About this project

"I have lived on this earth for a long time. People ask me, what is your secret? When you’re creating, you’re always doing something new. It’s the opposite of old. Creativity is what makes the world go around. In engaging in truly creative work, you are releasing the little child within. The child’s view of the world is forever new and young. We all have it within us."

"This project involves myself, Brigid McLaughlin and the Arts Health Institute.  If you buy my scarves I will be able to raise the money to bring the joy and creativity of art into the lives of thousands of people living in aged care by supporting the Arts Health Institute. They’re beautiful, you’ll enjoy them, they’ll lift your spirits.”

Eileen Kramer, 101 – dancer, choreographer, costume designer, author, sculptor, illustrator.

Our Story 

The spirit of creativity is what connects Brigid McLaughlin, the Arts Health Institute and Eileen Kramer.

The aim of the Art of Eileen is to give elders across Australia Access to Express themselves through the beauty and power of visual art and give the experience of living in residential aged care extra meaning, joy and purpose.

“When I saw Eileen’s beautiful collages and illustrations, I instantly saw scarves”, Brigid McLaughlin, fashion designer.

"It is one of life’s greatest joys, to have your own own creation realized,” Eileen Kramer.

Arts Health Institute

The arts in all their glorious forms provide us with self-expression and enrich our lives. The arts touch the soul, giving us joy, meaning and purpose. Creative mediums such as visual art, music, performance, dance, literature and singing connect us with our core identity and can connect us with others around us. The Arts Health Institute is a national social enterprise leading the cause to bring humanity and wellbeing into aged care through our shared and deep connection to the arts. Our mission is to bring the arts and health together to change worlds. To do that we train and employ professional artists to work, particularly with elders, in health and aged care environments. We are a registered charity and Eileen Kramer is our ambassador.

Brigid McLaughlin

Eileen worked in collaboration with designer Brigid McLaughlin to create these scarves. Brigid McLaughlin employs ethical and environmentally sound practices. She is part of the Slow Clothing Movement. 

“We pride ourselves on the production of slow fashion: a concept of manufacture where customers are knowledgeable about the garments origin and small quantities of exceptional quality are purchased. We produce limited edition runs to meet demand. We do not create enough excess to slash prices at the end of each season, and our loyal customers know this. Our sustainable and ethical model is only feasible with the support of likeminded customers who believe in buying less, buying quality and paying a fair price to support fair trade to those whose heritage and talent created it," Brigid McLaughlin.

We’re not asking for donations. Through Eileen’s support and your purchase of her scarves, the Arts Health Institute can train at least 20 visual artists to deliver our art making program, Access to Express, in Australian aged care facilities. Access to Express is a new program of art making experiences being established by Arts Health Institute nationally, and to do this the training and mentoring of artists in a vitally important process. 

Access to Express will provide meaningful, paid and sustainable work for Australian artists and allow the creative spirit to flourish in residential aged care. Eileen’s idea is to raise money to support our programs that increase quality of life for other ‘people of a certain age’ through artistic expression and cultural experiences. Genres include drawing, painting, sculpture and art appreciation.

“Beauty is for everyone. To buy a scarf like this you are bringing beauty into your own lives. If I were a resident in an aged care home I would feel a compelling need for the beauty of art, and music in my life. If you buy my scarves I will be able to raise the money to bring the joy and creativity of art into the lives of thousands of people living in aged care by supporting the Arts Health Institute," Eileen Kramer.

The Brigid McLaughlin Limited Edition Scarf Collection designed by Eileen Kramer

We are offering you the opportunity to become the first customers of this exquisite collection before it lands in exclusive fashion boutiques this Spring. By buying the scarves through this site, Arts Health Institute receives the difference between the wholesale price and the retail price you would pay in the shop. These funds will provide the training for artists to have paid work, delivering Access to Express. 

Eileen’s design process drew inspiration from poetry and moonlight. As she explains, “I was inspired by the poems of Sappho. I created a book with photographs and drawings about fragments of her love life. A scarf after all is a fragment, it isn’t a whole dress.”

And The Moon cotton voile with frayed edges 200 x 90cm (approx.)

“And the Moon was one of Sappho’s poems about the beautiful moon that inspired me to draw an image of a beautiful face. She is looking down.”

Hesperus the Evening Star pure silk with frayed edges, 100 x 100cm (approx.)

“On the Island of Lesbos I looked up and saw Hesperus the Evening Star, the sky’s brightest star. Sappho wrote about this too. I made a drawing of evening star.”

She Weeps for Love in linen with frayed edges, 200 x 68cm (approx.)

“At the end of my book of images about Sappho, she describes her pain of love, she says ‘I can reveal to you now that I wanted to die’, so I made a drawing of a woman of dark hair and two little teardrops on her cheek and that drawing is called She Weeps for Love.”

All scarves are a gentle hand wash - the silk scarf should be washed with a silk wash or dry cleaned. 

Credits: 

Fashion photography by Cybele Malinowski

Artwork (pencil on paper) by Access to Express participants at Allity Aged Care, photographer Phil Donnison, Arts Health Institute.

Film produced by Maggie Haertsch, Arts Health Institute, cinematographer and editor, Justin Kerrigan. 

The biggest challenge is not reaching our target, if we don't reach $12,000 in scarf sales or any other contribition from people supporting this project we won't raise any funds and no one gets their scarf! We need you to share this site and go like crazy letting everyone know that their purchase supports many good things - Eileen's work and collaboration with Brigid McLaughlin, sustainable and ethical fashion and of course, more work for artists through the Arts Health Institute. Scarves will be ordered when the campaign closes and will be sent out to supporters mid-October. They will make a great Christmas present!