VICTORIAN BUSHFIRE APPEAL ...
This weekend just passed, Victoria in Australia has seen the most horrible and horrific of disasters, one not experienced here in modern times . It is hard to identify with what has been happening because to identify with the lessons to be learned from this experience, we need to delve into a situation of which it is easy to run and hide from. In our humble modern humanity there are those of us who still find it difficult to accept our vulnerability against the fury of the elements. And the flames were furious and many lives were lost. There are fires still burning.
Fingers are being pointed and many people want answers that may never come, but I guess from this singular perspective, I can only pray that if there was criminal intent, justice will be served.
For another perspective, Miranda Divine writes opinion for the Sydney Morning Herald and has raised the questions environmentalists will cringe to read, may indignantly defend or may pray that a balance can be found where we are not choosing between populations and vegetation density or our habitat. Particularly when we have been, and are from that habitat and many of our peers have now gone back to it's Earth element through those fires of havoc.
Lots of us have already given all the spare funds that we can, but if you can give still... here is the donation link for the Red Cross, you can also donate blood to help if you can (thnx bites)...
There are also many other items and general living things that may be called for such as:
The latest request for the bush fire victims
We have had an extremely sombre request today.
Wallan Community Centre has put out an urgent request for suits. These suits are for families who have lost relatives, and also their homes, and need them to attend their relatives’ funerals. Any shape and size of suit is fine.
If you have anything you would like to donate – please let me know.
Kind regards,
Kristin Flanagan
Events and Communications Coordinator / Special Projects
E: flanagank@missionaustralia.com.au | P:(03) 8615 2266 | M: 0458 372 765
A: Level 2, 398 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000 | W: http://www.missionaustralia.com.au
(thnx Melinda)
The good artists at RedBubble have also organised The Phoenix Appeal to raise more funds for the many many families and communities that require rebuilding...
Victoria's bushland and wildlife will feel the effects of these fires for the remainder of the century.
The Art Action Union extends it's thoughts and hopes to the victims and heroes, peace and love.
BY CONTRAST ...
The entire north of Queensland has officially 'plunged' into flooding disaster status. Raining since January and with cyclones and king tides, it's been described as a downpour of "biblical proportions".
HUMAN RIGHTS POETRY SUBMISSIONS ...
New Internationalist is a magazine with the bi-line, 'The people, the ideas, the action in the fight for global justice'.
Their website footer states: "New Internationalist (NI) workers' co-operative exists to report on issues of world poverty and inequality; to focus attention on the unjust relationship between the powerful and the powerless worldwide; to debate and campaign for the radical changes necessary to meet the basic needs of all; and to bring to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice."
It has a passionate feel and a definite yet subtle 'angstyness' about it, including aesthetic and appropriate design that is balanced by the obvious intelligence of the data encapsulated in the immediately recognisable stories of appeal.
The extra creatively activist angle is that they are currently looking for poetry to highlight the constant vigilance we keep for the prevalence of human rights around the world.
Rhymes for Rights - New Internationalist Magazine
Our Publications Team are busy compiling a human rights based poetry anthology with poets from around the world. The aim is to have a hundred poems from a hundred different poets. And we need your help! If you have a favourite poet or poem that you think might fit the bill, please email us your suggestions.
Interpret human rights in the broadest possible sense; we're not just after poetry of protest; affirmations are as valuable (and much harder to find) as complaints; translations are fine; poets should be fairly contemporary (ie 20th century to ones still alive); established names and unknowns equally welcome.
Please email your suggestions to: rightspoetry@newint.org
WHY THE ART ACTION UNION LOVES ARTISTS THAT LOVE THE WORLD ...
Our Mission Statement:
+ to empower and gather activist artists together to broaden the appeal of communication of messages regarding important issues in society.
+ to promote and market our activities with a critical mass wherever possible to strengthen voice and communication of the message.
+ to ACTION issues as they arrive and when needed, but to also continually create awareness about social justice and topics that are always under scrutiny or are concerning to the artists.
+ to forge links with larger and more influential socially active community networks, in order to get exposure to coordinate with whatever we are needed for and to hopefully gain artists opportunities to get their ideas into the public arena through print, internet and ultimately traditional events such as exhibitions.
+ to stimulate awareness amongst our communities by actively acting collectively and artistically.
+ aspire to inspire.
Some specifically related info:
The Basics of Pro-Activist Art For Social Change
Terms and Conditions of Membership of the Art Action Union and our basic (very basic) Legal Disclaimer.
ART ACTION UNION LINKS DIRECTORY ...
Visiting this page will take you to a list of Art Action Union directory links, this page is intended to be a quick guide to all the pages and networks and affiliations and groups where the Art Action Union (or I as your spokesperson) have a presence. There are still more to add but I would love to hear of more networks where art and activism are a major topic. If you know of any sites that we could sign up to with a view to awareness of the work that activist artists do, and that they need support with promotion (and yes financially too), please send me an email.
The AAU is many things, it can be a place of venting, a place of healing, an art gallery, a discussion forum. It is a collaboration in itself, and all the sites we add and spread our peace dove wings to, become part of that collaboration and the internet, be it an art site, a social networking site or whatever, is not only our canvas, but our voice and our medium for public ethics and morality to be called on in a continuous and diverse and fun and accessible way.
AND NOW FOR SOME ENTERTAINMENT ...
The artists of this collective are BRILLIANT!!! We have already accumulated a vast amount of intelligence and perspective and it just makes a big beautiful bowl of news and arts for me to write about. So for this section of our bumper news mail today - sit back and relax while I unearth some of the passionate people of our experiment.
Visual Fusion Collations:
shanghaiwu - is a digital fusion artist who is heavily influenced by her personal experiences in China and Japan, she lives in Australia.
Curious Comic Collations:
Mark Brumfield's eclectic and creative comic commentaries are inspiring, check out the shapes and vividness of colour contrasted with age old characters with quirky texts.
Audio Collations:
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