Jacob David Pettibone Loading Video . . . We are pleased to present the work of David Pettibone as he explores the theme of "Hands" from the story of Jacob and Esau from Genesis 27:1-17. Genesis 27:1-17 Jacob By David Pettibone Credits: Curated by: Charis J Carmichael Braun 2012 16 x 27 inches Oil on canvas Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I consider myself agnostic and initially had superficial reservations about taking on this project. Yet I have a deep respect for religion and immeasurable appreciation for the good that can come out of faith and tradition. I also have always felt an intense connection and fascination with the iconography of the Catholic Church and would never deny the effects of nearly two thousand years of christianity on an individual, growing up in a western society. My stance on religion, I feel, is important to mention as it hopefully gives the viewer insight into the approach I chose towards making my painting. I was initially drawn to the theme of hands for many reasons. As a painter, I create with my hands. The handcrafted, in the age of speed and overload, is almost a symbol of defiance. To create directly with the hands is to slow the world down and reconnect with all that is physical and sometimes primal. An unmatched level of craftsmanship and much beauty can come directly from the hand. And yet, at the same time, the hand is responsible for so much that is ugly and destructive. The human hand can nourish and save life and it can just as easily, sometimes with more ease, take life away. In Genesis, through his hands, Jacob deceives his own, blind father, Isaac, in order to obtain the birthright that was to be his elder brother's- to rule over his people. And it was those same hands, with which he later wrestled with an angel, thus becoming "Israel", a prince with God and a leader of the Jewish people. I chose the moment of deception as the subject for my painting as it is a moment that expresses the extreme contradictions that the human hand is capable of. Mores specifically, I chose to focus on the hands themselves. As it may look to a dying, elderly man, blinded by age, obscure hands come out from the shadow and are laid down on a blood-red table. Instead of goat skin, I chose lambskin to cover the backs of Jacob's hands. Traditionally, the Bible refers to believers as Lambs of God, and I felt that using lambskin would bridge the identity from Jacob to all people. As all of us are capable of using our hands towards both deception and graciousness. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection David Pettibone is a New York based artist focusing extensively on the medium of oil paint and the portrayal of the contemporary figure. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona and received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and MFA from the New York Academy of Art. Upon graduating, he stayed on at the New York Academy of Art for one more year as a Fellow. He has taught painting at Brooklyn College and currently teaches drawing and painting at Marymount Manhattan College, 3rd Ward in Brooklyn and Brooklyn Artist Gym. His work is included in various private collections with continuous growing support. Website David Pettibone About the Artist David Pettibone Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Author Lancelot Schaubert offers the final release from his inventive three-part mini-series, presented as a small newspaper in response to a collection of Scripture passages. This section focuses on the theme of "kings" as found in Judges 9:7-21 in addition to a summation of the series. Judges 9:7-21 Dragonsmaw Daily | 3 By Lancelot Schaubert Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2020 Creative Writing Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I wanted to literalize the story of the trees electing a king, so I featured some of the tree creatures of Gergia and their recent conclave to elect a new Woodward. I think you'll find that the sort of thing spoken of in Judges is quite literal in Gergia. The Dragonsmaw daily is a paper circulating on LOMEDAY of the month of BLAGUROEDD 47 in the year 1109 P.T. on Gergia, one of the Vale Universe ( short story series here ). It may seem like a high-shelf sort of entry for the average reader, something that takes a herculean effort to embrace in terms of the suspension of disbelief or secondary belief in my created world. However, I think it's quite easy: if you'll trust me, it'll read as a wonderfully foreign paper from a wonderfully foreign world. It's ephemera: something like an in-world artifact I happened to pick up from a newsboy who was hawking EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA copies in order to have enough ₮ to get his sister through the week on an onion (actually it's more like a leek) based soup. She beat the fever, in case you were wondering. But I brought it back from Gergia and gave it to my friends at Spark and Echo that it might supplement the stories I've written here and elsewhere about these fantastic worlds I travel so frequently. For those that have followed along in any capacity, this paper tells of events taking place prior to the events in the Moon Boys series from my artist residency and quite far in the past from the other commissions here at Spark and Echo. It occupies the region around the Imperial Crescent in Gergia (top left of the main land mass on that false map I drew of the world) . Each of the events recorded in this paper feature major workings in the region. All together I wanted to bind up the themes of extinction, of power dynamics, and of being lost and found into one piece. So I stitched together three commissions in a more unified form than normal. Of course some parts of the paper will remain out of reach for some time — like any foreign country, Gergian customs and economics and politics only make sense after you've lived there for quite some time. But one day the times, dates, seasons, and currency will make perfect sense to you. And then the dread realization of what the paper really reveals will come all too clear, as clear as a Bell Hammer. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lancelot has sold work to The New Haven Review (The Institute Library), The Anglican Theological Review, TOR (MacMillan), McSweeney's, The Poet's Market, Writer's Digest, and many, many similar markets. (His favorite, a rather risqué piece, illuminated bankroll management by prison inmates in the World Series Edition of Poker Pro). Publisher's Weekly called his debut novel BELL HAMMERS "a hoot." He has lectured on these at academic conferences, graduate classes, and nerd conventions in Nashville, Portland, Baltimore, Tarrytown, NYC, Joplin, and elsewhere. The Missouri Tourism Bureau, WRKR, Flying Treasure, 9art, The Brooklyn Film Festival, NYC Indie Film Fest, Spiva Center for the Arts, The Institute of the North in Alaska, and the Chicago Museum of Photography have all worked with him as a film producer and director in various capacities. Website Lancelot Schaubert About the Artist Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 3 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 2 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 1 Posh Girls As Waters Cover Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert Dragonsmaw Daily | 1 Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 Watchtower Stripped to the Bonemeal Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Philadelphia Bloodlines Lancelot Schaubert Other Works By As with most shared newspapers, some of the pages have been pulled out and are out of order, so you will have to piece them together as the project is released. You may find the other parts of the project at Dragonsmaw Daily | 1 and Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 . You may also view the entirety of the project, here — as a brand new newspaper. Related Information View More Art Make More Art FANCY FEAST has returned to Dragonsmaw! View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . FANCY FEAST has returned to Dragonsmaw! Download Full Written Work

He is Good; His Love Endures Forever (11x17, Paper Collage on Strathmore Drawing Paper) They Burned the House of God (11x17", Paper Collage on Strathmore Drawing Paper with Conte Crayon) Loading Video . . . In this project, collectively entitled "A Body without the Spirit," visual artist Nicora Gangi explores a contrast between two passages from the same book: 2 Chronicles 7:3-4 and 2 Chronicles 36:19. 2 Chronicles 36:19 2 Chronicles 7:3-4 The Body without the Spirit | 1 By Nicora Gangi Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, April Knighton 2021 Various Sizes Mixed Media Collage Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link About "He is good; His love endures forever" (from II Chronicles 7:3-4) This collage was created to give the viewer a sense of looking up at the perfect glory light of God's presence. This account in II Chronicles shows us the reverence of His people before Him, adoring Him, expressing their awful dread of the Divine Majesty, along with their cheerful submission to the Divine Authority. They—with thankfulness—acknowledge the goodness of God. Even when the fire of the Lord came down they praised him, saying: "He is good, for his mercy endureth forever. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, but the sacrifice is consumed instead, for which we are bound to be very thankful" (NASB). About "They burned the house of God" (from II Chronicles 36:19) In this image I have begun to create a scene of the havoc and destruction of the temple. The previous verses ( vv. 14-18 ) describe the desolation itself. Multitudes were put to the sword, even in the house of their sanctuary. They fled for refuge there, hoping that the holiness of the place would be their protection. But how could they expect to find it so when they themselves had polluted it with their abominations? They forsook God, who had compassion on them, but they still would have none of Him. All the remaining vessels of the temple (great and small), all the sacred treasures of God's house, and all the secular treasures of the king and his princes were seized and brought to Babylon. The temple was burnt, the walls of Jerusalem were demolished, the houses and all the furniture were destroyed and laid in ashes: A significant indicator for us all to be diligent and to watch over the temple of our body and soul, rooting out the worm that creates havoc and causes the sin that leads to destruction. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Nicora Gangi was educated at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA (BFA 1974 and MFA 1976). She was a Professor of Art at Syracuse University for 29 years. Gangi has been awarded many Grand Prize and First Place awards and grants. She has been and continues to be published in numerous artist’s books on pastel paintings. She has lectured regionally and nationally as a visiting artist at universities and artist’s guilds. She is represented by: Edgewood Gallery (Syracuse, NY), and Gangi Studio (Winter Garden, FL ). Website Nicora Gangi About the Artist The Mountain of the House of The Lord I See Him but Not Now So Shall Your Descendants Be This One The Body without the Spirit | 2 The Body without the Spirit | 3 The Sealed Ones Peace with God The Everlasting Protective Love of God Our Father When the Lord Gives Us The Land I See Him but Not Now The Mountain of the House of The Lord Paneled and Ruins Series The Harvest Spirit of God-The Spirit Hovering Memories Lies Fool Dance Your Truth from the Great Congregation Psalm 18 Sound of Their Wings Psalm 16 Kiss the Son EAST, WEST, NORTH & SOUTH AT HIS TABLE Nicora Gangi Other Works By View the other two posts in this collection at: The Body without the Spirit | 2 The Body without the Spirit | 3 Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

mandy-bankson_strangers_se.jpg Loading Video . . . California artist Mandy Bankson responds to the theme of "Strangers" and Hebrews 13:2. Hebrews 13:2 Strangers By Mandy Bankson Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2014 40" x 30" Acrylic Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I chose this passage, on the theme of Strangers, because of an experience I had many years ago. Coming out of anesthesia after a major surgery, there were several nurses around my gurney, looking down at me. When I saw them, I saw each person as an individual gift. Their skin was like wrapping paper holding an extremely precious and unique treasure inside. I believe I was given a glimpse of what God sees when he looks at us with Love. God sees first not our faults and weaknesses, but our beauty, our creation in His image. This theme and this verse in particular, allowed me to honor the spiritual experience I had 20 years ago that continues to affect the way I see people around me. So much of each of us is hidden. And in what is hidden there is often a treasure to be discovered. We are called as God's friends, to be hospitable to that stranger, no matter who they are. Sometimes that is not easy; sometimes it is. But we are reminded in this verse of the mystery that is lurking when we allow ourselves to enter into God's kingdom and see as God sees. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Mandy Bankson was born in rural Indiana. Her mother was an artist and Mandy began drawing and painting as a young girl, attracted to patterns and design.. Although art was always on the periphery, she taught Special Education in the San Francisco bay area for many years. After marrying a widower with two young daughters and moving to Santa Rosa, CA , she began to paint more seriously. Mandy paints abstractly inspired by patterns of the natural world. However her most recent body of work is an abstract series based on Jacob’s Ladder (Genesis 28:10-18). She started and continues to curate the Gallery at First, a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Santa Rosa. She is also involved in the gallery at The Journey Center, a Christ centered community. Mandy is an ARTrails Open Studio artist, and shows in Marin and Sonoma counties: her works are collected locally and internationally. More of her work can be viewed on her website www.mandybankson.net . Website Mandy Bankson About the Artist Mandy Bankson Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Vandermause Infancy Full Loading Video . . . We are happy to premiere a new photo collage created by photographer Melissa Vandermause in response to 2 Timothy 3:15 and theme of "beginning". 2 Timothy 3:15 "From Infancy..." By Melissa Vandermause Credits: Artist Location: Connecticut Curated by: Charis J. Carmichael Braun 2012 Photography Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I created this image of my 8 month old daughter Vera and her father, who is raising her up in his arms. It was crafted by using a lensbaby, a lens that I use which works with a very small focal plane and blurs out the rest of the image. I wanted to capture my daughter's expression of childlike confidence in her father. It was challenging to take a photograph of a moving baby, but I finally captured one that gave the effect of a surreal world while still seeing an expressive child. Once the image was in Photoshop, I copied and pasted the flowers from the lamp behind her to give the image even more of a "virtual reality" feeling. By just playing with the levels and adding some old photo effects I was very pleased with the final results and I imagine this is how God sees us as we were brought into light through baptism. I want this image to evoke the significance that the Holy Scriptures has on children, and that from infancy you can be communicating to them God's love and raise them to know God's saving work. As a parent, I feel my most important job is to implant in the minds of our children the knowledge of Jesus as our Savior. It can be a scary, unforgiving world and that is shown by the darkness surrounding Vera in this image. But with God's light of salvation, our children can be raised to the light of Jesus, and as parents we can know that with his word at baptism they are saved. We are free and his light shines on us so we may be truly happy and our childlike faith is visible to the world. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Melissa Vandermause has a B. A. in Fine Art from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN, where she studied studio art and concentrated in photography and graphic design. After she graduated, she worked with New Generation Studio (now Lime Rock Photography) in Mankato, and was the recipient of the Wedding Album of the Year (2006 MPPA) award. Melissa, her husband Greg and two children live and work near Hartford, Connecticut where Melissa documents, creates and “captures life as intended” with her own professional photography studio, Galleria Vivid. Website Melissa Vandermause About the Artist I once was blind but now I see Melissa Vandermause Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

suarez_final.jpg Loading Video . . . Many interesting things have been revealed since my last post. I have spent most of July and August intensively rehearsing and researching. It has truly been a joy to collaborate with performing artists Carol McDowell and Rebeca Hernandez. It has also been a joy to be the Studio Artist in Residence at 1450 Ocean-Camera Obscura. It is sadly so rare that I’ve had the opportunity to come to a work on a daily basis. It has truly deepened my point of view. Below are photos of the studio and our view! Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Ruth 1:16-17 Artist in Residence 2015: Christine Suarez Part 3 By Christine Suarez Credits: Curated by: Spark & Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2015 2015 Dance Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link September 7, 2015 Many interesting things have been revealed since my last post. I have spent most of July and August intensively rehearsing and researching. It has truly been a joy to collaborate with performing artists Carol McDowell and Rebeca Hernandez. It has also been a joy to be the Studio Artist in Residence at 1450 Ocean-Camera Obscura. It is sadly so rare that I’ve had the opportunity to come to a work on a daily basis. It has truly deepened my point of view. Below are photos of the studio and our view! We are preparing for a performance on August 29. This manifestation of the work I have designed in part as a site-specific piece and in part as a lecture-demonstration. The actual location and construction of the studio has informed this choice. As you can see from the pictures the studio is mostly windows. Everyone that comes into the building sees us in the studio rehearsing. Also there is a path along the other side of the building where curious folks watch us rehearse from the other side. Throughout the piece I am curious about how we see the performers – our vantage point – and how what we are seeing is framed -literally and figuratively. Since our rehearsal process has been basically “transparent” I wanted the piece to display our process. That is why I am viewing the work in part as a lecture-demonstration. I am narrating the piece: telling the audience the story from the Book of Ruth, sharing our rehearsal process, and talking about our interpretation of the story. We have continued our physical work with the Ruth and Naomi paintings. We have begun to manipulate the material in interesting ways. We have talked at length about how Naomi and Ruth reconfigured what a family looks like and how a woman is supposed to behave. We have been using that idea of reconfiguring in application to our choreographic material. We have also been playing with patterns in space to represent how these two women navigate the cultural structure, which they lived – how they both continued on with their lives together though with great uncertainty. We have also been experimenting with some improvisation structures to embody different aspects of Naomi and Ruth. More soon! And please if you have any thoughts or responses, I welcome them! Email me at info@suarezdance.org. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Christine Suarez is a Los Angeles-based choreographer, performer and educator. Born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in Baton Rouge Louisiana, Christine made her first works of choreography to the Grease soundtrack. Since then she has created eleven evening-length dance-theater works, numerous site-specific and community events and close to a dozen dances for the theater and film, along with teaching, creating and performing at school sites all over the U.S. While living in New York City from 1994-2006, her work was presented at various venues including Danspace Project, P.S. 122, HERE, Joyce SoHo and Dixon Place. In 1998 she founded SuarezDanceTheater, a not-for-profit, ensemble of dancers, actors and musicians. SuarezDanceTheater examines the unexpected – creating dance-theater in unexpected places with unexpected people about unexpected subjects. Christine and company were Artists in Residence at Tribeca Performing Arts Center from 2003-2006. Her work has toured nationally and internationally to over 20 cities. Her work happens in theaters, houses, parks, Churches, galleries, sidewalks and beaches. She collaborates with multi-generational performers along with parents, children, veterans, high school students and teen mothers. Since relocating to Los Angeles, she has been invigorated by making dances in unexpected places. Wet Spots (2008) was a site-specific performance about female orgasm that she created in collaboration with a multi-generational cast of women. The Los Angeles Times called it “ingeniously crafted…poignant…hilarious.” She has organized community dance participatory performances in parks, beaches and classrooms in partnership with city governments, community based organizations and schools. She has also been touring Wet Spots: Solo to Tallinn, Estonia, Movement Research at Judson Church (New York City), The Garage (San Francisco), Emory University (Atlanta, GA), The A.W.A.R.D. Show! (REDCAT). Most recently she premiered her new evening length work MOTHER . at the Motion Pacific at the Santa Cruz Fringe Festival and Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, CA. As an educator, Christine has worked at public schools all over the New York City and Los Angeles area. She has been a guest teacher/choreographer at California State University San Marcos, California State University Los Angeles, Emory University, Indiana University, Southeastern University of Louisiana and Louisiana State University. She holds an MFA in choreography from UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures Department and a BA in Theater and English Literature from Emory University. She is a government contractor co-creating a dance program for Veterans at The School for Better Living, a psycho-social research initiative a the West Los Angeles VA Hospital. She also works as a teaching artist with the HeArt Project. She has been awarded grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Puffin Foundation, Meet the Composer, the Association for Hispanic Arts, JP Morgan Chase Regrant, the Field and the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center. She is honored to be a Hispanic Scholarship Fund/Cheech Marin Endowed Scholarship Scholar and recipient of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund McNamara Family Creative Arts Projects Grant. (Photo by CedarBough Saeji) www.suarezdance.org Website Christine Suarez About the Artist Artist in Residence 2015: Christine Suarez Part 2 Artist in Residence 2015: Christine Suarez Part 1 The joy of our heart has ceased; Our dance has turned into mourning. Artist in Residence 2015: Christine Suarez Christine Suarez Other Works By Follow the developmental journey of Christine's project by reading her first , second and final post written over the course of the year. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

! Loading Video . . . Focusing on the idea of "perception," we are pleased to feature two works by painter Paul Trapp, "Substantiate" and "Behind". Paul paints images of ordinary objects and places derived from empirical observation, however, he employs various strategies to alter or distort the observed spaces. 1 Corinthians 13:12 On Perception By Paul Trapp Credits: Artist Location: Illinois Curated by: Charis 2010 24 x 24 inches (both works) Acrylic on panel Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link (The artists words are in italics. Additional commentary from Spark+Echo Arts drawn from conversations with the artist.) I want to know more about our sensory experience of God's creation, and how we can use our imaginations to experience this world in new ways. I think we take for granted what is right in front of us, so in my paintings I try to counteract this inactive approach to seeing. I use planar space to distort common objects to show that although things may appear to be ordinary, they are not. I not only depict what my eyes see but I also paint spatial anomalies in my work that do not happen in reality. I contrast representational and planar painting space because it is foundational or "common" to the picture plane — like objects are to this world. For, a new perspective on common experience only requires an active curiosity to see one's surroundings as unique, magical, and new. (Paul Trapp) Paul says that this body of work "investigates perception and the phenomenological concept of intentionality" or, "how an object is seen as apposed to how it is mentally approached." Paul quotes Joseph Campbell where he notes that there may be a conflict between what a (Christian) artist sees and what he or she may believe: "People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive." (Campbell, Joseph. "The Message of the Myth." The Message of the Myth. TV mini-series with Bill Moyers. PBS. 1988.) Connecting the Real with the Ideal We are reminded of Paul (the Apostle)'s well-known chapter about love that he wrote to the Corinthians. Though most people – able to cite the reference or not – may be able to quote, "Love is ___, love is ___, ‚..." there is a seminal passage in that chapter that we draw in reference to Paul (the artist)'s thoughts on perception: 1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." Perhaps the Apostle Paul was pulling from his philosophic background, drawing a reference to what Plato muses on regarding the ideal nature of things. We see in Paul Trapp's paintings both the ideal and the real, parts of the whole – a vibrating connection between what we know to be rooted in this world and what we find in moments of beauty and transcendence. I parallel the visual aspects of my work (representational and planar space) with the concepts involved in my work (perception and intentionality). This contrast is intended to raise questions concerning subjective experience in the objective world, and to suggest that actively observing objects in daily life leads to a new awareness of daily surroundings. Ultimately, I use this visual conflict to create an unexpected visual experience where something new can be discovered within something familiar and to bring to consciousness the experience of seeing. (Paul Trapp) Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Paul Trapp was born in Madison, Wisconsin and has studied at Minnesota State University and in Florence, Italy. Currently he teaches at Illinois State University. His studio work investigates perception and the phenomenological concept of intentionality. His work has been shown in Washington, New York, Italy, and Malaysia. His work is in the collection of Penang State Museum & Art Gallery and Bethany Lutheran College. Website Paul Trapp About the Artist Paul Trapp Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . There are a lot of ways the world can end. Robert Hass—a poet I love so much that I once fell in love with someone largely because they studied with him in college—once wrote: all the new thinking is about loss in this way, it resembles all the old thinking I lost my father 8 months ago, almost to the day. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Revelation 9:10-20 Revelation 11:3-7 Isaiah 8:11 Proverbs 4:23 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 2 By Lily Maase This album contains some strong language, references to violence, and allusions to drug use, and may not be suitable for all audiences. Discretion is advised. Credits: Composed, Written, and Performed By Lily Maase. 2017 Curated by: Spark & Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2017 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link June 12, 2017 There are a lot of ways the world can end. Robert Hass—a poet I love so much that I once fell in love with someone largely because they studied with him in college—once wrote: all the new thinking is about loss in this way, it resembles all the old thinking I lost my father 8 months ago, almost to the day. Decades ago I lost my mother—and by extension, my younger sister, who was my mother’s favorite—to mental illness, and to this date I have yet to marry or have a family of my own. So in the years between my childhood and today my father had slowly become my whole universe: the man who taught me to walk, to drive a car, change a set of guitar strings, who showed me how to value myself enough to walk away from heartbreak; who resolutely held me up when I thought the misogyny I encountered in music school and in my early days as a career guitarist was going to break me; who brought me back into the arms of Christ when I was ready; who became first my mentor and then—at long last—came to regard me as a trusted and capable peer. There are a lot of ways the world can end. My world ended on October 1, 2016. There was no reason for his passing. I had spoken to him earlier that day and he was happy, healthy, fine. Looking forward to a gig that weekend. Had a busy day, had to get off the phone, he would talk to me early next week if not before. The next time his face popped up on my caller ID, there was a police officer on the other end, asking if I knew some guy named Steve. He had gone to bed that night, and that was that. He never made the gig. There are a lot of ways the world can end. I buried my father and packed up his guitars and drove them back to Brooklyn, and when I got there I returned to an old job as a DJ, to defray the cost of his funeral (my father was rich in many things but money was not one of them). This is how I found myself face-to-face with a man nearly 15 years my junior, who was out of his head on god knows what, who had decided for some reason that I belonged to him. This was the weekend before the election, and at the time it seemed there was an end in sight. But by the end of the evening, our current president’s name had been invoked, my hand had been smashed in a doorway about a dozen times, and—to make a long story short—the following Tuesday I cast my vote in a neck brace, drove myself home from the polls somehow, and went to bed for what turned out to be quite some time. When my father died all the strength left my body, and after I was attacked I discovered I didn’t have any resources left over for myself. The road to recovery was—and still is—longer and harder than I expected. I started spending more time at home and I’ll be damned if I didn’t discover that my man (of Robert Hass fame) had been keeping a second girlfriend in another state. So the world had already ended, and then it turned out it ended two more times before all was said and done, and then we all lived through the election together and the world as we know it really DID end. We live in a new world now. The reality is, we have probably been living in this new world for quite some time. If all the old thinking was about loss, this new thinking is about losing harder, faster, and with less grace. I wrote at the outset of this project about the idea of circles, and about the keeping of lists. That the literal experience of something happening in the world around us is often mirrored by the struggles we have within. So, what happens, when the world ends and you are somehow still just…here? There was a moment, having lost so many things both personally and on a global level, where I certainly prayed for the easefulness of death. The old thinking is gone. But the new thinking is maybe just the old thinking all over again, only accelerated to a breakneck pace. In a lot of ways, I think those of us who are perplexed by the current state of affairs in this country and in the world at large seem to be struggling with this one a bit. Are we being challenged, or destroyed? Are we truly concerned for others, or only for the others that most resemble us? Are we growing as a society, or are we suffocating our civilization because we have already grown too much? When I think about the two pillars God appointed to bear witness to the end of the world, I marvel at how incredibly tired they must have been. I wonder if they asked their Father, at some point, if somebody else might be better suited to bear their load. So I wrote this for my father mostly, but also for the olive trees, the glowing lanterns I have always imagined as being daughters of the Lord. For who else but two women could be strong yet supple enough to bear full witness to the final days of life on earth? Read: Release Me lyrics The message that I take from this is twofold: that God never gives us more than we can handle, and that neither witness was asked to bear this weight fully on their own. It’s taken the better part of a year to begin to get my fighting spirit back, and in another year or so I’ll hopefully have my strength. I am a new person now. In truth I liked the old person quite a bit, so I’m still not sure how I feel about all this. It is hard, sometimes, to be tough enough to navigate this new terrain. There are a lot of ways the world can end. But where one thing ends, another begins, whether we want it to or not. This is why we have faith. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lily Maase is a rock, country, jazz and classical guitarist raised in New Mexico, educated at the University of North Texas, and living in Brooklyn, New York. She is contributing writer for Premier Guitar Magazine and has contributed to Guitar World and Guitar World’s Acoustic Nation, who recently lauded her as a “master guitar teacher.” She is the founder and owner of Brooklyn GuitarWorks, a workshop-oriented center for guitar and bass guitar education located in Williamsburg. Lily is the lead guitarist, musical director and bandleader with the Rocket Queens all-female tribute to Guns N Roses and the Suite Unraveling (Tzadik). She is the lead guitarist with Gato Loco, and is endorsed by Godin Guitars. Her playing has been featured by Vans.com, Maxim.com, Guitar World’s Acoustic Nation, Teen Vogue, and Elle Magazine. Website Lily Maase About the Artist Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 1 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 3 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Look Out Below Lily Maase Other Works By Follow Lily's project's development throughout the year by reading her previous first , third and final posts. 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Loading Video . . . Dancer Helen Hale created this beautiful and contemplative dance piece in response to the theme of eavesdropping and Genesis 18:9-15. Genesis 18:9-15 One Long Adagio with Antenna Up By Helen Hale Credits: Artist Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Curated by: Elizabeth Dishman 2014 Dance, film Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I imagine Abraham and the three men/the Lord picnicking at a distance. Maybe their vantage point is the opening image of this video, of the tree, far away. I imagine the Lord asking, “Where is your wife Sarah?” and Abraham saying, “There, in the tree.” I am curious about the way in which the Lord announces the promise of a son to Abraham, and not to Sarah. Rather than getting the news directly, she overhears it as she’s listening outside. God even asks Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh?” And only addresses Sarah when she denies her laughter, saying, “Yes, you did laugh.” For a long time I read into this passage a lack of intimacy, a kind of chiding, from the Lord to Sarah, but as I’ve paddled in the pool of this scripture I’ve come to imagine the Lord engaging in a romance with Sarah from a distance—an exchange of knowing looks from across the room. He doesn’t really need to ask anyone why Sarah laughed. He full well knows. He’s been anticipating her response to this absurdly unexpected news. In my interpretation, Sarah, in her moment of surprise and incredulity says, “What? After I am worn out from miles and miles and miles and years and years and years of dancing this adagio in the hot sun will I now have the pleasure of this mist on my face?” Furthermore, as it turns out, the Liszt composition I chose for the sound is entitled “Consolation.” I am certain Sarah needed much consoling along the road to ninety. My first name is Sarah, after this Sarah. Wildly enough, while working on this piece, I have received absurdly unexpected news that a door in my life that I thought was closed forever has been re-opened. Coincidence? Fulfillment of a promise that I’ve been moving toward while so often thinking it had disappeared, mirage-like, in the sweltering Heat of Life? Throughout Sarah’s long slow dance, the Lord so patiently awaits her arrival, and she so patiently moves towards Him with great longsuffering. He prompts her to laugh, and as she laughs, He joins her! –Sharing an undeniable joy from which new life is born. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Helen Hale is a choreographer and performer, and the director of Helen Hale Dance. Her work has been presented by The High Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, The Galleries at Moore, The Hambidge Center, Dance Truck, Dashboard Co-op, The Lucky Penny, BurnAway Magazine, MINT Gallery, Art on the Atlanta BeltLine, and WonderRoot Community Arts Center, among others. Helen received a BFA from Temple University (PA) in 2009 and has performed with companies and choreographers around the country including Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, Staibdance, Dishman + Co., PushPush Theater, Tahni Holt, Team Sunshine Performance Corporation, Duende Dance Theater, Meg Foley/Moving Parts, Troupe Hellas, and Ground Delivery Dance Theater. After a long period of research and collaboration with musicians and visual artists in Atlanta, Helen has returned to Philadelphia where she is currently reworking her one-woman show, Sanity Ceremonies, performing with Kun- Yang Lin/Dancers, and seriously committing to creative playtime in developing a new body of work with collaborator, Maggie Ginestra. Website Helen Hale About the Artist Helen Hale Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . The Spark+Echo Band brings to life the wild imagery of Isaiah 6 in their lively song Ruined, featuring nimble flute and piano underscoring Isaiah's text. Isaiah 6 Ruined By The Spark & Echo Band Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2010 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Six winged angels flying to your lips with a live coal, ravaged fields and ruined cities‚ÄìIsaiah 6 is full of dramatic imagery. It's a vivid story filled with uncertainty and atonement that takes some time to sink in. This is the text that inspired "Ruined." The recording is from the Spark+Echo Band's debut album. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection The Spark & Echo Band is a family outfit of songwriting-storytellers led by husband and wife duo Jonathon Roberts and Emily Clare Zempel. Their music brings forgotten poetry and wild stories from the Bible to life: visions of sparkling wheels in the sky, hunger and thirst, and legends of love as strong as death weave with memorable melodies and captivating rhythms. Drawing from a classical background, influenced by the pianism of Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds, and emulating Paul Simon’s narratival techniques, Spark & Echo sings epic tales of love and adventure. The duo has collaborated on three full lengths albums (Spark&Echo, Inheritance, Cities Project), one video album (In the Clocktower), in addition to many theatrical collaborations, this very nonprofit, and two children. They live in beautiful Beacon, New York, with all of the above. Website The Spark & Echo Band About the Artist White Robe What a Day Deep Calls to Deep Yo Sé Do You Love Me? Where Can I Go? How to Be Free Flesh Lifeblood Artist in Residence 2015: Spark & Echo Band Take to Heart The Wheels Frogs Inheritance The Spark & Echo Band Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

bookends_karen-swenholt.jpg Bookends_Wide-3-books_karen-swenholt.JPG Bookends_Wide-shot__karen-swenholt.JPG Bookends, "Radiohead" (detail) Bookends, "Not Listening" (detail) Loading Video . . . Sculptor Karen Swenholt brings her personal faith journey and an appreciation of the life and work of Edvard Munch to her reading of Zechariah 7:11 to produce this emotive work, "Bookends." Zechariah 7:11 Bookends By Karen Swenholt Credits: Curated by: Laurel Justice 2018 14 x 17 x 9 inches Terracotta, Bibles Sculpture Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link For me, life was a cacophony before I believed in God. It did not make sense. It was noise. I could not hear the melody lines, the beat, the structure—the point of it all—until I met God. Then harmony and peace were possible for me. With Bookends , I analogize God and His word to music. Radiohead hears God, responding to His music rapturously, snapping his fingers and gesturing with his right arm in response to beat and melody. Not Listening stops his ears and turns away. One would think the joy of Radiohead’s response to the music might intrigue his brother, but not so. Ironically Not Listening stops his own ears, claiming Radiohead also hears nothing and accuses Radiohead of delusion for apprehending the existence of God. In the world of Not Listening , Radiohead is mad. As I worked on Not Listening , I was struck that his facial structure resembles that of the figure in The Scream by Edvard Munch . Munch’s parents were committed Christians. His mother died young of tuberculosis, leaving him a beautiful plea/prayer in writing that her child find God. Munch’s early adulthood was very painful with bouts of drinking that verged on madness. He painted The Scream during that time. What is The Scream afraid to hear? That a God that controls the universe let his mother die? Isn’t it safer then, not to believe in God at all? That is why the torso of Not Listening is slashed. It reveals the man is hollow of life. He has been wounded. May God have mercy and reveal himself to the Not Listenings in the world and heal their wounds. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Karen Swenholt is a figurative sculptor who lives and works in Northern Virginia. After attending MICA and California College of the Arts, she continued studies at New York City’s New York Studio School and the Art League in Virginia. Influences from the West Coast’s Bay Area Figurative Movement combined with the emotional power of abstract expressionism from her East Coast studies and origins to form the foundation of Swenholt’s work today. The rough painterly surfaces of her sculptures contrast with their grace, conveying emotion and movement. Karen Swenholt is presently the artist in residence at Convergence in Alexandria, Virginia. Her work can be found in many public and private collections including Cairn University in Philadelphia, Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C and churches across the U.S. and abroad. www.karenswenholt.com www.facebook.com/karenswenholtart Website Karen Swenholt About the Artist Heart for a Stone Karen Swenholt Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Emily Rose Hazel's work reflects on her experiences in Ghana while responding to the theme of "Harvest" and the passages of Exodus 16:2-4, 11-16, 31; Numbers 11:7-9; 1 Kings 17:1-16; Matt. 6:11-13, 25-27; and John 6:1-13 as she builds a poetry collection responding to every theme from the year as a 2013 Spark+Echo Artist in Residence. Exodus 16:2-4 Exodus16:11-16 Exodus 16:31 Numbers 11:7-9 1 Kings 17:1-16 Matt 6:11-13 Matt 6: 25-27 John 6:1-13 Give Us This Day By Emily Ruth Hazel Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, 2013 Artist in Residence 2013 Poetry/Spoken Word Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link The initial inspiration for this poem came to me more than eight years ago, when I was traveling in Ghana. While there, I had the opportunity to attend performances of several classic plays I had seen in the United States (including The Sound of Music and Grease). I loved seeing the different ways these stories were translated through another culture. That got me thinking about ways of reframing the familiar, looking at the same concepts through different cultural lenses. At the time, I was trying to eat vegetarian, which proved to be a challenge in Ghana. My nearly-daily diet consisted of rice and beans, sweet plantains, and life-changing pineapples and mangoes. My friends insisted that I try traditional Ghanaian fufu. In West and Central Africa (as well as parts of the Caribbean), fufu is a staple food, prepared by boiling starchy vegetables such as cassava root, yams, and/or plantains, which are then pounded until they have the consistency of dough. The traditional way to eat fufu is to pinch off a small portion with one's right hand, dip it into an accompanying soup or stew, and swallow it without chewing. It's a filling dish, and I was glad I tried it, although I returned to my standbys. Around then, I had a conversation with a Ghanaian friend about the phrase "Give us this day our daily bread," a line from the New Testament passage commonly called The Lord's Prayer. We were talking about how this verse wouldn't hit home in the same way for people for whom bread is not a staple food. Half-jokingly, my friend said that the Ghanaian cultural translation should be "Give us this day our daily fufu." That was the germ of the idea for this poem. I was reminded of that conversation when my exploration of biblical passages on the theme of Harvest led me to words about bread.Recently, my career transition to freelancing fulltime as a writer has had me thinking about miraculous provision, as in the biblical accounts of God providing manna—a mysterious, edible substance that covered the ground like frost each night when the Israelites were wandering in the desert. This was their "daily bread." While most of us would prefer to be promised a lifetime supply of bread upfront, often we aren't promised a year or even a month's worth, but simply a day's worth. That measure of uncertainty presses us to trust beyond what we can see and to be expectantly present in each day we are given. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Emily Ruth Hazel is a poet, writer, and cross-pollinator who is passionate about diversifying the audience for poetry and giving voice to people who have been marginalized. Selected as the Honorary Poet for the 25th Annual Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading in Providence, Rhode Island, she presented a commissioned tribute to the Poet Laureate of Harlem in February of 2020. She is a two-time recipient of national Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prizes and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for a residency at The Hambidge Center in 2014. Her chapbook, Body & Soul (Finishing Line Press, 2005) , was a New Women’s Voices finalist. Emily’s work has appeared in numerous anthologies, magazines, literary journals, and digital projects, including Kinfolks: A Journal of Black Expression and Magnolia: A Journal of Women’s Socially Engaged Literature. Her poetry has also been featured on music albums, in a hair salon art installation, and in a science museum exhibition. Emily has written more than twenty commissioned works for organizations, arts productions, social justice projects, and private clients. Currently, she is developing several poetry book manuscripts and writing lyrics for an original musical inspired by the life of the extraordinary singer and Civil Rights icon Marian Anderson. A graduate of Oberlin College’s Creative Writing Program and a former New Yorker, she is now based in the Los Angeles area. EmilyRuthHazel.com Instagram: @EmilyRuthHazel Facebook.com/EmilyRuthHazel Website Emily Ruth Hazel About the Artist Artist in Residence 2013, Emily Ruth Hazel Word of Mouth In the Wake of the Storm Circling the Waist of Wisdom Give Me a Name Homecoming Runaway Undressing Prayer Emily Ruth Hazel Other Works By Explore the other works composed throughout the year in Emily's poetry collection, created as a 2013 Artist in Residence. Explore her works created throughout the year: “In the Wake of the Storm” LIGHT AND DARKNESS (JANUARY 21, 2013) “Circling the Waist of Wisdom” FOOLS (APRIL 26, 2013) “Homecoming” DANCING (JUNE 27, 2013) “Runaway” LIES (AUGUST 8, 2013) “Give Us This Day” HARVEST (NOVEMBER 14, 2013) “Undressing Prayer” MEMORY (JANUARY 6, 2013) Artists in Residence Spark+Echo Artists in Residence spend a year developing and creating a major work in response to Scripture. Click on their names to view their projects. Current Artists in Residence Spark+Echo Arts seeks to develop and support communities of artists who engage with and create in response to the Bible. Due to the impacts of COVID-19 and some internal changes, we decided to pause the Artist in Residency for a year so that we could regroup our resources. Our hope is to continue offering this opportunity in 2021. Previous Artists in Residence 2020 Sapient Soul, Marlanda Dekine (Poetry + Spoken Word) 2019 Lancelot Schaubert (Short Story) 2018 Elias Popa (Installation Art) 2017 Aaron Beaumont (Music), Lily Maase (Music) 2016 Ebitenyefa Baralaye (Visual Art), Chris Knight (Film), Lauren Ferebee (Theatre), Stephanie Miracle (Dance) 2015 Benje Daneman (Music), Jason DaSilva (Film), Melissa Beck (Visual Art), Don Nguyen (Theatre), Christine Suarez (Dance), The Spark & Echo Band (Music) 2013 Nicora Gangi (Visual Art), Emily Ruth Hazel (Poetry) Related Information View More Art Make More Art Give us this day, however you slice it, thick or thin—let this be enough, at least until the sun, golden as an egg-brushed Chinese bun, rises again. View Full Written Work Give Us This Day by Emily Ruth Hazel Give us this day, however you slice it, thick or thin—let this be enough, at least until the sun, golden as an egg-brushed Chinese bun, rises again. Bring us the Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday bread of life, the ordinary comfort that we crave: the constancy of cooking rice, the routine of rolling tortillas. Give the French their measure of heaven alongside every meal. Give Italians their pasta, Ethiopians injera, and Jamaicans coco bread. Give Pakistanis their chapatti and Southerners their biscuits. Give us couscous to satisfy the ache in our bellies, naan to mediate the fire in our mouths. Sustain us one calendar square at a time, through days that boil us down and pound us like cassava root until whatever stew we are in, we are like dough in your hand, as soft and stretchable as fufu. The days and years we wander in the wilderness, dependent on a promise, moving toward what seems to be a mirage of milk and honey, speak over us a grace that is more than words. Let even the winter sky be generous: let us wake to frosted flakes on the ground outside our windows, like the cereal you sent your children in the desert, the answer to their stomachs’ complaints itself named after a question— What is it?—Manna, silently arriving as faithfully as morning dew, in between dinners delivered as a hard rain of quail. Stories tell of divine provisions appearing in pairs: rolls and sardines, one boy’s lunch, feeding thousands of listeners on a hillside; ravens carrying bread and meat to a ravenous prophet riding out the drought in a rocky ravine; a widow’s last portion of flour and oil lasting as long as her mysterious houseguest stays. Listeners, prophets, and widows, we are hungry for surprises. Give us eyes to see potential in the smallest offerings, the driest seasons, the almost-empty jars. In the urban oven, when summer’s heat hovers and we are desperate for relief, may we be grateful whenever we breathe in— instead of the odor of ripening garbage— the scent of something holy: a bakery’s aroma reaching several city blocks. After praying for hope we can harvest, may we not be too preoccupied to notice, as we pass the community garden, the sunbursts of zucchini blossoms and the lazy, yellow squash lolling on the ground, primed for the picking. May we consider the sparrows that swoop across sidewalks, their fearless pace unchanging as they fly through chain link fences. These tiny birds gather what they must to build their nests, eat the seeds of found fruit and disperse them, need no silos for storing tomorrow’s concerns. They put no stock in corporate politics, are not consumed with working toward the next promotion. Sparrows have no pension plans. They simply trust there is always a picnic ending somewhere, a blanket of blessing ready to be shaken out. Give us that much faith, a thin space we can squeeze between our fingers. Give us, too, a taste of Wonder, baskets of leftovers, crumbs of miracles scattered like new constellations. Fill our empty pita pockets. Multiply our multigrain. Braid our lives together like a loaf of challah bread, and lead us not into temptation to rush the delicious. Help us be present with each other here in this day you have given us. When we gather, let us linger; let us learn to chew more slowly so as not to miss the flavor in the moments we share. Let us do this in remembrance of you, the carpenter boy next door turned man of sorrows, fisher of souls— like us, always waiting for the next bite. Close Loading Video . . . Give us this day, however you slice it, thick or thin—let this be enough, at least until the sun, golden as an egg-brushed Chinese bun, rises again. Download Full Written Work