A Visit to the Art Museum

This past weekend I took pleasure in my inaugural visit to Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Mass. This museum, which opened to the public in 1895, is Harvard's oldest art museum. Around its enchanting Italian Renaissance courtyard are galleries illustrating the history of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present. The galleries particularly strong in Italian early Renaissance are a great reminder of how religious and liturgical symbols have been incorporated into visual art for centuries. I found the tempra and gold painting of Saint Catherine of Siena by Giovanni de Paola (as seen at left) particularly charming. History knows Catherine Benincasa as the persuasive mediator who negotiated peace between Florence and the papacy. In this portrait, St. Catherine of Siena appears with a sprig of lilies as a symbol of peace, and is wearing the black-and-white vestments of the Sisters of Penance of St. Dominic. Paolo’s graceful approach to Catherine of Siena is accentuated by her elongated figure.

The seasons ahead of Advent and Christmas can be so busy. I recommend you take time to pause and enjoy an art exhibit. There is something very theraputic about walking through the quiet of an art gallery, meditating on, contemplating about or simply enjoying what you see.

Need a gift idea? Enrich a life with the gift of an art museum membership!

Preparing for Christ the King Sunday

Christ the King is the last Sunday of the liturgical church year calendar. The day completes our annual journey of celebrating and learning from the life of Christ on earth. We can worship with confidence and joy that Christ is the King!

We can reflect upon: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation! Let all who hear Now to his temple draw near, Joining in glad adoration! (Psalm 93).

Marking the kingship of Christ makes a healthy transition that leads directly from Ordinary Time into Advent and the remainder of the Christian year. So ignore the Christmas tunes on the radio and the decorations in the mall and recognize Jesus as the King of Kings.

*pictured stole is new to our collection and illustrates the "I Am" statements. The photo is a link to this item on our website.

Thanksgiving

Here in the United States we are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving. At Carrot Top Studio we love this holiday because it is not terribly commercial. We can simply take the time to be reverent for the gifts of the earth at this harvest festival. Interestingly our American commemoration of the Pilgrim's feast might be a carry over from the European tradition of St. Martin’s Day which celebrates the end of the agrarian year and the beginning of the harvest.

Many faith communities gather on Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving morn to worship. In addition to worship banners and minister’s stoles that represent the colors of a fall harvest, churches might enjoy the use of a cross created out of sheaves of wheat and offertory processions that include food items that can be distributed to those in need. Our home congregation includes the giving of five pieces of corn to each family. We take them home and place them on our table as a visual reminder of the hardships the Pilgrims endured. The story has been handed down that this faithful community of Pilgrims was able to be thankful to their Lord even on days when they only had five pieces of corn to eat.

I’ll close by sharing a favorite recipe that usually graces our Thanksgiving table:

Pumpkin Apple Bake

Clean out a medium pumpkin. Fill with a mixture of raisins, chopped apples, nuts, dates, cranberries, dried apricots, a small amount of brown sugar and cinnamon. The amounts are very flexible and you can use items that you enjoy that you might typically find in fall pies. Pour fruit and nut mixture into the pumpkin, dot with butter. Bake on a cookie sheet 1 hour 15 min.-1 hr. 30 min. The pumpkin will turn a lovely deep color and can be used as the center piece on your table for you to serve the wonderful warm fruit directly from.

And as Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
Thank you, Amen.

Life of the Mill Girls

In my spare time I enjoy quilting. I’m pleased to share that I have a quilt in a museum exhibition at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. The show opens November 15th and sounds like it will be inspiring, delightful and diverse. This is our inaugural exhibition in a museum so we’re quite excited!

The New England Quilt Museum asked quilters to interpret how Lowell could inspire them to create in fabric. You can see my answer to this challenge in the photo. The corresponding artist statement reads:

I am a fiber artist. I have been sewing since I was old enough to lace a shoestring through a cardboard sewing card. Today I enjoy quilting for pleasure and sewing for my business that caters to pastors and churches. My work usually tells a story.

I find contentment in researching, contemplating and designing a new piece. Once I am comfortable with the design, I dive in and become very focused in the actual production.

“Inside the Life of a Mill Girl” grew out of reading about the young women who headed to work in the mills with great anticipation of how their lives would be changed. The symbols represent the bell that rang for every step of their grueling work schedule. The shuttle and the saw tooth borders symbolize the type of work that was performed amidst much machinery. The oil lamp stands for the dangerous working conditions in the mills. The promises made of a safe life with healthy meals and a regard for high moral standards are characterized in this quilt’s boarding house and church steeple. Lastly the steps of picking, carding, spinning, warping and weaving are graphically included to complete this piece.

The accomplishments, courage, and independence of the young mill girls are something we can learn from and be encouraged to apply to our lives today.

I think we can easily find inspiration in the story of the mill girls who went to work to earn money for their struggling farm families, tolerated work conditions that did not promote a joyful environment, yet diligently went to church, loved to read and appreciated the arts.

For Your Bookshelf

For my birthday, my brother recently gave me a photograph of an ocean scene with a person walking on the beach. Upon opening the gift I pondered the symbolism of peacefulness one gets when walking on the beach, the imagery of water curing thirst and cleanliness, and a desire for retreat to the wilderness.

This makes me think of the history of Christian worship and how it is immersed in symbolism, beginning with the symbols from the Jewish scriptures such as the rainbow God gave Noah. Until modern times literacy was limited therefore worship depended upon signs and symbols to remind and teach and aid us with the mystery of God. Signs and symbols still serve this purpose today.

A book I often turn to while researching the design of minister’s stoles or worship banners is Worship Without Words by Patrica Klein. This little guide is a very helpful explanation of the liturgical calendar and the signs, symbols, gestures, vestments and architectural elements that accompany liturgy. You may also enjoy it for your bookshelf.

Banner Commissions

At Carrot Top Studio we enjoy the challenge of making banners for a specific setting. That is why we don't carry ready made banners. We think it's important that the color, size, and visual message accentuate the existing architecture and environment.

Above is our latest commission. It is a set of seven banners for Advent/Christmas that focus on God's messengers, the angels. The narrow banners are embellished with symbols of Mary: the rose and the fleur-de-lis (a stylized lily). The center banner uses the symbol of a Natal cross which is shaped like a star. This reminds us of the story of Jesus' birth and the foretold purpose of his birth. The decorative flower borders are created using the Glastonbury thorn plant. According to legend it budded from the staff planted by Joseph of Arimethea when he took refuge in Glastonbury. Because it blooms during the Christmas season it has become a symbol of the Nativity.


And here's a glimpse of the process it took to get a finished product.

All Saints Day

The day after Halloween, November 1st, is a time to turn attention to those who have inspired us by their unselfish actions. Who are you thinking of today?


The above is All Saints Day as interpreted by William Kandinsky, an oil painting from 1911. It does not represent the exterior world but rather expresses inner feelings of the human soul.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for All Saints Day

We give you thanks and praise, O God,for by your great power you have called us to a rich hope and pledged us a glorious inheritance among the saints. In time before dreaming you sent the wind to stir up the sea of chaos and bring forth the earth.Through your law and prophets you promised us that your Kingdom would belong foreverto those who embraced your holiness.Through your son, Jesus Christ, you proclaimed a day when the hungry will feast and the mourners laugh. When he was killed on the cross you raised him from the deadand seated him at your right hand. In him you give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we might know that hope to which you have called usand embody the fullness of Christ who fills all in all.Therefore, with our hearts lifted high, we offer you thanks and praise at all times through Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.



©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Walking A Labyrinth

Solvitur ambulando…It is solved by walking…

--Saint Augustine

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.

Walking a labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves perception, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.

I am a right brain person and I have the need to move. Walking a labyrinth is something I crave and I have had very moving moments while using one as a tool for prayer. I love the openness of a time on the labyrinth—it accepts you for whatever age you are, where you are in your faith, what you look like, or whether you needing to move mountains or molehills.

If you want to learn more you will certainly enjoy Walking A Sacred Path by Dr. Lauren Artress. She explores the historical origins of the labyrinth and shares the discoveries of modern-day seekers. If you question the potential of a labyrinth this book will inspire you to try a walk to quiet your mind and open your soul.

To find a labyrinth near you click here.

A Fine Discussion With Wise Women

This week I had the delightful opportunity of visiting a local retirement community to speak about how color and symbols apply to the seasons of the liturgical church year. We looked at symbols in stoles and worship banners that had specific meaning; like the Alpha and Omega. Symbols like this require previous knowledge or education to understand. Other symbols seem obvious but can have different meaning to different people. We discussed the example of fire. Knowing that we were focusing on worship some of the participants immediately chimed in that fire was a symbol for Pentecost, but upon reflection we also came up with destruction (like the terrible fires currently raging in California), joy (like the flame of a birthday candle, and warmth (like a lit fireplace on a cold winter’s night).

There are also times when symbols rely upon the interpretation of the viewer. We looked at one of Carrot Top Studio’s stoles for Lent that is just an arrangement of purples. The somberness, depth of color and the arrangement allowed us to reflect upon feelings and emotions that we move through during the penitential time of Lent. These women, in their wiser years of their lives, were in agreement that congregations and those in leadership could do more to educate about the visual components of our faith. Human insight, both spiritual and visual, can be expanded and be a significant step in our journey toward a deeper relationship with God.

The Bible gifts us the words and symbols to draw up visual images in our mind. Psalm 150 is a great example of this.

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him for with the harp and lyre,

praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,

praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Listen to John Rutter's setting of these words to music while viewing St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

What a magnificent worship space, with so many visual components--rich in color, symbols and art!

Art: A Gift From God

While searching for a new home church after we moved it was exciting to walk into the first congregation we visited to discover it had an art gallery. After fifteen years of volunteering in many different aspects of church life I am now preparing to become the new curator of this gallery space. It is not large, but it is at the main entrance of the building so it has the potential of impacting many people that walk through the doors. This gallery space should allow viewers to experience faith within a visual context.

I would love to hear from you if you have a gallery space in your church. Does it have a vision or mission statement? How do you find your artists? Do the artists display a written statement of faith or any other kind of written message about their connection between being and artist and being a Christian?

While doing prep work for this new task in my life I came across an article from a past issue of Presbyterians Today. I share with you a synopsis of the author, Danny Potts, ideas on how to incorporate the arts into your congregation’s life:

1. Arrange museum trips to teach Bible study and Sunday School groups to look theologically at art. For example, how would a study of the Exodus story inform and critique an exhibit of American art of the Old West? You might even call the museum ahead of time to arrange for a docent to collaborate with you in your exploration.


2. Set aside part of your church building as a gallery for changing exhibitions of work by artist in the congregation, community or a local college.


3. Invite members and friends to bring a brown bag lunch to an “Art lunch” and 30 minute program. Food, fellowship and half-an-hour on Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper or The Gleaners by Millet would make for a meaningful workday break.


4. Invite interested persons to gather each week to hear the text for the upcoming Sunday sermon and respond to it creatively, as a way of beginning their preparation for worship. If the hymns coordinate with the sermon text or the celebration that Sunday (you’d think they always should, wouldn’t you) add another dimension to the creative response by playing the music in the background as you work.


5. Plan a year with the Bible—in art. How have the stories of our faith been painted, drawn, sculpted, built? Spend a year studying art through the Bible and the Bible through art.


6. Establish a one-year Artist-in-Residence program, so that your congregation, or a group of congregations, experiences the gifts and creative opportunities of artists working in a variety of media.

God and art are intrinsically connected and we celebrate that truth together. We must encourage the visual arts in the life of the church today!

Columbus Day

Today, Americans celebrate Columbus Day, a holiday celebrating the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas.

While taking pleasure in a new book, given to me by a friend that knows I enjoy the haunting lovliness of Shaker music, I came across the piece, "Christoper Columbus's March". The commentary by the editor, Christian Goodwillie is interesting--

The lyrics use maritime metaphors to make the comparison between Columbus's voyage of discovery and the committed Believer's lifelong voyage of spiritual discovery...Travelers on both journeys brave the unknown, yet like Columbus, the faithful Believer "shall safe embark, On Canaan's happy shore". The lyric describing the "rolling seas of time" is particularly poignant in its evocation of life's uncertainty, whether one lives within the faith or without."

The book Shaker Songs: A Celebration of Peace, Harmony, and Simplicity can be purchased on Amazon. It even includes a CD of traditional Shaker music with performances by the Boston Camerata!

A Knock at the Door

I love experiencing all different types of worship from Tenebrae, or contemporary, to funeral services and everything in between. On Friday our hometown of Pittsburgh, PA installed a new Catholic Bishop I was therefore very intrigued with the surrounding worship celebrations at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

For example, though he had walked through the same door countless times before, Bishop David A. Zubik could enter St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland on Thursday night only after knocking. Pondering this symbolic act that was foreign to me, I could think of several bits of Biblical references that might have inspired the tradition. First, to come to mind was the scripture from Matthew that says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Also, Rev. 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” The messages of these passages to persist in finding God and while also leaving the door to our hearts consistently open to God (personally and corporately) are ones we probably couldn’t hear often enough.

I little internet research explains that the knocking-on-the-door tradition dates to medieval Europe, when "chapters" of clergy independent of the bishop controlled the cathedral. Bishops had to knock to enter the churches. So the Rev. Donald P. Breier, St. Paul's rector and pastor, greeted Zubik as he crossed the door's threshold and welcomed him to the cathedral prior to the evening prayer service.

Carrot Top Studio creates stoles and worship banners so I initially was watching for the types of vestments, and stoles worn by the clergy in attendance. I also wondered if there would be worship banners in this grand space. Because I am fond of symbolism, I was also curious to watch for the presentation of the crozier. The symbolism of this pastoral staff that is carried by the Bishop links to Christ the Shepherd and is a visual reminder of the teaching the Bishop will do. While watching this three hour service on TV it was no surprise that there was much more observed and absorbed than I anticipated. I embraced the community that came together in this celebration and prayed with them for Christianity to grow within the city of Pittsburgh. Along with the Bishop, wherever we may be, may we continue to seek, find and knock.

Our newest banners

These 3' x 6' banners represent the "River of Life" and "Tree of Life". The river of life is referenced in Geneseis 2:10. After watering God's garden it was a source of four other rivers. Likewise Christ is the water of life flowing into the four corners of the earth. The tree of life is centrally located in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). Similarly Christ is centrally located in both the earthly and eternal life as told of in Revelations 22. A United Methodist church in Texas is using these banners to enhance worship during Ordinary Time. Find out how to commission banners specific for your church life here.

Inventory

At Carrot Top Studio we’ve been thinking about inventory.
Do you take inventory at your church? We can think of several
reasons why you might take inventory…from the serious to the crazy!



There is of course the spiritual gifts inventory. Why should we take one of these inventories? Since there is a limit on the time we can serve, we need to look for maximum effectiveness. Structuring our ministries around our giftedness will help us do that. Knowing where we are spiritually gifted will help us know where to put our focus, energy, and time. It will show us where we should plug into ministry.



The Barna group (their goal is to facilitate spiritual transformation) offers another type of inventory. It is a self-administered survey that church leaders can complete to evaluate how the habits of their church compare to the habits of the nation’s most effective churches. This might first occur to you as useless information but it can be a wonderful launch pad for discussion amongst your leadership.



When I was thinking about inventory I recalled the year my husband had the job of taking the inventory of the church silverware, plates, glasses etc. for a Williamsburg Christmas dinner. Thank goodness he has a jolly disposition because this type of inventory can be tedious!



Have you ever had to inventory your church membership records? You look for those that no longer live in the area or have moved to another church or aren’t worshiping anymore. This type of inventory certainly has be taken with great care so as not to offend anyone. You would still welcome someone that hasn’t graced your doorstep after many years astray wouldn’t you?



Advent is one of our busiest seasons and it’s only ten weeks away! So, Carrot Top Studio took an inventory this week. Now we’re sure of what we have available in stock and think we have a plan for filling in the holes. Our clients are always full of good ideas…any thoughts or suggestions?



Taking inventory has allowed our new old stock (NOS for short!) to be offered for sale on eBay this week (listings begin 9/20 and 9/22). Most of these designs will not be produced any more and we hope you will take advantage of the bargains!



Someone once said, “if it is important to you, it is worth documenting. If you don't feel it is worth documenting, then take another look at it.” Does this apply to church inventories? I leave you with that to chew on.

Color!

I am not Catholic so it has been interesting to learn that when the Pope visits a venue outside of the Vatican a Master of Ceremonies dictates the outer vestments worn by the Pope and others involved in worship.

It was delightful to stumble upon this photograph of the Pope recently in Austria. What a splash of color! I don't know what the Pope's message was while in this moment, but when I look at the vestments I feel joy, peace, rebirth and growth. Personally I yearn for the traditional colors of the liturgical calendar to mark the rhythm of worship, but during Ordinary Time I find it energizing and stimulating to see the use of other colors. I appreciate this freedom and spontaneity.

Interestingly a brief examination of the use of liturgical colors throughout church history quickly leads to the conclusion that no pattern of liturgical color is "correct" in and of itself. For over a thousand years the church gave little attention to the use of color. White vestments predominated. It was not until the twelfth century that schemes assiging colors to seasons and festivals began to appear in wealthier cathedrals, abbeys, and churches. We can appreciate our history while striving to continue to worship the Almighty Lord in ways that are most fitting for the moment.

*please forgive me if I've bungled any of the facts about the Catholic church. I would appreciate hearing from you if I need to stand corrected.

Poiema

It wasn't until recently that I started to challenge myself to learn new words and actually try to apply them in speech and writing. I wonder why it took 4+ decades to enjoy this activity? Regardless, I'm pleased to announce that I learned a new word today! I stumbled across an artist who calls her business Poiema. It is pronounced poy'-ay-mah. You probably use this word daily but, because I don't I got caught up in doing a little research.


It turns out that Poiema is a Greek word used in the New Testament for handiwork or work of art. It says that we are God’s creation. It is a referenece to Ephesians 2:10: "We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this." He speaks here of grace, and not of nature: therefore if the works are ever so good, we should see what they are, and know that they are that way because of grace.



How exciting that each person is a beautiful gift. Everyone is welcome and their gifts are encouraged. Every single one of us is a masterpiece. So be it!



*artwork is the Vitruviun Man by Leonardo da Vinci. A little known fact...The Vitruvian Man is actually named for the man who created him, the Roman architect Vitruvius. Vitruvius, a proponent of the Sacred Geometry of Pythagoras, designed temples based on the proportions of the human body, believing them to be perfect. This perfection, wrote Vitruvius, was due to the fact that the extended limbs of a perfectly proportioned human fit into both the circle and the square.

Bats

We were very surprised to have a bat in the studio today!

I enjoy seeing the bats circle the tops of the pine trees at night but really didn't know how to handle this scared, little creature inside....especially as my daughter turned white because she was petrified.

After an animal control agent (I kid you not!) took care of the situation I had a jolt of a memory of a pastor in our church many years ago. Reverend was very tall and wore a black robe while preaching. He pronounced the benediction each Sunday by raising only one arm. We came to learn that when the pastor was young he first delivered a benediction with his wife-to-be in the pews whom immediately erupted in fits of silent laughter. It turns out that between the man's stature and the big black robe all his betrothed could think of, while he raised both arms at the end of worship, was that he just looked like a big old bat. Hence the forty year tradition with this wonderful man of only using one arm to deliver a benediction!

At Carrot Top Studio we work at and blog about the visual in the church today. Visual components such as banners and stoles certainly aren't created to make the congregation laugh. But, recalling our former pastor's story does make me sensitive to the fact that the visual can appear differently from different perspectives! How about you...any visuals that didn't work despite your good intentions in your church? I hope the reaction was laughter and nothing much worse. I'll sign off so I can make sure the screens and doors are secure so there will be no more unexpected guests in the studio today!

Beauty and Art at the Glen Workshop

Do you know about the Image and the Glen Workshop? They were featured this past weekend on a broadcast of Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, a national public television program produced by WNET Television in New York. The segment was recorded at the recent Glen Workshop, which was centered on the theme—“God of the Desert: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam through the Prism of Art.” Its purpose was to challenge Christian artists to discover how beauty and art might enable a better understanding of other religious traditions that trace their lineage back to Abraham.

The Religion and Ethics Newsweekly a national television program saw Image's mission and program as newsworthy and aired a segment about the Glen Workshop this past weekend.
The program will remain up on the RENW home page all week. To go to the Religion and Ethics Newsweekly home page, click here.

Inspiration From the Gee's Bend Quilts

Last weekend found the Carrot Top Studio staff in Baltimore to see the Gee’s Bend quilt exhibit at the lovely Walters Art Museum. The exhibition explored the impact of environment and traditional quilting techniques, and examined the structural patterns that appear to form the foundation of Gee's Bend quilt making. The quilts, whose patterns have been handed down through generations, display bold colors and an improvisational style that is reminiscent of 20th-century minimalist art.



Artistically, the distinctive and bold quilting style reminded me that simple is often better. The power and beauty of these quilts often comes from basic shapes in solid planes and subtle color choices. The quilts can be appreciated without the distractions of composition, theme and other elements of traditional quilting. The work has been stripped to what is essential.



The powerful American artistic quilting tradition of the women from Gee's Bend has been passed down through at least six generations to the present. The faith traditions of this community are just as strong. I don’t know how they have passed on their faith traditions but, I wonder if some of the following has been part of the families lives at Gee's Bend:

• bringing faith into the family's daily life...noticing God's fingerprint throughout the day.
  

• letting children experience the richness of worship...the sights, the smells, the sounds, the rhythm of the liturgy.

• teaching children the language of faith...the symbols, images, stories and songs.

The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice is important. Today I am thankful for my family and others like the women of Gee's Bend who have gone before me.

We hope you’re inspired by the photo which is of “Housetop Variations” by Loretta Pettway, 2003.