Two weeks ago at our regular meeting at Orleans for lunch, we were captivated by the art and sewing projects presented to us by Yolande van Heerden, a native of South Africa, who now resides in Greenwood.
She is a fiber artist and arts instructor, who has lived in Greenwood since 2011.
Van Heerden told us, “I believe that the best conditions for learning are those that allow us to step outside of everyday thinking about the world. I adopt an approach in which children are encouraged to lead the creative process, learning answers to questions through play and practical experiences.”
Van Heerden offers a wide range of sewing workshops spanning from several hour introductory sessions to months-long projects resulting in community quilts and dressmaking.
Van Heerden celebrates her homeland’s cultural diversity via her community outreach work and draws up the richness of its fabric tradition in her own creations. In Greenwood, her work is multi-faceted; she works as an art teacher for groups of small children, conducts courses in sewing at Arts Place Mississippi and has coordinated multiple community-wide quilting projects for organizations including the Museum of the Mississippi Delta.
In 2017, Van Heerden was added to the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Artist Roster. You can check out her web site at www.tomboyart.com to see some of her creations and even purchase them.
She brought a few of her creations to our meeting that we passed around, including one of her license plates signs, some place mats, some bags and a couple of quilts. She even showed some wood block paintings from another artist that she tries to help by selling some of his pieces.
Van Heerden worked with our very own Robin Whitfield at the Lee Tartt Nature Preserve to orchestrate a quilt project based on some of the various plants and animals found at the swamp. She brought one of the quilts and explained to us how they came up with the designs on it.
Yolande van Heerden, left, and Lion Allison Ashmore display one of the quilts from the Lee Tartt Nature Preserve. | Submitted Photo
We thoroughly enjoyed her presentation and were impressed by the unique creations she brought to share with us.
We still have plenty of our pecans available: milk chocolate covered, fancy plain, praline and our giant cashews, which are roasted and salted and in a 1-pound bag. All are available at most local bank branches, Square Market, Criss Office Supply, Duck Hill Hardware, 333 Restaurant, The Grenada Star, Scott Petroleum in Vaiden and local banks in Winona.
We can always use more people dedicated to serving others. Our Lions meet twice a month at noon on Wednesdays for lunch at Orleans Bistro. It’s a great way to serve others in your community.
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