abloom

The World′s Abloom Community Artwork Project


The World‛s Abloom (2.2m by 1.4 m) was painted by two hundred and sixty-five participants, staff and members at the Library during June and July of 2004. The artwork, which is a memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust, was designed and directed by community artist-in-residence Julie Gross McAdam, who has wide experience producing award-winning community artwork projects.

Full colour cards of The World‛s Abloom painting together with matching envelopes are available for sale at the Library. The cards are front and back as shown, and are blank inside. They retail at $15 for a set of six, or $3 per card. Order by Phone: (03) 9272 5611
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THE WORLD'S ABLOOM [12.2M X 1.4M] A Holocaust memorial srtwork was painted by two hundred and sixty-five participants, at the MAKOR Jewish Community Library, under the direction of artist-in-residence Julie Gross McAdam [MACART]. The work was inspired by the following poem written by a child in Terezin Concentration Camp in 1944. The name and fate of the young poet are unknown. The sun has made a veil of gold So lovely that my body aches. Above, the heavens shriek with blue Convinced I’ve smiled by some mistake. The world’s abloom and seems to smile. I want to fly but where, how high? If, in barbed wire things can bloom Why couldn’t I? I will not die! www.makorlibrary.com	BACK

Julie Gross McAdam says the idea of creating the memorial artwork had been a dream of hers for some years after she stumbled across the poem On a Sunny Evening in Elizabeth Kubler Ross‛ On Death and Dying. Kubler Ross described coping mechanisms used by individuals in difficult situations; as she writes ”the one thing that usually persists... is hope”.

The project took about six weeks to complete. The elements of the design were very meaningful to the participants. The glowing canvas now hangs in the children’s section of the library.