Last week we ran an event with our Wave of Change group – one of this group, Anne, has written this blog for us all about the event!
As a celebration for International Women’s Day, 8 women brought together by the eighth Wave of Change programme planned and put on a day event on the top floor of Stockport Central Library on Tuesday 5th March.
It was called I AM WOMAN inspired by the feminist protest song from the 70s by Helen Reddy. We were celebrating all our strengths and skills as the wonderful women we are. We wanted to grow together and share our talents, confidence and connections.
We welcomed close to 100 people to visit our purple-decorated space filled with empowering female-led music. We had art displayed by Roya, Sahar, Elena and Pam. We also had workshops led by Pam, Didar, Emily and Naomi. We shared international food supplied by Culture Bridge and Heaton Norris Community Centre’s Arabic Café. The room was warm, welcoming and filled with female solidarity.
Jane and I greeted all our visitors at the door, many wonderful women and several men sharing in their allyship.
Roya shared her various artworks: ‘My artwork were some Persian illumination on their own and some combinations with Persian calligraphy and paintings style in realism and abstract, in different mediums; gouache, acrylic, watercolour, oil.’
Sahar displayed her weavings and paintings: ‘I am passionate about capturing the magic of nature through its vibrant colours. Whether I'm painting, weaving, or crafting, you'll often see me incorporating the stunning hues of sunrises and sunsets into my creations. I use colourful knitting wools for my weaving and air-dry clay and felt fabrics for my crafts. To explore my diverse artwork, please visit my Instagram page: Sahar.in.colourland’
Elena displayed her art and shared: ‘My artistic endeavours are deeply rooted in a blend of impressionism and figurative art, reflecting my fascination with human emotions and the subtle narratives woven into our daily lives. I am endlessly inspired by the thoughts and feelings evoked by the world around us, and my work seeks to capture and convey these fleeting moments. Each piece I create is a reflection of my inner landscape, a visual representation of my personal experiences and perceptions.’
Pam shared her tapestries and cross stitch lovingly created over many years and taught visitors cross stitch. She also shared a poem jointly created with her husband:
‘In a room where sunshine dawns light softly plays,
Pam weaves the tapestry of her days.
Threads of joy, grief, in patterns, spread,
Life’s rich fabric, in every thread.
With each pass, stories come alive,
In colours bold, her memories thrive.
A canvas vast, under her skilled hand,
Where past and future, together stand.’
Naomi shared her planting wisdom and empowering words as well as Donna Ashworth’s poem ‘You Are Nature’ shared with the poets permission.
Emily facilitated the completion of a communal jigsaw and shared out free jigsaws with our guests, who were thrilled!
Didar was massaging and sharing hand and nail care principles with each of her visitors which was very well received and she was busy from the beginning to the end of the event.
Jane creatively photographed all aspects of the event as you can see! All the workshops and exhibitions were busy all through the event. So much so that the facilitators disappointingly reflected that they couldn’t explore the event as a whole, or even eat the fabulous food!
Our guests and visitors were warm in their praise of our talents, skills and the event as a whole. Collecting feedback on their way out I was struck by the joy on our visitors faces. As I handed them beautiful prose written by Jane, many struggled to sum up their favourite aspects of the event as they had so many to choose from!
Some memorable feedback was that people felt the event was very relaxing and welcoming, they left feeling uplifted, empowered and joy at ‘meeting old and making new friends’. Numerous guests enjoyed the exhibitions, the workshops, the food and above all the female empowering solidarity on display!
I AM WOMAN grew into a great success and it wasn’t just the guests who left feeling empowered… We Wavers feel proud of our achievements; in what we can achieve with our own skills and in what we can achieve together. Thank you Wave of Change for the opportunity to celebrate I AM WOMAN!
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