to connect and learn mosaic skills. The mosaic was presented to the Kippax Library for the enjoyment of library users and staff.
Lyons ELC and Downer Community Centre Garden Blankets – 2011
In 2011, Majura Women’s Group worked on a textile display blanket with a Garden theme. Each term, the women learnt a new skill – felting, quilting and crocheting/knitting – before sewing the many pieces together to create two blankets. One wall hanging, featuring bugs, butterflies, fairies and flowers, was donated to Lyons Early Childhood School to delight the children while the other brightens the room at the Downer Community Centre.
MWG 40th Anniversary Mosaic – 2022
After the tumultuous few years of the COVID-19 pandemic incorporating various limitations such as virtual online meetings through Zoom, pre-packed craft kit activities, social distancing and the absence of morning tea, Majura Women’s Group was finally able to resume normal operations. The women began to reflect on what Majura Women’s Group meant to each of them, and particularly, the immense value of the group to their mental well-being and feelings of connectedness.
With the 40th anniversary of the group having just passed, most of the years spent meeting at the Downer Community Centre, Majura Women’s Group decided to contribute to the revitalisation of the square by creating a mosaic to brighten the wall around the central raised area, where the women attending had spent so much time sitting and watching the children play on the rocks after group each week.
The project began by brainstorming around the central theme of what Majura Women’s Group meant to each of the women. The same themes kept cropping up. Connection, creativity, self-care, knowledge, community, recharging and expanding oneself. The group then explored how they could visually represent these ideas, and set about drawing out the key imagery of the artwork. Majura Women’s Group engaged the help of local artist Tina van Raay to help bring the mosaic to life over several sessions, as the women learned how to cut and work with glass, and the complexity involved in constructing a large scale project.
Our mosaic celebrating 40 years of Majura Women’s Group is now proudly visible in the Downer Community Square, where it can bring joy to the community for years to come.
