SUDANESE women, who created art work for Maribyrnong City Council’s Umoja Project last year, will have their art on exhibition at Craft Victoria on Flinders St from 1 May to 13 May.
The project, involving artist Sara Thorn and local participants, created traditional African works of art and incorporated elements of their Australian experience.
The crafts are predominately functional and sought after within the Sudanese community for use as gifts for new brides, new mothers or home decorations.
Twelve women from north and south Sudan took part in the project; some were new arrivals while others had been living in Australia for a number of years.
Mayor Michael Clarke said many of the participants were experiencing a major life shift, settling in a new country, with considerable demands on their time and energy.
“Despite this, they dedicated themselves to the project and generated stunning results,” he said.
The council held workshops for the participants, inviting them to develop new designs based on traditional techniques.
One participant used grasses from the banks of the Maribyrnong River to make a basket.
The title of the project ‘umoja’ is Sudanese for ‘unity”.
