Color and Symbols in Haiti

It is almost overwhelming to think about my recent eight days at the LaCroix New Testament Mission in Haiti and what I might pick and chose to share about. Given that Carrot Top Studio focuses on colors and symbols and how these can make a visual connection in worship and ministry I've decided that is how I'll share a little of my experience.

Inside the church

Carvings on chancel railing

We arrived in LaCroix late on Saturday so Sunday morning worship was our first introduction to this wonderful community.  Worshipers were full of boisterous singing and joyful body motions. Communion was shared and I gave thanks that as Christians we all share the symbols of the bread and cup. The worship space was embellished with bright colored flower garlands hanging from the ceilings. And the chancel railing was decorated with wood carvings of a plant that I interpreted as either a symbol for growth and life or maybe the Trinity because of it's three leaves. We joined the tradition of this culture of covering our head during worship.

The Haitians we encountered were some of the happiest people I have ever been around. They move through their day with much laughter and singing. The colors that surrounded us everywhere we went--inside and out--reflected this happiness. They were bright, light, and vivacious. Pink houses, turquoise classrooms, peach colored school uniforms and on and on. This bus that transported us from Port Au Prince is a perfect example! 

Joyful colors can affect a mood...who wouldn't smile getting onto this bus!

I spent the majority of the week helping to paint a teaching mural in the children's chapel. It was 9' x 17' and started with the birth of Jesus and through eight vignettes it shared the highlights of Christ's time on earth. It is bordered with the message of Pentecost. The Pentecostal people were painted with many familiar faces....some Haitian and some American missionaries.Planning for this project we always intended for the Haitians to paint alongside of this...we never wanted it to be the American's mural. What was overwhelmingly exciting was how eager the children and youth were to work. It didn't take long on our first day for children to gather in between their school classes and to realize that they could paint too! We were able to identify a dozen artists aged 9-20 to work alongside us. At times their stamina was greater than ours as our bodies adapted to the intense heat.  We were also occasionally challenged to paint in almost darkness as the sky was covered with clouds during afternoon rainstorms. Learning color words and artistic terms in each other's language was fun--although the children were much better at this then we were! And, when a gecko rested on my foot while we were painting on that first day I knew the adventure had only just begun and it didnt' stop all week. The zeal for this project was contagious with the children, the missionaries and the many adults in the community that were constantly in and out of the chapel as the work progressed. I'm still tearing up at the memory of hearing young and old tell the stories of the New Testament and ask questions as the images were transformed on the wall.

Billy and Modestin were happy to help

The finished mural

I remain grateful for those of you that waited for orders to be shipped while we closed our small business to take this trip. Thank you also for your prayers. I have never felt such peace, contentment and joy as I did last week. This enabled our team to work together as a Christian community to complete our projects. I KNOW this was the power of prayer!


If you'd like to read my 16 year old daughter's account of our week and see a few more pictures you may click on these links.... Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

Marking a Special Day

How do you mark a special day? There are times of marking major moments and those of celebrating smaller events. Through our worship we count the days of the liturgical calendar pausing occasionally to celebrate a special day. Do you consider the elements of these celebrations? Celebration and ceremony doesn't just happen. It takes creativity, leadership, community, a message of the moment (or theme). God has gifted us with cycles: the liturgical calendar, the seasons of nature, the celebration of growth and life. We can look backward at where we were and forward to where we want to be as we grow. It's all a part of being willing to be transformed.

View of the design table as we contemplate a new stole design.

In my family we often mark a special day, event or milestone with the use of the red plate that is embellished with the words, "You Are Special Today." This requires a meal so that person can enjoy the use of the plate. Celebrations and ceremony often provide nourishment for our bodies and it's also nourishing to come together as community and/or family.This makes me think of last year when Carrot Top Studio was looking for ideas to expand their ministry stole collection. A client posted to our Facebook page, "how about a communion stole that helps people connect to communion as the joyful feast of the people of God." This week marks our 6th anniversary of officially being in business (woo hoo!). So we thought it was only fitting to take on this design challenge because we are so thankful that we can celebrate Communion and the thought of Communion being a 'joyful feast' is enthralling. I'm off to stitch....but, you should be watching our Facebook page tomorrow and Friday for details of our anniversary celebration! And we'll of course let you see the Communion stole as soon as it's finished.

Confirmation Stole Blanks

How they came to be... Many years ago I was approached by my home church to create stoles for our confirmands. Many sewers came together to pray for and create those first 30+ stoles. And I found that the process of exploring spiritual gifts and embellishing the stoles was a lot of fun...even for the kids that said, "I can't draw." The icing on the cake was the worship service that blessed the confirmands and led them to begin their next phase in their faith journey. The students came forward with their parents and the pastor laid the stole around their neck and prayed for them one by one. The Carrot Top Studio confirmation stole blanks have since been offered in our online store to enhance the confirmation process. Some churches purchase them (in red or white) to be used as is, but the original idea was that the stole blank would be used for students to embellish on their own. Following the FREE tip sheet on our website or the purchased curriculum youth leaders have used fabric paint, iron on appliqué,  embroidery and other techniques to personalize these waist length stoles as symbols of the students call to their unique walk with the Lord.

Meet Laura! We'd like to introduce you to the charming seamstress behind your confirmation stole blanks. Laura is a young women with an easy smile who has been sewing for years. She is living in Pittsburgh as her first venture away from the home she grew up in. In addition to sewing the confirmation stole blanks this dynamo packs her time with a full time job, an apprenticeship with a tailor, activity in her church and an occasional mission trip abroad! When Laura and I decided to give this sewing deal a try I shared my steps for successful construction and then added that I tried to say a prayer for the confirmands as I was sewing. I didn't know Laura well at this point but when I saw her eyes twinkle at this thought I felt confident that this would all work out in a lovely way...because I knew she understood where I was coming from. Laura is working hard at honing her skills in hopes that she will someday work behind the scenes in theater.


Still need to purchase your confirmation stole blanks? Send us an email telling us: 

1. how many stoles you'll need 
2. red stoles or white
3. your name
4. your shipping address

We'll confirm your order, inform you of the shipping/handling fee for Priority mail and arrange for payment via Paypal or a paper invoice.

Peace

Peace Be Still, He Qi

Last week I had the pleasure of attending an informal gallery talk by Dr. He Qi. He spoke about studying Jesus' ministry and all that he taught. This artist sees the common theme of peace throughout the earthly life of Christ. After growing up and surviving the Cultural Revolution in China the artist has devoted the message of his artwork to that of peace while telling the stories of the Old and New Testaments through his unique visual interpretation.

The message of the gallery talk has not left me this week as I've watched and listened to a lot of disharmony and distress unfold in the news worldwide. I have said it before and will say it again....the artist in my sometimes has to work through these things by creating. In the studio, this batik fabric spoke to me and new stole design unfolded. Peaceful, calming colors of mint green, pale pink, and peach are embellished by dragonflies and butterflies. These creatures, both symbols of the Resurrection,  are flitting serenely across the lovely variegated, dyed fabric. Thinking about the scripture: For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, Ephesians 2:14, we accented the border with "peace" translated into several different languages...shalom (Hebrew), mir (Czechoslovakian), rahu (Estonian), paix (French), asti (Kurdish), pace (Romanian), satta (Jamaican), beke (Hungarian), nala (Lozi). 

Signing off, praying for world peace, that the walls may come down.

**This stole is part of our peace and healing collection. You can see it on the website here.

The Easter Season Continues--Didn't the Frogs Tell You?

Many people honored the highest day in the church year this past Sunday by dressing our absolutely best. Here I am pictured one Easter many, many years ago. Dressing in our most excellent way emphasizes how special the celebration of the Resurrection is. I have been thinking and reading on keeping the Easter season alive and special...recognizing it and living it. Reading, thinking and pondering like this can lead us in unique creative directions. I never would have guessed we'd connect frogs to Easter but we were inspired to create this stole.

This stole may be purchased on our website here.

Psalm 100 is the theme of this stole. Thanks to Ruth Boling's description of frogs as a Christian symbol we thoroughly enjoyed creating this design. In her book Come Worship With Me she writes: During dry months, many frogs hide under leaves or in soil to stay moist. When the rain returns, the frogs reappear just as suddenly as Jesus reappeared from death. Have you ever heard the "peepers" in early spring? These frogs sing like choirs of tiny angels.

This stole is on our website here and it's also at a special price on eBay this week here (shhhh! don't tell your colleagues or they might bid against you!)


Isn't it wonderful that Easter is not a one day holiday? 

Emergence from Lent to Easter

Purchase this stole here.

Flowers, products of the earth, suggest the cycle of life, death and resurrection in the round of the seasons. Flowers, springing from seed, suggest perpetual rebirth, and promise of fulfillment. In Christian symbolism the essence of the flower--it's growing characteristics, its shape, color, its scent--coordinate to make a unified whole.


In the region that I live in we use a lot of flowers that grow from bulbs to decorate our Easter worship spaces. Bulbed flowers remind us of the Resurrection as the glorious flower emerges from the seemingly dead bulb (the grave). This was our inspiration for the stole at left which can be purchased on the Carrot Top Studio website a similar version will list on eBay beginning April 7th here. 


The lily is the most typical flower associated with Easter symbolism. It has long been a symbol of purity, innocence and immortality and is the major botanical symbol of Mary. Often called the "white-robed apostles of hope," lilies were reportedly found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ's agony. Lore says that the beautiful white lilies sprung up where drops of Christ's sweat fell to the ground in his final hours.


As we emerge from Lent and prepare to celebrate the Easter season and you see a worship space 'decorated' with flowers think of the symbolism and let the visual image draw you closer to the joy and hope of the Resurrection.

Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Project

On the website here.

In the past few weeks I have thought often of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I have never personally experienced a natural disaster so I can not really imagine what this has been like for the people of Japan. The enormity of this tragedy is difficult to grasp. To lose a family member, a home or to not have daily needs as simple as food or water is hard to comprehend. Pondering the news reports caused me to reach to the bookshelf and open Ann Weems' Psalms of Lament. I was drawn to Weems' Psalm Twenty-five which starts like this:

On eBay here.

O God, what has happened to your creation?

What kind of world is this

that the innocent die?

Where is your hand

that it does not stop the killing?

How long will you watch

while the world calls you names?

How long will you wait while the river of blood

floods your streets?

Will you let the innocent die

and the guilty go free?

Will the guilty laugh cruelly

in the streets,

while the innocent lie cold

in their graves?

And the last stanza....

O God of justice, stop these plagues,

and stoop to comfort your people,

for you, and you only, are our refuge.

My yoga instructor shared that her young son caught her watching the news report of the recent devastation. He was distraught. She thankfully remembered Rev. Fred Roger's advice after the horror of 9/11. He advised adults to guide children to watch the 'helpers.' We can't always explain bad things but we can focus on the positive of the response from those that are willing to help. Additionally our faith can lead us to establish that in even larger quantities is the presence of God in the midst of the destruction.

The inspiration fabric.

In the studio I personally feel a need to create when I am troubled, distraught or upset. It's often my way of working through the emotion. Inspired by this Asian fabric that reminds me of the beauty of the arts in Japan we have created a limited edition stole. One version is up for bid here on eBay and another version is here on the website. Today, I can't go to Japan and work for, pray with and give hugs to those that are in need. But I take comfort that there are disaster assistance groups already doing some of this. So Carrot Top Studio will try to be "a helper" with all the profit from the sale of the mentioned stoles going to One Great Hour of Sharing to support their disaster assistance efforts. One Great Hour of Sharing is "an offering that makes the love of Christ real for individuals and communities around the world who suffer the effects of disaster, conflict, or severe economic hardship, and for those who serve them through gifts of money and time." If you haven't had a chance to be a "helper" for this calamity maybe this stole and cause is for you.

Piecing Together Our Faith Heritage

Where does our faith come from? From God alone? From an inner mysterious source? Through the study and proclaiming of scripture? Through good works? Wow, this could generate some lively discussion! I am not a theologian and it is not Carrot Top Studio's calling to answer these questions. We see the studio as a vehicle for connecting the visual to the Word through the use of colors and symbols. Something else I know is that there have been a long line of women in my family that the church has been a central part of their life. This photo shows just a few...my grandmother, great aunt, and mother (that's me on the floor.) Many of you probably have very similar photos in your family archives. Coming across this photo and seeing a stash of reproduction fabrics from the 1930's on the studio shelves got our design minds and stitching fingers movin' in the studio this week. Thinking about women (and men) of the 1930's makes me smile. I know it was a time of the "great depression" but I smile because of the lessons we can learn from this time:

• don't spend what you don't have,
• don't pay someone else for something that you can learn or do or make yourself,
• immediate gratification from obtaining 'things' is not as important as relationships with family, others and God.

So the 1930's reproduction fabric we had in our stash has become a statement/reminder of those times where these virtues were embraced. They are virtues that we can hold true today no matter what we believe of where faith comes from. We hope the pieced fabrics are a reminder of some of the best ways to "hold things together" in times of challenge. And that the butterfly will remind us of the promise of the Resurrection and the cross of our faith in the Triune God.


If these stoles interest you....find the one on the left at a special price here on eBay and the one on the right here on the Carrot Top Studio website. 

Watch For the "Funny" Ideas

This stole is available here.

Many years ago my husband and I were bouncing around ideas for Carrot Top Studio. We're both creative people in our own way and have always enjoyed this kind of activity. Trying to honor the brainstorming rule of "no idea is a bad idea" when my better half suggested stoles with Velcro parts I really couldn't imagine this idea coming to fruition but of course I didn't shoot it down (although I think we both were laughing). Well, the laughing probably should have been a clue that this wasn't a truly c-r-a-z-y idea! Fast forward to last fall when a very faithful client suggested a purple Advent stole that told the story of Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled and celebrated. Our clients responded by purchasing this design and even asked for it in a blue version (sorry it's currently sold out). This caused us to think about the concept being applied to the Lenten journey. Our design idea required purple Velcro which it turns out is not easily available. The good news is that we found it half way around the world! The down side was that it wouldn't be shipped soon enough for our new design to be sold in advance of Lent 2011. This story wraps as we can now reveal our new Lent story stole! It is purple with a gold Lenten cross. The hem of the front of the stole has discreet pockets that hold ten symbols that will help tell the story that leads us to Easter. We're hoping the palms, donkey, money bag, bread and chalice, praying hands, rooster, leather strip, crown of thorns, nails, and dice will help you share the story of Jesus and his gift of salvation with the young and young at heart.


Our lessons learned....our clients have great ideas, brainstorming continues to be a source that feeds our creative juices, and pay close attention to the ideas we think are the funniest!


Blessings for your Lenten journey.

Ash Wednesday Closet Cleaning

Next week we will begin Lent with the observation of Ash Wednesday. Its name comes from the ancient practice of placing ashes on worshipers’ heads or foreheads as a sign of humility before God, a symbol of mourning and sorrow at the death that sin brings into the world. We claim responsibility for ourselves, noticing everything around us such as the possessions we hold valuable and the persons we love. We know that all will one day turn to dust. 

This Communion stole is on sale!

Looking at the history of the symbolic use of ashes it is interesting to note an old custom. From what I understand in Italy it was the tradition at the end of winter to burn all the old junk one had accumulated over the year. The village square was the collection spot for the whole community's discards. Rather than have a yard sale, or a garage sale, everyone simply had a good house cleaning and piled up the old chairs and mattresses. From this came the tradition of spring cleaning. 

Ash Wednesday is a somber day of reflection on what needs to change in our lives if we are to be fully Christian. Is spring cleaning a type of self-examination? We clean house, inside and outside. We let in the fresh air, shake out the rugs, clean out the closets. We can assemble all the inner useless accumulations of our life style and throw them in with the dust and ashes that we take up each church calendar year on Ash Wednesday. 

This baptism stole  is on sale!

I can think of quite a few areas of my personal life that need some spring cleaning...the kitchen cabinets could use a good overhaul and the attic is showing signs of being way too full of items not ever used. My prayer life will hopefully be "cleaned up" during Lent as I work my way through "Lord Teach Us to Pray", A Guide to Prayer produced by the Office of Spiritual Formation of the PCUSA and Praying Like Jesus: The Lord's Prayer in a Culture of Prosperity by James Mulholland and get on a better path that draws me closer to God. And at Carrot Top Studio we've sorted through the online store and put some new items in our sale category. Many of these have just one left in stock so don't miss the opportunity to grab a unique, handcrafted ministry stole for $49 + S&H.


How do you mark Ash Wednesday?

Inspiration

Let's start with a confession. I'm not gifted in scripture memorization! But I am more successful in remembering scripture if I've learned it through a hymn. God's Word even calls us to do this...Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16). Thanksgiving for this! I think what helps me is that the words actually impress a visual in my brain. Maybe this is like the flashcards my children make to help them learn their SAT vocabulary and terminology for plant biology? At ages 15 and 19 they are finally realizing there is a better connection when different learning strategies are employed to work towards one goal. And, this is what our horn always toots at Carrot Top Studio...people often need a visual to connect with the spoken Word to help the lesson sink deeper within our soul.

This past Sunday, in the church I attend, we sang one of my favorite hymns, God, You Spin the Whirling Planets. This hymn that speaks to the creation story in Genesis 1:26-27 conjures up wonderful visual images in my mind. In fact last summer Carrot Top Studio even created a stole inspired by the text as seen to the left and on our website here. If you're not familiar with this contemporary hymn written by Jane Huber you can here a rendition here. 

What hymns bring visual images to your mind? We're looking forward to the season of Ordinary Time after Easter when we can explore stitching for the themes of Christianity that are not focused on major celebration days and seasons. As always we'll look forward to hearing from you...maybe you know a hymn that will inspire a stole!

How to Display a Stole

The studio recently received this email:

I found your facebook and blog site through a search.  I am trying to find ideas for a friend who wants to display her stole in her home. 

I am not a fabric artist (I am a painter and poet), but a couple of years ago, my friend commissioned me to create a stole for her ordination.   Now she is interested in displaying it on a wall in her home as fabric art, but also wants it easily accessible to wear when she needs to.  Have you ever been involved in hanging a stole on a wall?  And do you have any ideas for her in terms of what to use?  


My answer was:
If I were displaying a stole in a home or an office I would use a similar method but dress it up a bit. I’d use a decorative curtain rod with finials that was suspended from the wall by decorative wall brackets. Kimonos are often displayed as art in this same manner. So the front long skinny pieces of the stole would drape over the rod. The back tip would hang over the rod and the inside of the back tip would face the viewer. You could use a rod the same color as the wall so it melted away visually or use one that stood out boldly and let it become part of the fiber art. This method of draping a stole over a rod would be especially lovely if the stole were reversible.


The artist replied with the good idea of adding a bit of felt to the top of the hanging rod would allow the stole not to slide off. And actually for the photo in this post the stole is rather light weight so it is being held in place by two straight pins holding the layers together from the back side.


Jane (that sent the email) is an artist who's work is bold and lively yet fresh and the addition of her poetry is lovely. See here work here. Don't miss the wonderful stole she writes about under the "other artwork" category and the commission tab has a lovely opportunity from this artist to have one of a kind works of art for special occasions and people created.

The Presentation

Presentation at the Temple

If you follow the lectionary then you know that one of the texts for this week is about Jesus's presentation at the Temple by Mary and Joseph as told in Luke 22-40.




This charming tempera and gold leaf on parchment depicts that story. It is dated 1030-1040 and is part of the Getty Museum collection. The art history notes from the Getty include this description: In this miniature, a series of large arches frames the figures of Joseph carrying the doves for sacrifice on the left, the Virgin holding the month-old but adult-bodied Jesus in the center, and the priest Simeon on the right. The architecture places the scene in the Temple in Jerusalem, but the altar and chalice refer to the Christian sacrament of the Eucharist. Jesus' placement above the altar further alludes to the Eucharist because during that rite Jesus' body and blood are understood to be present in the bread and wine that are consecrated on the altar. 


I marvel at new life during presentation ceremonies and at infant baptisms (which are not interchangeable but often occur at the same time in the little one's new life so I'm lumping them together here). I'm supposing that I'm drawn to all this because I find babies irresistible and that there is also a lot of symbolism involved...and that fits right in there with our work at Carrot Top Studio! Among these Christian symbols we can count water, a shell, the color white and the family coming together with the church that stands around them. Along these lines I recently read about a pastor that after doing an infant presentation sent the child's parents home with a letter to be opened by the child when he turned 12. The letter told the child how he'd been prayed for by his parents and church family and that he was a gift from God. It continued to encourage the child to trust in God as he traveled on his journey in life. Simeon told Mary and Joseph what their child was to become. The pastor I have told you about urges children at this coming of age time that they too can follow God's plan. 


The symbols and colors we use and the way we mark an event or milestone in our faith are quite varied. As God has instructed us, "There is a time for every season...." and as we pass through these seasons (such as welcoming new life) may take the time to give them the attention they deserve. It is because of these children that the church will have a future.


Carrot Top Studio offers several stoles for Baptism you may find them here and the line of stoles that might connect visually with children can be seen here.

The Story of A Commission

Detail of commissioned stole

Client email: I've been reading your blog for some time and I'm excited to now be able to order some stoles! 


The artist is humbled that someone actually reads the blog, she yelps with excitement about the order and then responds: Thanks for your order and we'll be glad to combine the shipping costs to save you a few dollars. 

Adaptation of commission on the website

Client phone message (several days later): Thanks for the shipment...I'm pleased with your work...and I'd like to commission a purple stole for Lent that could also be worn for Advent and might visually connect with the Easter stole that I have. Is that possible? I like the following stoles on the website (number this, number that and number this). Can you translate those designs into purple, and  could the colors be more subtle and could the plant symbols be more indigenous to our environment so the congregation can relate to what they're seeing?

Another version offered on eBay

The artist response via email because inquiring pastor is wearing many hats and can't get to her phone: Absolutely, we can help you! In fact we think you're on to a good idea. See, our pastors know best as to what is needed and we'd like to share your idea with our clients. When this happens we are able to reduce the price of the commission and offer a similar design on our website and to our eBay buyers. Would that be ok with you?


Client email response: That's splendid. Happy sewing! 


The Epilogue
Because one client had become familiar with our style at Carrot Top Studio she was a great encourager so we could help meet her needs but also expand our inventory for you. The commissioned stole is now hanging in that pastor's closet waiting for Lent to begin. Hopefully the congregation will see the connection between the vine of buds and flowers and the ones on the Easter stole that this pastor will wear during that joyous season. The website offers two versions of this stole without the flowered wreath and on Thursday a third version will be auction item #150552169029 on eBay. We love hearing your thoughts and ideas. Have something on your mind? Email us here.

Wrestling With Chocolates, Fabrics, and a Good Book

I am thankful for having a variety choices, assortments of options, and a multiplicity of opportunities. Am I a spoiled American? Probably. I am thankful for these things but am humbled when I realize that the children at the mission my church helps to support in Haiti, eat the same meal of beans and rice almost every day. There is no variety. Yet these little one are so thankful and excited to have this food which is often their only meal of the day.

Recently I was gifted the ability to make a purchase at a beautiful chocolate boutique. I took my daughter with me and we were so overwhelmed with the amount of chocolates and exquisiteness of our choices that the excursion took a crazy amount of time for the small amount we would be purchasing. Then yesterday I had the need to head to my local fabric store. I hadn't been in about a month and had gone with the intent of purchasing one piece of solid purple to complete a new Lenten stole design I'm working on. But here again I felt like the "kid in a candy shop"...overwhelmed with new colors, textures and patterns. The assortment was as scrumptious to me as what the chocolate shop had offered several days earlier. Oh, the privilege of so much variety!

In the midst of all this I've finally gotten' around to reading The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Stearns. It's been on the nightstand for several months. The promo for the book reads: Two thousand years ago, twelve people changed the world. Stearns believes it can happen again. I'm glad that I'm reading it in this wintry time where I reside in Pennsylvania because with this title it's lovely to have unrushed reading time. There's so much to think about in this book I just have to take it in small chunks. Many days lately have been so cold, icy or snowy that I'm glad to have a book to curl up with instead of to venture outside into the garden. Those days will come (ahhh....the variety of seasons!)

So I'm wrestling with the fact that there is variety in my life. I am artistically motivated to offer a diversity of stoles at Carrot Top Studio. I believe in celebrating the liturgical church year that allows us an array of visual opportunities in worship. But then I have a book like The Hole in Our Gospel in my lap or I hear about what joyous, happy, thankful people our friends, that have so little materialistically, in Haiti are and this gets me wondering. I'm not sure what path God is taking me with all this. A friend once gave me this card that says, "Work your grief up into art and it is gone." I'm going to trade the word "wrestling" for "grief" and head to the sewing machine to ponder and pray about all of this. 


PS-promise I won't get sticky, chocolaty fingerprints on those new stoles we're stitching! ....and thanks for listening.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Why do dogs like to roll in the snow?

While my trusty studio companion Abby the labby preferred to romp in the snow today,

The studio is exploding with purple fabrics for Lent.

I chose to sort fabrics for Lenten stoles and clean out the studio book case. The book case led me to discover a notebook I'd compiled many years ago yet haven't opened for quite some time. It contains articles I've found inspirational on the topic of worship and the arts. So on this Wednesday I will share a few bits of this collected wisdom...

• "Focusing our attention on the meaning (of art) helps move our appreciation for an art piece beyond its form or style to our wonderment of God, just as the ark of the covenant once did for those wandering in the wilderness." The author of this statement gives examples of different types of Communion chalices. One vessel is enrobed with thorns. In its use we might imagine in a new way the suffering Christ went through on our behalf. Alternatively there is an example of a vessel that is glass covered in gold. When used for Communion we would see ourselves reflected on its surface enabling us to rejoice more deeply in the resurrection and glory of Jesus Christ. Have you thought about the message your visuals in your church's worship space are saying theologically? -from "Ears that Hear and Eyes that See" by Elizabeth Steele Halstead, Reformed Worship vol. 82

• It is necessary to recognize that art has two lives--first for tis maker, then for its receiver. Making art is the pleasure and mystery of the creative act: the actual experience of technique and process, of freedom, serendipity and discovery. For the receiver art celebrates the beautiful, uncovers beauty that might have escaped unseen, and seeks to show truth even when it is not beautiful.An artist making art is experiencing God. God is never finished creating, never finished redeeming creation. Visual art should not be neglected in Christian worship because it can be a pathway to God. - Brian Fee, "Beauty Glimpsed" for the Calvin Institute

• And lastly, here's one to make you laugh...when working on a project that will involve a committee, such as worship banners, Jill Liddell in The Patchwork Pilgrimage suggests that designs will probably have to be vetted by a number of people, all of whom will have something to say about it. Resist the temptation to try and please everyone. Remember the old saying , "a camel is a horse designed by a committee," Do not let your ideas turn into a camel!

Banks Do It, Coffee Shops Do It, Churches Can Do It Too!

What do banks, coffee shops and even libraries have in common with churches? They all have the ability to encourage the visual arts by hosting exhibits by local artists. Churches should find ways to embrace the visual arts and artists beyond Sunday worship. Reading For the Beauty of the Church this past summer reinforced to me the following stanza from the hymn "for the Beauty of the Earth". We sing....

For the joy of ear and eye,

for the heart and mind's delight,

for the mystic harmony,

linking sense to sound and sight;

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

The art gallery at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Upper St. Clair, PA.

One way to include artists in your community is by welcoming their work into a church gallery. By sharing their work we are helping to complete their ability to be an artist by supplying an audience. Art needs to be viewed and considered! 

What would it take to have a gallery in your church?

1. A space that has foot traffic preferably all week (not just on Sunday).
2. A mean's of hanging the work. As seen in the photo above it's lovely to have a system that is permanent such as these fabric covered homasote boards but this certainly isn't required. There are plenty of affordable professional hanging systems.  Before diving into something permanent you might consider a temporary option such as folding screens covered in chicken wire that a hook on the back of a frame can latch onto. Or if you have art that is matted and not framed you can even use a cardboard refrigerator type box...paint it a solid neutral color and adhere the art with Command brand poster strips.

Things to think about...

• who will be responsible for the space...one curator or a committee?
• how often will the exhibits change?
• how will you find the artists? will it be church members only? will the artists have to be Christians? or will you show Christian hopsitality by opening your doors for any artist in your neighborhood?
• what will the guidelines for the artists be? 
• will the art be for sale? if so, how will the sales be handled? 
• how will the exhibits be publicized?
• will you have artists receptions and/or invite the artists to teach a class or workshop in conjunction with the exhibit?

The galleries in my church aim to exhibit a diverse body of work from a variety of artists--young through the much older, professional and the amateur. As the curator I am overwhelmed with the possibilities and enjoy exploring unique exhibiting potential. For example we have twice hosted the work of our prayer shawl ministry by draping their "art" over dowel rods. This group also knits items that can be dispensed through our food pantry and the photo below shows how the "art" was displayed. The ministry that is usually a quiet behind the scenes group in our congregation received a bit of 'oohing' and 'awwing' over before the items were sent to those in need.

Knit in His Spirit exhibit, Westminster Presbyterian February 2010

We include the visual arts in worship with banners, vestments, paraments, bulletin covers and more. How can you and your congregation think beyond worship to involve and encourage the activity and God given gifts of artists? Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. May the visual become a hymn of grateful praise.

*products referred to in this post are not necessarily an endorsement of that particular item....they are referred to specifically to encourage you that there are products readily available to aid your pursuits.