News Flash...radio interview

This is the way the prayer flags come off the loom~ one long strip

About two or three years ago (specifics elude me) I was interviewed by Gabriele Bartholomew from Everett, Washington who has a show called "The Power of Peace" on WKSER.  She just emailed that my interview, with a brief update and invitation to participate in the grand finale, will be re-airing on Monday, August 1st at 6:00 Pacific Daylight Time, which you can hear streaming live on the web at www.kser.org  (also at 90.7 FM in Washington state). Check it out!! Listen live! Set your alarm...that's 9 PM east coast folks!

 

 

The prayer flags get zig-zagged and cut apart.

 

 

 

 

Here in the studio, the weaving proceeds with love, prayer and beauty. Thanks to all the amazing weavers who give of their time and effort to bring these small works of art and love to life.

Joanne's waste basket is filled with a riot of threaded colors.

Julie helps her grand daughter weave.

Joanne is one of my sewers. She takes a roll of flags and sews at home. The odd threads and bits of yarns that came off the flags as she trimmed them created a beautiful Jackson Pollock thrum-painting!

Thanks to everyone for all the support, the encouragement and the donations to help fund this project through the summer. I will be sending out more flags to donors this week...watch your mail box...and PLEASE send me photos of where you hang them!!

Peace and Love ~ Sarah
P.S. Remember to listen ~ Monday, August 1st at 6:00 Pacific Daylight Time, streaming live on the web at www.kser.org 

St Helena, Mid-Atlantic Pilling School

Conversation over threads

Stephen rode his bike over to weave!

Almost every day now, I have weavers (more truthfully folks who come are not weavers but willing to give it a try!) come to the studio to help create prayer flags for hope, goodwill and peace for all beings.

Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, said that  "the antidote to violence is conversation". I also recall Pete Seeger said something similar (to paraphrase)"when people have conversations, they break down barriers and create community".

A genuine message of love from a young weaver!

Sometimes I think that my community art work is simply to offer opportunities for people to talk with each other.

The simple act of sharing words, of speaking from one's heart, listening to the thoughts and concerns of another, slowly, thoughtfully, word by word....this makes a better world for us all.

Thus I witness the time spent here in the studio, weaving, chatting, listening, builds a healthier planet for all beings.

Reading messages in Market Square, Portsmouth is another opportunity for conversation, for touching to lives of others, for engagement between people and for creating healthy connections. I will be reading this last batch of peaceful messages sometime in late August. Stay tuned for the date and time.

As this message here suggests "Do what you can". What I can do is create opportunities for conversation, for one person to listen and another to speak.

I believe that this world will be a better place when we talk and when we listen. Woven voices become one voice, one heart.

Thank you to everyone for your generosity in supporting this project and your kind words to encourage this work.  In closing here is a link to an old video I just rediscovered that tells about the project. Enjoy!

Peace and Love ~ Sarah

Old friends ~ weaving and sharing.

Roll Call

Lauren and Dallas aboard their boat in South Africa

Here it is...my list of sweet amazing, beautiful glorious backers for the Woven Voices Grand Finale ! Love love love you all!

Elizabeth Carroll-Horrocks, Kay Crouch, Linda George, Julie Steedman, Argy Nestor, Clare Rogers, Paula Nordwell, Deborah DeCicco, Brad Sherman, Barbara Patton, Carla Kaatz, Janet Langlois, Mary Krempels, Helen Reid, The Island Women 2011, Cynthia and Robert Cobb, Cheryl Emery, Kitty Davis, Pauli Rines, Gretchen Hunsberger, Arlene Brewster, Antoinette, Critser, Christina Ouimet, Kimberly Cloutier-Green, Nancy Webb, Elaine Krasker, Steve Barndollar, Nancy Winterbottom

Peace Weavers

Julie Townsend, Patricia Lennon, Christina Sabella, Angie Arndt, Susan Tesar, Katherine Walker, Peter Vandermark, Chris Nolan, Tim Gadreau, Lisa Buell, Sherrill Fawcett, Helen Weigel, Lisa Rockenmacher, Elizabeth Knowlton, Al Bragalone, Susan Hoff, Diane Brandon, Holly Zurer, Jan Hubbell, Chris Kelly, Joanne Holman, Jane Malik, Karen Traversy, Teresa Penbrooke, Sally Fleming, Jewel Beth Davis, Cindy Luce, Anne Knight, Ashley Bush, Tricia Frey, Barbara Mcintyre, Catherine Grace, JoAnn Souza

Messages and flags in Market Square, Portsmouth, NH

Rosanne Adams, Gini Fitzgerald, Mary Louise Haskell, Susan Treleaven, Sally McCue, Susan Morris, Carter Siegel, Darcy Scott, Paula Roy, Phyllis Detwiler, Margaret Carol Dreyfus, Kate Kirkwood, Sally Jones, Anne Cram, Francesca Loren, Katie Moody, Janet Prince, Dawn Pepe, Laurel Stutsman, Sandra Bisset, Mara Khavari, Nancy Frederick, Julianna Donofrio, Kate, Agnes Charlesworth, Cynthia Limauro, Janice Tooker, Joan Dougherty, Daria Tansey, Monica Stone, Sue Pollock, Leslie Aisner Novak, Nancy Hiatt,

Messages of love and peace come from all over the globe.

Jessica Garfield-Kabbara, Jayne Winsor, Andrea Ouellette, Lee Roberts, Steven A. Holt, Leaf Seligman, Pobble, Kate Clark, Pam Bourgeois, Mary Bencks, Anne Fowler, Elizabeth Shapiro, Anne Bencks, Andrea Fox, Myra Weiss, Gil Williams, Lucia McBee, Berri Kramer, Sally Allen, John Wilson,  Peter Leibert, Cindy Heath, Adair Rowland,  Jennifer Stevens, Kate Zamarchi,  Thomas Bilodeau,  Susan Kaufmann

Prayer flags add grace and beauty ~ Emily agrees!

Grace Lessner, Jennifer Lawson, Magi Leland, Becky May, Lois Howlett, Tannye Wold, Jane Bernhardt, Nathaniel Warren-White, Jane Morris, Maura Khan, Bonnie Jo Radasch, Martha W. Nichols, KelLee Larson, Gabriele Bartholomew, Earlene,  Elizabeth Dennison, Rosemary T Clough, Mary Lou Bagley, Jill Peek, Pete Greider, Bill Lord, Nancy, Mary Krause 

I thank you and bow to you.  Love, Sarah

In the Groove!

summer in Maine!

Steamy summer weather has finally seeped into the bones of southern coastal Maine.  I LOVE this time of year, and am grateful for the LONG days so that I can pack as much into them as possible. These days I am packing a lot in!!

The flags are woven in one long continuous strip

Nearly every day I have weavers here to help. So far we have woven and sewn nearly 200 prayer flags thanks to the Peace Weavers!

Please let me know if you would like to help with this part of the Woven Voices project.
As most of you know our Kickstarter fund drive was very successful!! Thanks to all my sweet amazing backers!! If you missed the boat to jump on board as a backer...it's not too late! Several people have been moved to send a contribution with a check via snail mail. All support is gratefully accepted!! Thank you!!

Nurses at Bridgewell Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio holding prayer flags

There are a few other ways to you support this project from afar ~~

• Donations of ribbon and yarns for weaving. Send them to my studio address: P.O. Box 452, York, ME 03909
• Installation suggestions for the prayer flags, especially near Ground Zero. Contact information is most helpful. International locations.connections especially appreciated!

I am continuing to send out prayer flags to folks who have contributed messages and will start sending flags to my sweet backers soon.

Thanks to everyone for all the support for this project.  
Woven Voices is Peace made visible.

Jette beams with her prayer flag!

With deep gratitude and Love ~ Sarah

Lift Off!!

Peace weavers quartet !

Yesterday at about 3 PM EST, the Kickstarter pledge drive came to a finish. Pledges were still coming in up to the last hour. THANK YOU to ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL BACKERS!! I am so honored and amazed to have the support and backing of each of you who contributed on-line as well as those who sent me checks and even those who reached directly into their pockets and gave me cash. The Grand Finale for Woven Voices is now a reality...and in full swing!!

flags on the loom

gorgeous pile of peace flags!

So now we weave, and weave and weave!! Thus far we have woven about 200 prayer flags. They go quickly and easily with no prior weaving experience is necessary. Please email me to find out the schedule. I can accommodate up to 4 weavers at a time. Many weavers come more than once. I look forward to welcoming all ages and abilities to the studio to help us weave Peace together. 

There are a few other ways you can lend support to this project.

The long continuous strip of flags

• Sewing the flags ~ the prayer flags are woven in one long continuous strip on the loom. We can get about 20 woven, then we have to cut off the flags and sew the edges by machine so that they don't unravel. We are looking for folks who might like to sew, either here in the studio or at home.

 Sewing the flags

Mother/Daughter Peace Weavers

• Materials ~ we are gathering yarns and ribbons to use in the weaving. Clean out that closet and send us your donations!!
• Ideas ~ where shall we send and install these 1000 prayer flags?? I am open to your ideas and suggestions, preferably with names and contact info. I am currently researching Ground Zero contacts. All ideas welcome. 
• Messages are still welcome until August 15th. Please see the blog side bar for more info.

Postcard Underground words of encouragement!

And finally ....there have been multiple lessons that I have learned over the past three and a half years that I have been guiding this global Peace project. The biggest lesson is one that is continuously repeated, just because I guess I need it!!

The lesson is to keep doing this work, even in the face of obstacles. And then when I least expect it, there is an affirmation that what I am doing makes a difference. This week I have been the recipient of a post card campaign of Anonymous Love from the Postcard Underground. So far I have received about 6 postcards from strangers with words of encouragement and admiration. Wow!! These lift me up and make me smile!! Thanks Postcard Underground !!

So with a full heart and a happy spirit I return to the loom. Thank you all for the Kickstarter backing, for the words of encouragement, for the weaving/sewing/materials and message of Peace and hope. Thread by thread, we are making a difference!
Love ~ Sarah

Happy Peace-filled Independence day!!

What I do best.......

prayer flags in NH garden

As a weaver, my work is all about building webs, creating connections. I use threads to create visual works that nurture, support and inspire connections between people, animals, nature and the invisible mysteries of this world. This is what I do best.

Gifting prayer flags to Kopang

Last night I had a very sweet surprise when I opened my email box. There I found a note and photos from an Phaphama, organization in Johannesburg, South Africa. This winter I sent several prayer flags to them while I was in Cape Town.  The big surprise was that I thought that the flags had been lost in the mail and I had given up hope of locating them.

Little did I know that the ripple of love and peace that began months ago with the gathering of these messages was weaving magic thousands of miles across the globe.

In this photo, two of the prayer flags are being gifted to a women's project called Kopanang, an embroidery project run by women who are infected by HIV/AIDS. I am so moved that these flags are being used for such powerful and healing work.
This is peace, hope, love and community in action. This is the Woven Voices project at its best.

Garden door prayer flag

Jack and Jean London at Topsail House Simonstown, South Africa
http://www.topsailhouse.co.za/

As noted in previous a previous blog I am creating a Grand Finale for this global community art project.

In order to make this happen I need your support. Please check out the Kickstarter website. There is a two minute video that explains everything.

Loraine in Simonstown, South Africa

~ Peace ~

Please share the opportunity to support this project  . This is what I do best......use my skills as a weaver to build community, foster positive energy and build a stronger web of love for this planet for all beings.
I am grateful for your support and affirmation of this work.

Namaste ~ Sarah

1000 prayer flags for Peace ~ The Grand Finale !

Positive message from around the globe

Today is Friday June 3, 2011. Nearly three and a half years ago I began "Woven Voices: Messages from the Heart".

Messages from Iraq

My original thought was that this would be a 6-8 month project. Little did I know that I would receive over 800 messages in the first month, and over the next few years, the messages have kept coming, and coming. Heartfelt, eloquent, simple and artistic. Messages from schools, book groups, individuals and communities. Each message has been read out loud in Market Square. Each message has been spoken and released to the breezes. Each message has been given voice by someone other than the creator. Each message has been heard and honored.

The looms have traveled to bring the weaving out to the greater community

These messages have been woven by community volunteers into over 500 prayer flags. Many messages are still waiting to be woven.

Reading messages in Market Square Portsmouth, NH

Prayer flags hang all over the world

Dispersed over all over the world are over 500 prayer flags. Some hang in private homes and gardens. Some are in very public locations and some are installed in secret venues.

These prayer flags unravel, fade and release the messages of peace, hope and renewal to all beings.
One of the founding principles of this project has been the Buddhist concept of impermanence. Nothing lasts forever. And so it is with this project. I have decided to bring this project to an honorable and fitting conclusion.

Bringing the project to closure by weaving 1000 prayer flags.

 My plan is to weave 1000 prayer flags by September 11th, 2011. Between the dates of September 11th (the 10th anniversary) and the 21st (International Day of Peace) I will disperse these prayer flags to a variety of international locations, including dozens to Ground Zero in NYC.

Please help  ~ Today I launched a Kickstarter fund drive to help fund this grand closure to "Woven Voices". You can help by making a pledge here. Every dollar will help fund studio overhead, weaving materials, postage to send these prayer flags and for travel costs to NYC on 9/11/11. Plus there are rewards for donors...check it out!

I have self funded this project from the start, but I now need your support. Please go to the Kickstarter site and make a pledge to help bring "Woven Voices" to a grand culmination.

I am SO grateful to everyone for your continued support for this project. And I look forward to your help to fund this final phase of "Woven Voices: Messages from the Heart".

Prayer flags in Nepal

Thank you. Peace, Sarah

P.S. I will be continuing to accept your messages to be read and woven into prayer flags until August 15th.