AN ART exhibition, which was opened by the President, Mrs Robinson, in Mountjoy Square Park yesterday, was organised by 6 women from the inner city who were asking Dublin Corporation to provide better facilities in the park.
The women had completed a NOW/DIT third-level course having had low levels of literacy.to highlight community awareness.
One of the most interesting exhibits, according to Ms Casey, was the "Yellow Brick Road" of a different colour by Ms Janet Flynn (61). It was based on three characters - the Tin Woman, the Lioness and the Straw Woman - which were crafted from simple household items such as tea leaves, wallpaper paste and last year's school textbook pages.
The Tin Woman, whose chest was made from beer cans had her heart torn from her by the drugs problem, thus highlighting the need for a drug-free community, said Ms Flynn. The Lioness, which was made from dyed muslim material and stiffened with wallpaper paste, represented the woman needing the courage to stand up and ask for community facilities for her children, she said.
Ms Flynn said the Straw Woman lacked brains and is made from rolled-up applied maths and geography books which reflected the need for education in the inner city where school-goers leave early. She learnt to read and write at the age of 48.
The women presented Mrs Robinson and the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr John Stafford, with architectural plans for the future of the park.