We were lucky to work alongside two amazing artists, Margaret and Thea, towards exhibits for the Dandenong Cultural Threads Exhibition. We embroidered a large tapestry and made
‘leaves’ for the displays in Harmony Square and Heritage Hill. Jo M. was invited to give the address at the
launch of the Exhibition at Heritage Hill, and her speech is attached:
"Thank
you for giving me this opportunity to tell you a little bit about The Open
Door. For those of you who don’t know, The
Open Door is a centre for creative spirituality here in Dandenong and a ministry of the Sisters of St John of God.
My name is Jo and I’m part of The Open Door Team.
Our
centre started @ 8 years ago with a dream of Sr Columba. Her vision was to
offer a place where people of all beliefs (or none) are welcome to explore their spirituality through creativity, and a place to do
this safely, without any judgement.
The
dream materialised into a lovely little house around the corner from here in
Ann Street, where we offer a wide range of workshops in the creative fields;
art of soul, creative writing, a variety of Meditations, a sing-a-long, cooking
workshop, book club, tai chi, gospel workshop, guided walks and retreats, card
making, and of course our sewing circle.
By operating
from this welcoming place, and offering hospitality and acceptance, we hope people
feel free to express their own creativity without fear or judgement that the outcomes of creativity are not the
focus, rather the joy of creating is
(and that’s not to discount the artwork people do, because they have amazing
talent). Being creative and sharing it with
others can be daunting. It requires an honest exchange and a safe
place where people can challenge ideas, fearlessly experiment and learn new
skills. We think The Open Door
provides this space.
As you can imagine, the
end products of our creativity vary dramatically with each individual, as
people are expressing what is important to them in a manner that is relevant,
challenging and fun. No two stories in the creative writing group
are ever the same even if they start with the same prompt, no piece of artwork
is ever an exact ‘replica’ and every sewing project is unique to its creator. It
is very rewarding to see people flourish with the skills they learn from each
other, their originality, the artwork they produce, and the friendships that
are formed.
*Just to let you know, we don’t have official teachers
running our workshops – it’s the people who come along to The Open door who
have a talent they’re willing to share that we learn from. We have a mutual understanding; we all learn
from each other, and there is no shortage of talent here within the Dandenong
Community.
Over the 8 year journey our centre has gone through many transformations;
the garage into an art studio (thanks to East Dandenong Rotary), a
self-contained bungalow in the backyard into a multi-purpose studio, we’ve
acquired a piano for our singing group, not
to mention numerous sewing machines, sewing equipment and materials for our
Sewing circle (thanks to friends of our community for their donations). We are a constant work in progress and are
growing all the time. It’s exciting.
We meet a diverse
group of people at The Open Door. People
at different stages in their lives, different ages, people of different backgrounds,
races, and cultures. We believe culture is intrinsic to communities, and
art is an important aspect of culture. Having common ground, such as a creative workshop to explore
art/craft can be an effective way to connect and learn from each other. As can catching up following a workshop with
a cuppa and a chat or a laugh. Creativity has a way of connecting people of all ages and backgrounds, a place
where they can trade skills and share stories.
We are also
connected with organisations such as ERMHA, Mind Australia, and Pinelodge
Clinic to name a few. We have people
come along to our workshops from these organisations. There
is an understanding that being creative and part of a community can be
essential to address social issues such as isolation, mental health, etc. Everyone is
welcome at The Open Door.
We are also associated with The Dandenong Library – it has
been a great source of ideas and support, as
of course, has been Dandenong
Council.
This is actually the second Cultural Threads exhibition we
have been a part of, and our community thoroughly enjoys participating in a
joint community project. We take pride in seeing our work on display
within our community. It’s a
thrill. The textile artists, Margaret
and Thea have been a delight and have fitted in with our sewing circle like old
friends (they even laughed at the jokes we told!) They have shared their talent and have trusted
us with their vision for this display and we have loved every minute with them. Greer and Koula are also wonderful in keeping
us informed of community projects. We
are blessed to be a part of a caring and supportive network.
We believe
life is about understanding and caring for yourself and improving your
relationships with friends, family and workmates. We recognise that joy, love and kindness are
intrinsic elements of a good life.
We hope to
keep The Open Door dream alive and to see you one day for a workshop."
