Summary

Icon created for and displayed at the Women on Farms Gathering, Benalla 2005.

Bonnie Leatham (daughter of one of the Benalla organisers) made the rustic iron rose icon with barbed wire and an old tobacco tin, found on her property. The flower symbolises time needed to reflect on one's self, and the barbed wire represents challenging times. The rose demonstrates that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places.

The closing of each Gathering and the anticipation of the next is celebrated with a formal 'baton changing' ritual, where a symbolic 'icon' is handed over from one organising committee to the next. Each item represents a story or message of some of the key themes and issues, which have shaped the meaning and experience of these women's rural identity.

Part of Museums Victoria's Invisible Farmer Project Collection. The Invisible Farmer Project was the largest ever study of Australian women on the land, uncovering the histories and stories of Australian women in agriculture. It began as a pilot project (2015-2016) and evolved into a three year (2017-2020) nation-wide partnership between rural communities, academic, government and cultural organisations, funded by the Australian Research Council.

Physical Description

Long stemmed rustic rose. Flower head recycled tin. Stem is made of recycled barbed wire which is clamped to the rose head with recycled tin. The rose is coated with a metallic finish. The artist Bonnie Leatham used recycled tin found on her property.

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