Unconvincing Canada tops Germany 3-0 at world juniorsCARB should cancel e-bike subsidies
Warriors keep winning-streak rolling, beat Dragons in conference playCARB should cancel e-bike subsidiesGlobal stocks pressured ahead of Fed decisionSinn Fein was accused of “ignoring” the role 3,000 Troubles deaths had in damaging community relations in Northern Ireland in a memo sent to a direct rule minister in 2003. Declassified files show the note to former MP John Spellar also said the republican party had ignored the “visceral component of sectarianism” in responding to a new government good relations strategy. Mr Spellar, then a Northern Ireland Office minister, had launched a consultation on the “A Shared Future” document, an attempt to address community divisions, segregation and sectarianism in the region at a time when the devolved powersharing institutions were suspended. A file at the Public Record Office in Belfast shows that OFMDFM official Chris Stewart wrote to the minister in July about a response to the document from Sinn Fein representative Bairbre de Brun. Mr Stewart told Mr Spellar that Ms de Brun’s letter had been critical of the document and was clearly intended to “mark your card”. He said among a number of points raised by de Brun was that “the promotion of equality is the key to improving community relations”. His memo adds: “Sinn Fein is clearly seeking to position or align the issue of community relations within its equality and human rights agenda. “This general Sinn Fein position has resulted in a simplistic analysis of community relations, which is flawed in its description of the causes and necessary policy response. “There is of course, no doubt that a lack of equality has been a contributing factor to poor community relations. “However, Sinn Fein ignores the many other factors, not least the violent conflict that resulted in over 3,000 deaths. “Sinn Fein also portrays poor community relations (for nationalists) as being a purely rational response to the political situation. “This ignores the more visceral component of sectarianism, which is all too prevalent in both communities.” Mr Stewart continues: “To suggest, as Sinn Fein does, that the promotion of equality should be the key component of good relations policy is to ignore the key message in A Shared Future, that indirect approaches alone are insufficient to deal with sectarianism and the abnormal relationship between sections of the Northern Ireland community.” The official recommended the minister invite representatives of Sinn Fein to a meeting to discuss the policy. The file also contains a note about Mr Spellar’s meeting with DUP representatives Maurice Morrow and Peter Weir the following month to discuss the document. The note says: “Morrow said he had no problem with sharing the future and suggested that the first step to that would be an election to decide who spoke for whom – though he was quick to say he didn’t want politics to dominate the meeting.” It adds: “Weir said that the biggest step towards improving community relations would be the creation of a political environment that had the broad support of both unionism and nationalism, and the GFA (Good Friday Agreement) could not create that environment.”
Irish Government doubted UK campaign to ‘save David’ Trimble
Thank you for reading Hyperallergic! Subscribe to our newsletter Privacy Policy Success! Your account was created and you’re signed in. Please visit My Account to verify and manage your account. An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link. Support Independent Arts Journalism As an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider becoming a member today . Already a member? Sign in here. Support Hyperallergic’s independent arts journalism for as little as $8 per month. Become a Member SANTA FE — I’m standing in a low-lit gallery, looking into a floor-to-ceiling glass case displaying three textiles: one, a horizontal field of black and white parallelograms; another, a spread of vertical brown, red, and beige zigzagging lines that form a scalloped edge on either side; the third composed of wide horizontal bands of vertical zigzags, this time black and beige, along with narrower red bands punctuated by a series of diamond shapes outlined in black. The visual vibrations and patterns feel completely of the earth and the human hand. Each of these works — one tapestry and two blankets — appears timeless, but in fact they were created in two different centuries. The works are part of Horizons: Weaving Between the Lines with Diné Textiles at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC). To organize the exhibition of over 30 textiles, photographs, and related items (e.g., dye samples, yarn swatches, digital media), co-curators Hadley Jensen and Rapheal Begay (Diné) collaborated with a Diné advisory committee; a similar approach was used for Grounded in Clay at the MIAC last year. Making my way through the exhibition, I learned that what I saw as a scalloped edge is called a wedge weave, an uncommon style used for a short period in the 19th century, this one created as a blanket circa 1895 by a Diné artist once known. Fiber artist and weaver Kevin Aspaas, along with other advisory committee members, generously offers valuable insight like this printed on information panels. He incorporates the same style today in his own impressive weavings, some of which are on view in Horizons . Get the latest art news, reviews and opinions from Hyperallergic. Daily Weekly Opportunities Elsewhere in the gallery, I was drawn to Tyrrell Tapaha’s expressive pictorial works, such as “Chaos at Four Kornerz” (2024) installed near a wearing blanket with spider design (1860–80), again by a Diné artist once known. I also spent time reading the visual stories woven into a pictorial blanket (c. 1885) placed at the exhibition’s entrance. The blanket’s scale, detail, and depiction of a train, figures, plants, animals, and geometric designs held my attention so intensely that I didn’t notice the digital tablet installed nearby that provides a recorded over-the-shoulder view as advisory committee members describe what they recognize in the piece. The blanket is suspended from the ceiling and hovers in front of a color photo mural, an enlargement of Begay’s “Navel (Hunter’s Point, Arizona)” (2017), portraying a house with sheep in a corral at the foot of a mountain. Begay’s photographs act as backdrops throughout the show, adding ambiance but detracting from their merits as artworks in their own right, which they are; Begay is a photographer based in Arizona. Similarly, through her digital collages depicting Southwest landscapes, Darby Raymond-Overstreet “aims to reclaim the visual language described by Diné weaving tradition.” The patterns overlaid on her images reflect those in several of the textiles on view. Had I encountered either of these artist’s photographs in an exhibition of their own, I could’ve imagined their connection to weaving because of the imagery itself. Seeing them in such close proximity to the textiles quickly flattened any curiosities I may have had. On the one hand, the pairings and proximities in Horizons helped contextualize selected textiles, the makers’ experiences, and the show in general. On the other hand, the materials created the impression that viewers will not (or cannot) make connections between weavers and their stories, wool and sheep, weavings, and the land through the information offered by the works themselves — even if limited or culturally specific. Perhaps my impressions and biases point to inherent challenges in an exhibition of historical and contemporary works within an anthropological institution such as MIAC; the committee alludes to such in their description of the show as one that “strives to advance new interpretive frameworks that specifically work with, and towards, decolonial and community-oriented methodologies.” Horizons does indeed employ a model that leverages a collective perspective, but it made for a rather crowded viewing experience. Horizons: Weaving Between the Lines with Diné Textiles continues at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, New Mexico) through February 2, 2025. The exhibition was curated by Dr. Hadley Jensen and Rapheal Begay in collaboration with Lynda Teller Pete, Kevin Aspaas, Larissa Nez, Tyrrell Tapaha, and Darby Raymond-Overstreet. We hope you enjoyed this article! Before you keep reading, please consider supporting Hyperallergic ’s journalism during a time when independent, critical reporting is increasingly scarce. Unlike many in the art world, we are not beholden to large corporations or billionaires. Our journalism is funded by readers like you , ensuring integrity and independence in our coverage. We strive to offer trustworthy perspectives on everything from art history to contemporary art. We spotlight artist-led social movements, uncover overlooked stories, and challenge established norms to make art more inclusive and accessible. With your support, we can continue to provide global coverage without the elitism often found in art journalism. If you can, please join us as a member today . Millions rely on Hyperallergic for free, reliable information. By becoming a member, you help keep our journalism free, independent, and accessible to all. Thank you for reading. Share Copied to clipboard Mail Bluesky Threads LinkedIn FacebookWisconsin officer grabbing Donovan Raiola's arm a 'misunderstanding,' UW police say