An Evening with the Elders

One of the many things I love about Oxford is that there is always a plethora of fascinating lectures and discussion to attend.  Tonight we were lucky enough to attend an Evening with the Elders held in the Sheldonian Theatre

The Elders in attendance were Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations;  Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, Hina Jilani, International Human Rights Defender from Pakistan, and Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States.

The moderator was Dr. Farhan Nizami, Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

 The discussion was entitled: Conflict, Dialogue and Peace: Speaking Truth to Power.  I was so impressed with how articulate and brilliant each of the speakers were, especially Mary Robinson and Jimmy Carter.

The Elders are a group of independent leaders, brought together by the late Nelson Mandela in 2007, who use their collective experience and influence for peace and human rights worldwide. 

Across the theatre from where we were sitting was a familiar face -- Sir Richard Branson

Since 2007, the Elders have worked to help build peace and heal divisions in the Ivory Coast, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel and Palestine, the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Sudan and South Sudan, Syria, and Zimbabwe. They also work to address the impact of climate change, encourage sustainable development, the equality of girls and women, and ending child marriages.


The evening was a fascinating question and answer session with thought provoking and challenging questions asked by members of the audience. It was an evening of hope and at times discouragement, of inspiration and leadership by example.

My favorite quotes from the evening:

Hina Jilani: "We don't just want to preserve Nelson Mandela's vision of peace and justice, we want to expand it."

President Carter: "Even a small group of proactive students can have a huge impact on society. Though maybe not on U.S. Congress."

Kofi Annan: "We all believe in the Universal Declaration of HumanRights. And even if we don't, we all want it applied to us!"

President Carter: "It worries me that the ethnic origins of current prisoners in US reflect our socio-economic inequalities."

President Carter: "The number of prisoners today in the US is 5 times higher than at the end of my presidency."

President Carter: "Money has become more important than people."

Bampton Shirt Race 2014

Bampton isn't just known for the town used as Downton in the series Downton Abbey.  One of it's other claim to fame is the annual Bampton Great Shirt Race which is held on the Saturday evening of the last bank holiday in May (i.e. last night)

The Bampton Shirt Race is a crazy fun race where teams of runners dressed in costumes push each other in wheeled vehicles, stopping at drink stations and drinking a measure of beer before running to the next. There is also a children's race with soft drinks. All this fun is to raise money for elderly care in Bampton, U.K.

Luigi and Mario at the front of the kid's pack.

  Despite the rain, the kids seemed to behaving a great time.

 Batman and Robin where the winner of this year's seniors race.

 I don't understand why but men seem to like to dress up in drag in the U.K.

This was the prize!  This and the fact that everyone has a great time and money is raised for a good cause.  One of the many things I love about about this country is how many goofy traditions there are and how often people engage in opportunities to raise money for good causes.

Artists Among Us: Oxfordshire Art Weeks

This past week has been a revelation to me. There are so many extraordinarily talented and delightful  artists among us. For the past 3 weeks artists throughout Oxfordshire have graciously opened their homes and studios for anyone to come see their creations and the space where they create.  I had no idea how fascinating it would be to visit these studios, meet  with the artists, and lean about how and why they create what they do.  
I'm converted.   Art Weeks comes to a close this weekend.  Don't miss is.

It is easy to go on line and to print out a map listed all the artists in one area. http://www.artweeks.org/festival/trails
 I spent a few hours visiting  Wytham and Wolvercote,  both delightful villages on the edge of Port Meadow (which is in full bloom with buttercups!).  My first stop was Kate Day-Dawson's home studio and garden. 

 Kate makes spectacular mosaics that are often inspired by the beauty of her garden.

Michaela Milne, also in Wytham,  does stunning mosaics & decoupage that are inspired by her time living in the Middle East.

In some cases, several artist show their work in one shared space such as a home on Rowland Close in Wolvercote.  There you can see beautiful pottery, glass work, painting, and jewelry. Glass work by Phillip Dove.

Ceramics by Caroline Haurie

Steve Lunn -- Mixed Media

Beautiful oil painting by Stephanie Lacape, Ceramics by Caroline Haurie

The best part of visiting these home studios is the chance to talk with the artists and to see where they work and what inspires them. I love these two different pallets: above for painting; below for jewelry making.

From Wolvercote I followed the trail to Jericho.  This is a tray on the desk of jewelry maker Becky Morgans who does stunning creations with sea glass that she finds on the beaches of Seaham, County Durham. 

I could have spent hours talking with glass maker Wendy Newhofer in her lovely and light-filled studio. She was so interesting and willing to explain how she makes her  beautiful class pieces.

I absolutely love her work with glass and various metals. 

My favorite studio was not to lovely nor light filled.  It is the basement studio of jewelry maker Tony Thomson. 

 He too was fascinating to talk with and was kind enough to show me how he uses a diamond saw to slice a rock.  

His collection of rocks, gems, seashells, and fossils, gives the Natural History Museum serious competition.  I could have spent hours there just admiring his collection of nature made beauty, as well as the magical creations he makes with these stunning objects. 
This is the first year I've attending Art Weeks.  I'm already looking forward to next year's open studios.  It is such fun, so inspiring, and simply delightful to meet some of the artists among us. 

For more information:  http://www.artweeks.org/Coming this summer: www.artinaction.ork.uk

From the brochure: "Artweeks is the opportunity for a wonderful day out: expect the unexpected, be inspired, diverted and delighted – and come home with a unique artwork of your own. You’ll be able to meet artists, talk about their work, watch demonstrations and maybe have a go yourself. Or simply feast your eyes on a huge range of creative activity, from painting, photography, textiles, sculpture and ceramics, to furniture, glass, mosaics, jewellery, digital art and much more. Established in 1981, Oxfordshire Artweeks is the country’s oldest and biggest open studio event."