Domestic Bliss

PRESS RELEASE

18 JULY 2006

‘Domestic Bliss’

5 August – 10 September

Reform Gallery, Carterton

Life in the domestic sphere is the theme of a new exhibition by a group of Wairarapa women, opening at Reform Gallery on Saturday 5 August. Also during the exhibition will be a one-act play by New Zealand actress Helen Moulder, a talk by author, columnist and artist Rosemary McLeod, and hands-on crafting experiences for the public.

Domestic Bliss features paintings exploring memory, family history, and craft, alongside a series of ‘modernist’ cot quilts made of salvaged vintage fabrics (from Carterton!), and a wall of around 60 crocheted flower brooches, made collaboratively by the group. A donation to Wairarapa Women’s Refuge will be made for every flower sold.

A number of the women exhibiting in this show are mothers of young children, and have been meeting regularly over the past year to share ideas, drink tea and develop their creative work, hence the ‘Domestic Bliss’ title. The artists are Victoria Cassells, Roze Doherty, Bek Farr, Anne Irving-Taylor, Janie Knott, Jenni Lambert and Leanne Taylor. Events during the exhibition:

* Acclaimed New Zealand actress Helen Moulder performs her one act Playing Miss Havisham at Reform Gallery on Wednesday 9 August, 7.30pm. The play was staged at Circa Two, Wellington, and is now touring ‘small spaces’ throughout the country (see www.willowproductions.co.nz). Tickets $28, which includes a glass of wine and post-show talk by Helen Moulder.

* Brighten your day – and that winter coat! Learn how to make a crocheted flower with the Domestic Bliss artists. Everyone welcome on Friday 11 August and Saturday 12 August, at 10am-12pm and 1-3pm, at the Gallery. This is a free event, and materials are supplied.

* Rosemary McLeod talks about her Eleanor Page series – 21 unique dolls she handcrafted using found objects and salvaged fabrics, at Reform Gallery on Saturday 12 August, 3pm ($8 entry). Eleanor Page was exhibited at Bowen Galleries, Wellington in February this year, and Rosemary will bring several of her dolls to this event. Rosemary McLeod is a newspaper columnist and author of Thift to Fantasy, which documents handwork by New Zealand women, particularly from the 1930s to 1950s. She owns one of the largest collections of women's handcrafts in New Zealand.

Bookings are essential for Playing Miss Haversham and Rosemary McLeod’s talk, as seats are limited ( contact anne@reformgallery.co.nz or 06 39 7730).

ENDS

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