Harvard Neighbors Send Peacework to Croatia

By Heather Macferran '98-99

Special to the Gazette

"Harvard Neighbors, 17 Quincy St." reads a sign on a little white door that sits across from the looming facade of Emerson Hall. The early sun rests on nearby flower boxes, where buds have only begun to show themselves. Yet, enter through the white door and therein lies an abundant garden, busily buzzing with activity.

Organized in 1894, Harvard Neighbors began as a social group for the wives of professors and administrators. The Neighbors' focus was to keep a sense of community alive with a traditionally feminine approach to community-building, including family, friendship, and service. Successfully adapting for more than a century to the continuous evolution of the University, the organization now welcomes faculty, administrative and professional staff, and their spouses, both men and women. Managed by a volunteer force from a small office, the Neighbors strive for togetherness and "making friendships to engage in something greater," explains Judy Fox, Harvard Neighbors' coordinator.

This year, the Neighbors' contribution to "something greater" includes a peace quilt to be sent to a library in Slavonski Brod, Croatia, as part of an effort to bridge language and geography.

Diana Stewart, wife of Professor Zeph Stewart, former Co-Master of Lowell House, and a former undergraduate admissions officer, planted the idea for the peace quilt based on her experiences with a local nonprofit group, What Works for Women.

Sponsored by the International Rescue Committee, What Works for Women began four years ago as a project to send yarn and knitting supplies to refugee women in the former Yugoslavia. By knitting and creating together, these refugees would have a purpose, and neighbors to talk to. Thirty-two tons of wool were sent.

"I believe in the power and therapy of 'hands-on' giving as opposed to donating money . . . weaving enhances connectedness," explains Stewart.

The Neighbors' peace quilt grew from the same connectedness found in the women overseas. Harvard Neighbors' quilters Anne Aubrey, Christine Baker, Louise Botero, Evelyn Brew, Shigeko Goto, Virginia Hutchison, Liz Keul, Susan McCraw, Tomoko Miyagatani, and Taeko Namura came together in friendship and community to participate. The finished quilt is the culmination of their work and exists as a symbol of celebration and peace.

Quilting is only one of many activities organized by the Harvard Neighbors. On Saturday, May 2, an entire collection of creations that grew from these activities, including the peace quilt, will be presented in "Brushes, Needles, and Pens: The Neighborly Arts" and exhibited through Friday, May 29, in celebration of ARTS FIRST at the Harvard Neighbors, 17 Quincy St. (side entrance). They include calligraphy, Japanese ink painting, needlepoint, quilting, and watercolor.

"These five different groups participating in the exhibition are the crux of the Harvard Neighbors," Fox adds. "ARTS FIRST is a perfect outlet for these exhibits."

Although contributors to ARTS FIRST include mostly students, the members of Harvard Neighbors felt as though it were important for nonstudents to be represented as well. A grassroots idea, such as the peace quilt for Croatia, can sometimes get lost amongst the thicket of the many ideas, groups, and established traditions at Harvard University. By contributing to ARTS FIRST, the Neighbors' meaningful creations can shine with the rest of the community's works.