Artist Statement for:
“A Garden of Diversity”
Media: Embroidered Vegetable Print (Acrylic) on Cotton
By Sarah Shinkewski
The artisitc techniques for “Garden of Diversity” were inspired by our classwork in vegetable print-making and embroidery as well as from my artist presentation on the work of Alicia Ross, who combined her passions for phography, print making, and embroidery to make a political statement. With my series of images, I am paying homage to the “Rainbow Flag of Diversity and Peace” and the themes that it represents. I intend to hang these panels in the entryway to my classroom.
For the underlying themes of my work, my intention is to honour the beautiful, inspiring, immense diversity that is our human community.
I pay tribute to families of various back grounds, compositions and beliefs. I pay tribute to newly-arrived immigrant families, who are learning the languages and culture of a new land while enriching us with their own languages, cultures, traditions and ways of seeing the world. I pay tribute to the courage of those who left their homes in search of a new life and those who were forced to flee in search of safety.
I recognize and respect the people that have been here for one, or two, ten generations or more; families that have put their efforts into building a life here on this rich soil.
I pay tribute to our First Nations People who have been on this land from time immemorial, I thank them for their stewardship and for their teachings.
I embrace the multiplicity of world views: the diverse religions and cultural practices which enrich our community. I honour the wide variety of political and social points of view that enrich and inform our discourse and polish our jewel of a planet into a multifaceted shimmer.
I honour the love that is is expressed from parent to child, from one family member to another, from friend to friend, from one gender to the same gender or to another.
I pay my respect those who have persevered in the face of conflict to make certain that human rights and dignity are upheld. I admire those peacemakers who have struggled and continue to strive to live lives in accordance with their own beliefs, identities and directions.
I honour those who have faced persecution for the colour of their skin, or for the garments that they wear or do not wear, and for those who have endured ridicule or exclusion based on their size, features or abilities. I honour all who have struggled with the health of their bodies, their minds, or their spirits.
I am indeed blessed to be here and with my artwork, “A Garden of Diversity” I am expressing my joy and gratitude for this life I have been given, the world of which I am a part, and the human community we share.