Auckland's Grey Lynn is a multi-cultural inner-city community and 2000 saw the completion of a new, modern Community Centre. Local artists were encouraged to contribute to projects which would represent the variety of people using the facility.

As one of these projects, a group of local women lead by Jean Clarkson received funding from the Council to run workshops and create a set of wall-to-wall curtains using images and symbols representing the local area.

This provided the opportunity for some of the women to learn a new skill, and be involved in a community project.

Those involved were Meryl Ulugia-Pua, Rosie Baysting, Lynn Su'a, Angela Fraser, Catherine Garet, Barbara Joseph, Kate McLean, and Althea Whillans.

Following this a core group attended a series of four workshops to learn more about the process of screenprinting and to generate art work. This initial group was joined by other women from the community who had some screenprinting experience.

Images on the blue and cream curtains include hibiscus blossoms, tuis, locquat leaves, eels, and other Pacific patterns. A block-printed skyline of the Grey Lynn ridge featuring churches, cottages and the new Community Centre itself, provided a unifying motif.

The curtains were screenprinted at Jean Clarkson's Grey Lynn workshop and were hung in the meeting room in time for the official opening in March 2000.

The process was enhanced by the happy co-incidence of a visit by English community artist Kate Maddison; here as a guest of Waitakere City. She provided valuable guidelines and an inspiration.