Niradhara in her brooklyn waterfront studio working on "sutras" series.


The desktop altar


Hand stitching an art piece.


Niradhara Lynne Marie

Jubilee is a word on peace and social justice. While my own work has particular interest in social and economic justice for women, it has not been limited to that. The artwork I do is articulated through engaging and re-valuing the work of those who have worked with textiles. This is where i come from, my own story stitched to so many others who are suffering the injustice of global economics in "free" trade. My voice has risen through struggle against this in order to survive and my life experience has shaped my art.

I work to empower the humble process of stitchery, a mending of the broken human spirit, evoking heroic images of humanity enveloped in the metaphor of the quilt as the spreading of a blanket of grace. These works are receptive objects, a covering, protection, shelter. Assemblages of over-dyed, vintage salvaged household linens are pierced and marked ceremoniously in the way that tattoo or mendhi is to skin.  With inks, beeswax, dyes and encaustics I uncover the figures buried in the shroud and meditate over them with hands-on blessing of stitchery.  This is the element of the word as to a story.  The word Sutra literally means thread. The act of making this work creates a prayer for re-covery and mending the Self.  As prayer – these quilts are the work of beatifying.  The visceral action of this work is a liberation of prayer - Prayer whether the spoken word as it manifests truth through mantra and affirmation or by any sound, movement or task which is drawn out of the body.

With over 30 years experience in art making, exhibiting and teaching, my work has been established on Nantucket Island, MA, and is emerging in NYC. I gave time as a volunteer prison minister in a women's prison for 5 years bringing and facilitating an art program to enable spiritual healing through expressive art processes. I was enabled through a town grant for youth-at-risk to use art as a gathering process and medium to voice peace in a broken world for several months after 9/11. Most recently I have been given the Sanskrit name Niradhara  (translate: independent) and have been entrusted to the Agni Hotra / Homa fire ceremony (which is done twice a day) and I am setting up a sacred arts space  presently as a resident staff member at Ananda Ashram.

"Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteis'
From an ancient Ash Wednesday ritual

Translation:
Remember, you who are humans, that you are made of earth-dust, as well as star dust, and one day you shall return to the physical universe to become its substance once again.
Translation by Carl Sagan

MA KARMANAM ANARAMBHAN NAISKARMYAM PURUSO ‘SNUTE NA CA SAMNYASANAD EVA SIDDHIM SAMADHIGACCHATI
“The Karma Yogi gains not actionlessness by abstaining from activity, nor does he rise to perfection by mere renunciation.”
YAJNARTHAT KARMANO ‘NYATRA LOKO ‘YAM KARMABANDHANAH TAD ARTHAM KARMA KAUNTEYA MUKTA SANGAH SAMACARA  “The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of Yajna.  Do therefore, son of Kunti, earnestly perform action for Yajna alone, free from attachment.”  --from the Bagavad Gita Ch 3 verses 4 and 9

Jubilee is the fullness of time on a spiral calendar... ... a way of marking time in cycles based on the number 7... ( rest / blessing ) and responsibilty ( work / gratitude ). The Christ conciousness ( forgiveness ) enlightened a response of giving back - in the moment of specific cause and effect as well as in perpetuity where singular deeds need not be returned as we are all part of the same consciousness- where gratitude / blessing and work / rest are inseparable in a graceful humanity. A literal translation can be found in the Torah, book of Leviticus.

"The Spirit is upon me , I have been anointed to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to bring liberty to the captives and release for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of Jubilee and the day of atonement of our God, to comfort all who mourn, be stow beauty instead of ashes. - Jubilee Blessing (St Luke 4: 18- 19, Isaiah 61: 1-2)