Beaded Ubuhle Beauty

 

Beads! These wall hangings are entirely tiny glass beads!

Welcoming us as if to South Africa, gentle, lilting rhythms of Bholoja’s “Mbombela” set a quiet mood in the Paine mansion’s main gallery. Awestruck by this immense wall hanging, I wandered wide-eyed to it without even reading the background placard. I felt a mixture of sorrow for Christ on the cross and curiosity about related scenes such as the Garden of Gethsemane and the resurrection-symbolizing rainbow just behind the cross. This artwork’s sheer size was symbolic of the grandeur and import of the inspiring event. That it drew me irresistibly, viscerally, said as much.

 

My appreciation grew when I did go back and read the placards explaining this art form. “Beadwork and the Art of Independence” is a traveling exhibit of the intricate designs of Ubuhle women, who sew shimmering glass beads on black cloth. Fulfilling the founders’ vision for traditional beading skills to provide financial independence, these rural women live and work together just north of Durban. A single panel can take ten months to complete. Ubuhle means “beauty” in the Zulu and Xhosa languages.

 

Another panel especially captivated me. Here is a photo of part of Zandile Ntobela’s “Cherry Tree” beaded design.

 

 

Just as we enjoyed the vision of Nathan and Jessie Paine to create beautiful gardens, we enjoyed incredible woodworking and design elements inside their home. During our visit, the Paine Art Center in Oshkosh showcased glass beadwork of South African Ubuhle women, whose art was also the lovely result of two people’s vision.

For more info: https://www.thepaine.org/events/ubuhle-women-beadwork-and-the-art-of-independence/   

Oshkosh in winter

 Thirteen named gardens grace the grounds of the Tudor-Revival-style mansion that is the Paine Art Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. At www.thepaine.org, you can read descriptions of the sweeping Front Lawn and the dramatic path through the Great Lawn. A silvery foliage palette in the Morning Terrace catches both sun and moonlight. By contrast, the Evening Terrace reflects the sunset’s golden glow. There’s a Rose Garden, a Shade Garden, U.S. Bank Garden, Mark L. Tremble Garden, Ceremony Garden, Pennau and Below Garden, and the New Formal Garden. Don’t forget the Woodland Path and Birch Grove.

 

Website photos of each named garden in the three-acre estate show blooming flowers, bountiful greenery, and flowing fountains. My photos, taken in winter, show just brown bark and gray stone paths—just a serene skeleton of summer’s colorful grandeur. But that’s enough to appreciate Nathan and Jessie Paine’s vision of an outdoor art gallery. The mansion interior’s artistry and special exhibit spaces flow into the gardens.

 

Wandering stone paths past classic statues, empty pergolas, and dry fountains was a contemplative pleasure. Floating, fleeting thoughts gave a sense of peace. That I didn’t know any of the names of the gardens now seems appropriate because I still don’t know the name for the fun surprise I stumbled upon. It looked like a large metal gyroscope with three spyglasses. A shallow bowl in the center held dead pine boughs and a birch log. My friend had seen one of these elsewhere in Wisconsin, so she clued me on how to use it. You slowly turn the bowl while looking through the eyepiece, and what’s in the bowl shifts in kaleidoscopic designs. Very cool! We had so much fun with this oversize, outdoor kaleidoscope. I don’t know if there’s a name for mid-meditation playfulness. I kind of hope not.