24 March 2023 6:00-7:30 PM

Lovett Gallery, City Library

15 Laman Street, Cook’s Hill, Newcastle

Hear live Afghan music and meet featured Afghan-Australian designers, Social Fabric Workshop participants, and friends and supporters of Shared World Collective! We will celebrate the dresses, the stories, and the women at the heart of Social Fabric!

All welcome!

25 March 2023 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM

City Library, 15 Laman Street, Cook’s Hill, Newcastle

Come shop bright and beautiful Afghan and sustainable fashions and support Shared World Collective’s Social Fabric Workshops!

Featured vendors and offerings:

Anjilla Seddeqi - Arezu Dolls for UNHCR — cloth dolls handmade in India by Afghan refugee women. All proceeds support the work of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

AWARE – the social design project — clothing, including an exciting collaboration with Social Fabric Workshops embroiderers

Ghan Fashion—hand-embroidered summer-weight Afghan dresses

Śakena the Label—Bonbon clutches made from upcycled vintage embroidered Afghan textile pieces

Social Fabric Workshops—‘dress flower’ jewellery and other embroidery by Social Fabric Workshops participants

25 March 2023, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Lovett Gallery, City Library

15 Laman Street, Cook’s Hill, Newcastle

Join us for a lively conversation on fashion, women’s rights, and current events with featured Afghan-Australian fashion designers from the Social Fabric Exhibition. Moderated by Fashion Anthropologist Charlotte Smith!

Charlotte Smith is the Founder and Director of the Charlotte Smith Fashion Collection (formerly the Darnell Collection)—the largest private fashion collection in the southern hemisphere, and an avid collector of garments by Afghan-Australian designers. Smith’s interest in fashion is grounded in social and women’s history, and cultural history as told through fashion.

Saturday 22 April, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM

Saturday May 13, 10:30 AM -12:30 PM

Saturday 24 June, 1:00-3:00 PM

Location: Lovett Gallery, City Library, Newcastle, NSW

Join us for a friendly embroidery session facilitated by Afghan women from the Social Fabric project! Meet an Afghan-Australian embroidery artisan, hear her story, and gain inspiration from the beautiful designs within the Social Fabric exhibition. Participants are free to choose style of embroidery and project. Make a small piece that could be used as you like — perhaps an embroidered phone cover, a small wall hanging, or a clothing patch or pocket. No previous experience required! All supplies provided, and ideas and motifs will be available as needed. Event includes tea and Afghan sweets. Suitable for ages 13-adult. Bring a friend or make one!

Cost: $10

[bookings closed]

Come visit the Lovett Gallery on select Saturday mornings and meet a local Afghan artisan from the Social Fabric Workshops for a friendly chat. Learn about experiences in the workshops, favourite pieces from the exhibition, and journeys to Australia.

Sessions:

Saturday 15 April, 11-11:45am

Saturday 6 May, 11-11:45am

Saturday 27 May, 11-11:45am

Ages: Suitable for all ages.

Bookings essential

Spaces are limited so please cancel if you can no longer attend.

If you have any access or inclusion needs, please email library@ncc.nsw.gov.au

[bookings closed]

Saturday 29 April, 11am-12pm

Lovett Gallery, City Library, Newcastle

Join us for a not-to-be missed session on the world of ethical fashion and women’s empowerment. The conversation will be led by social entrepreneur and educator Yvie Scott, Founder of Aware: the social design project and Anna Spoore, Director of Uplift Fairtrade.

From design to manufacture to purchase, the fair trade/ethical fashion movement is concerned with the value of clothing—with fair wages and good working conditions—to improve the lives of producers and artisans around the globe. If you work in the fashion sector, are interested in promoting fair trade and ethical fashion, or are simply interested in how your consumer choices impact the lives of textile workers, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity.

[bookings closed]

Thursday 4 May, 6:00-7:00pm

Lovett Gallery, City Library, Newcastle

Hear from local intercultural dialogue expert, author, and human rights lawyer Sabrina Sharma on the intersection of intercultural dialogue and the Arts. Learn why this is an important discussion today, and how the arts can improve cross-cultural engagement and understanding.

Sabrina Iqbal Khan Sharma has spent her life in the UK, Australia, Fiji, and the Middle East.

She has a passion for peaceful community engagement and facilitating intercultural dialogue. She is a published writer, and her work is featured by the Center for Intercultural Dialogue.

[bookings closed]