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Loading Video . . . Crystal Irby's poem in response to Ecclesiastes 3:3 examines the painful road to hope and healing. Ecclesiastes 3:3 After the Blood Is Gone: When the Killing Won't Stop By Crystal Irby Credits: Curated by: Marlanda Dekine 2017 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Freedom is not only about access to opportunity, power, and capital. Freedom is also about being dedicated to healing by letting go of internalized oppression. The truth is we live in a country that implements legislation dedicated to the destruction of Black folks. We live in a country founded through war and built on violence perpetuated against enslaved and indigenous peoples. The goal of white supremacy is to convince everyone including Black people, marginalized folk and indigenous people, our pain isn’t real, to make us comfortable witnessing our brutality and seeing our own blood. Therefore white supremacy will never give us what we need to heal because it’s built on the belief we are not human, that our purpose is to endure and so… Our healing is up to us and it is not a burden or destination but a commitment to a journey towards wholeness. This poem was born out of the belief that the Promised Land, the world we imagine, is available right now. All we have to do is look around and see the foundation being laid. This poem is born out of the belief that the struggle is real but not everlasting. This poem is born out of the belief that no one is coming to save us. God is here now. This poem is born out of the belief that battle and the balm exist simultaneously because the truth is if healing is not a part of our freedom the foundation we build on will collapse and we will eat each other alive because we know not what else to do. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Crystal Tennille Irby is a spoken word poetry grand slam champion, published writer, director and identifies as a #BlackMamaCreative , an artist creating work across multiple artistic disciplines centering Black mothering, absent of the white gaze. She is a doula and the current co-host and executive producer of Dem Black Mamas Podcast , a podcast that delves into the unique experience of 3 Black Mama Creatives raising free children while catching their creative dreams. Crystal is a TEDxGreenville presenter , a Watering Hole Poetry Fellow and the founder and Director of Writers Well Youth Fellowship , a program for Black girls ages 14-19 focused on writing and performance. Her recent credits include, Untitled Reconstruction Project , which she directed and co-produced and Untamed Womb: Reclaiming Wonder Through Healing, Liberation & Creativity , a Project Row Houses installation which she co-curated. She was also a contributing writer for For Harriet . In addition to her creative endeavors, Crystal has presented at numerous conferences including Black Maternal Health Conference & Training Institute; Let’s Talk About Sex, & HIV Prevention & Education Summit. Crystal has over 15 years of experience working to dismantle systemic and institutional racism. She works as a community doula helping Black birth persons stay connected to their body and as a facilitator for Speaking Down Barriers pushing communities forward by helping Black people heal from race and gender trauma. She also served on the board of Hub City Writers Project , a place based non-profit press committed to publishing southern writers. Crystal is the mother of 4 children and shares her life with an Omega man. www.crystaltennilleirby.com Instagram: crystaltennilleirby Website Crystal Irby About the Artist What Wondrous Work Is This Crystal Irby Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art The healing is hard. Undoing/unraveling/untangling/excavating intertwining roots with those who buried our beginnings. View Full Written Work After the Blood Is Gone: When the Killing Won 't Stop By Crystal Tennille Irby The healing is hard. Undoing/unraveling/untangling/ excavating intertwining roots with those who buried our beginnings. Even in our consciousness we are infected. Contagious/convoluted tracing our seeds path from soil to air searching for the first rupture. Are we born in sin? Or Does sin transform us? The healing is heavy. So we begin on the outside telling ourselves the wounds can wait. But, if the Promised Land is a process, the constant work of setting ourselves free, in the midst of war we must mend. Refuse to become accustom to: seeing the white meat smoke rising from flesh murder. Be broken. Allow ourselves to fall apart. Then, wash the alter clean. We have more to offer than our blood. Bare witness to something other than death and sacrifice. Admit we need salvation, not from God, from ourselves. We are capable of creating our own balm. Uncover, who we are without our pain/our oppression/our fight. Imagine ourselves whole. Close Loading Video . . . The healing is hard. Undoing/unraveling/untangling/excavating intertwining roots with those who buried our beginnings. Download Full Written Work

Davelyn Hill, Kept Detail Davelyn Hill, Kept Detail Davelyn Hill, Kept Detail Loading Video . . . Davelyn Hill reflects on the keeping and staying power of faith and God's love in her painting responding to Jude 1:24-25. Jude 1:24-25 Kept By Davelyn Hill Credits: Photo Credit by Scott Neely Curated by: Marlanda Dekine 2017 Acrylic and Sharpie on Canvas Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Our faith rests not on our ability to stay close to God, but on His power to keep us. The central circle is kept safe by the three lines of the square. These represent the believer and God's keeping power. This is the first step of this painting which focuses on the blood of Jesus which offers us the relationship or contract. By this we are able to rest in God's ability to bring us to himself without blame. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Davelyn Hill is the Program Director for Speaking Down Barriers . She has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Converse College where she is working on a second Masters in Creative Writing with an emphasis in poetry. Known as “Davelyn Athena” in some circles, she is also an author, poet, and intuitive painter. She has featured at “Say it with Slay’” in Spartanburg, SC. Her art has been displayed through Spark and Echo, the National Equity in Medicine Online Gallery, and Neue South SPACE Walk. Davelyn Athena is a two-time Haiku Champion at Say What Haiku slam through Wits End Poetry . She recently held an online auction of her art to raise funds and awareness for a campaign to provide healing and resources to Black women who have been previously incarcerated. Alongside providing counseling services, she has led support groups, presented research, and conducted university presentations around racial trauma and oppression. Most recently she has been coordinating with funeral personnel around issues with grief and is a part of a team of facilitators presenting public series on the grieving process. Davelyn is also a Level II Reiki Practitioner of the Usuimethod. She is a spiritual director, healer, life map retreat provider and spiritual midwife. Find Davelyn at: Instagram Facebook Website Davelyn Hill About the Artist Questions Davelyn Hill 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 responds to the devastation after Hurricane Sandy, the theme of "Light and Darkness," and to the passages of Isaiah 50:2-3; 59:9-11 and Luke 1:78-79 as she builds a poetry collection responding to every theme from the year as a 2013 Spark+Echo Artist in Residence. Isaiah 59:9-11 Isaiah 50:2-3 Luke 1:78-79 In the Wake of the Storm By Emily Ruth Hazel Credits: Read by Emily Rose Hazel Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Resident 2013 2013 Poetry/Spoken Word Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link “In the Wake of the Storm” is a response to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, particularly its impact on the New York metro region. While I was very grateful to have come through the storm unscathed, a number of my friends were directly affected by it. Some felt the effects for days; others are still dealing with the aftermath months later. After seeing widespread power outages and damage from fallen trees, flooding, and fires, those images stayed with me. Talking with people who had experienced these losses, I was struck by how quickly our modern world can be turned upside-down and how powerless we feel when this happens. Crisis, as we know, brings out the best and the worst in human nature—the light and the dark. It presents an opportunity for people to adapt with remarkable resilience and generously help each other, or to dip into despair and take advantage of one another’s vulnerability. I wanted to write a poem that would hold kernels of many stories from people in different areas who are recovering from disaster, and to leave room for questions that arise out of pain and anger, as a way of giving voice to their ongoing struggle. Where The Boardwalk Used To Be, Taken By Emily Rose Hazel, Edited By Charis J Carmichael Braun 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 Circling the Waist of Wisdom Give Me a Name Homecoming Runaway Give Us This Day 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 Shattered windows that we are, strangers look through us at the aftermath. We are the dislocated, out of socket. View Full Written Work In the Wake of the Storm by Emily Rose Hazel Shattered windows that we are, strangers look through us at the aftermath. We are the dislocated, out of socket. Bullied by the wind, knocked down, roots exposed. We are the stories that go on breathing after the headlines have exhausted themselves, the survivors at the end of each obituary. We are the families evicted by the ocean: the deep has dragged its bloated belly over the seawall, over the roads, and made itself at home in our living rooms. Our kitchen floors are covered with its afterthoughts. Our basements have been emptied of meaning. Mountains of sand to be moved. Of what use is faith to us, if it’s not muscled and doesn’t carry its own shovel? What good is prayer unless it can clear away all the debris and show us what we’re standing on? We are like broken boats abandoned in the streets. We are the houses we’ve been anxious to return to, desperate to reclaim ourselves. >p>The landscape as we knew it has dissolved. A slab of what was once the boardwalk— so many summers—washed up in a driveway. Still bolted to the wood, a bench on which we might have eaten ice cream. Rows of fire-ravaged houses: twisted metal bedframes, front steps leading nowhere. A green door, left ajar, listing on its hinges. Behind it, the tangled remains—no walls, just a swamp of blackened bricks. >Everything is muddy and tastes of salt and ashes. We wash dishes, clothes, our shivering bodies with gratitude for clean but frigid water, trying to contain the bitterness, stop the infection from spreading. Our batteries are dying, our bright white circles of certainty fading to hazy, amber halos. In electricity we trust, but now we’re going back to what has guided generations. Every match strikes a word of courage against the dark: a tongue of flame flares up and licks the wick. In this blind tunnel of days, we huddle together, relearn old ways to connect, trying to forget how powerless we are. And for a while, darkness slithers away, hides in the corners of our minds. A caravan of strangers parked along the shoulder of the road, we wait for hours to fill our empty tanks. At the church, we stand in yet another line to be handed rationed supplies: a bucket and a flimsy sponge mop, two rolls of toilet paper, a Ziploc sandwich bag of laundry powder. We reach into a box of matchbooks, but there are no more candles to be found. The days, mere stubs of wax, burn out quickly now. Night comes early to claim us. Not even a stoplight punctuates the run-on sentence of the dark as far as we can see. After half-living so long without, will it seem a strange miracle when the wires hum with energy again? Will we dizzy ourselves in celebration, or simply weep with relief? The promise of restoration stale on winter’s breath, we are weary of waiting for the sun to remember us. We live on the far end of enough. Justice does not reach us here. We open our doors and step into bottomless shadows. We have lost our eyes. We feel our way along the walls as if the answers were written in braille. As if our fingers could read. Among the strong, we are like the dead. Our hunger is an angry growl. Our mourning is a hollow, feathered cry. We stretch out our hands for deliverance and it floats away, just beyond our reach. We cling to each other to keep the ones we love from being swept away by waves of despair. God, if you hear us, why are you silent? Is it because you are listening? Or is your own throat filled with sand? Push the waters back to where they belong. If it’s true you can dry up the sea with a word, have you misplaced what you meant to say? If you are with us, how can we know, when you have pulled down the curtain and snuffed out all the lights in the sky so that we cannot even see your silhouette? Are you too tired to rescue us? Are your arms too short to save? We are still waiting for daybreak, for your mercy to shine on the rest of us sitting in the dark, sleeping in the shadow of death— for you to show us, one foot at a time, how to navigate these ruins and somehow forge a crooked path to peace. What do we have left? Splinters of memories, jars of peanut butter to sustain us, the generosity of friends. The work to be done stretches before us like an ocean. For now, we share what little light we have. We swaddle babies in blankets. We climb the stairs in high-rise buildings to bring meals to aging parents. We cup one hand around this flicker of hope, our wavering belief that even now, help is on its way from somewhere. Close Loading Video . . . Shattered windows that we are, strangers look through us at the aftermath. We are the dislocated, out of socket. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Poet David Brendan Hopes reflects on the short book of Philemon, particularly on the passage of Philemon 1:1-3. Philemon 1:1-3 Meditations on Philemon By David Hopes Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2015 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link What a strange assignment Philemon was! I don't recall hearing a scripture from it in church, even through many years of the Episcopal cycle. But when I read it, it touched me, for I heard Paul advocating for a person who had apparently failed expectation, even Paul's own, and who, yet, was deserving of another chance, as Christ gives us chances far beyond our deserving, or any hope of fulfillment. It is an odd book, and one wonders what debate went on at Nicea in order that it might be included. But it's very strangeness and unfamiliarity made it seem fresh to me, more like a conversation with a wise friend that a sacred Epistle. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection David Brendan Hopes is a poet, actor, and playwright living in Asheville, NC, where he teaches Literature, creative writing, and Humanities at UNCA. Website David Hopes About the Artist David Hopes Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art I do not think you can go that way without someone sending you. I do not think you can come back unless the way has been prepared View Full Written Work Meditations on Philemon by David Brendan Hopes I do not think you can go that way without someone sending you. I do not think you can come back unless the way has been prepared and the places set to meet you along the road. I do not think that coming and going will be the same after you have experienced the exhortation out and the summons home. You who crept in by cover of night will be greeted by cymbals at dawn and by dancers with bells at the ankles or you will not come at all. The impulse for the miracle to be secret among the believers shall be changed to crowing on a red roof in the red of dawn, and this shall be well. We whom slavery has accustomed to edging in by the narrow way shall gather with our trumpets at the broad gate. Who is prepared to say how these things are? We fall by an action and find redemption in a word, and in the white storm the first gold blossom huddles in the flower box. He is on the road who was once useless to you. Things change. The moon comes in silence before, the Sun in rejoicing after. Close Loading Video . . . I do not think you can go that way without someone sending you. I do not think you can come back unless the way has been prepared Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Musician and native New Yorker Russ Flynn has created a delightfully funky work in response to the theme of "eavesdropping" and Ecclesiastes 7:21-25. Ecclesiastes 7:21-25 Rumor Mill By Russ Flynn Credits: Written & recorded by Russ Flynn Curated by: Aaron Kruziki 2014 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link "Rumor Mill" is like a game of involuntary telephone; a conversation being overheard, perhaps taken out of context, and restated with misinformation/imperfection. There are two main voices, panned left and right, that begin a conversation. Another voice overhears and restates; but imperfectly. The process continues with the addition of two more voices until what remains is a complete adultery of the original statement having little to do with the original source, or conversation. In reading the passage from the scripture I was reminded of the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that stated, "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." That also had influence on my thought process. There are so many hours in a day; those who concern themselves with the business of others will only find their time wasted while those whose business they've concerned themselves with have moved on to bigger and better things. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection New York native Russ Flynn is a Brooklyn-based producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. Russ tours, both nationally and internationally, in the rock-oriented and improvisation-based music worlds. He is a member of Great Good Fine Ok, Glass Elephant, Alexandra Stewart’s band, Lewis and the Nathan Parker Smith Large Ensemble. He has also had the pleasure of working with such varied artists as Rubblebucket, Elliott Sharp, Natalie York, Sean Lennon, Le Zhang, Bartosz Hadala, Anthony Coleman and Hafiz Shabazz. In 2010 Russ completed his graduate work at the Aaron Copland School Music where he studied composition with Michael Philip Mossman and Darcy James Argue. Russ has also studied with Alexander Stewart, Ben Allison, John Rivers, Joe Capps and John McKenna, among others. Website Russ Flynn About the Artist Russ Flynn Other Works By Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you — for you know in your heartthat many times you yourself have cursed others. All this I tested by wisdom and I said, "I am determined to be wise"‚ but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound‚ who can discover it? So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. — Ecclesiastes 7:21-25 Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Kristiekoll Whats Underneath 1 Loading Video . . . "What's Underneath" by New York City artist Kristie Koll is a response to the hope expressed in Romans 5:5. Romans 5:5 What's Underneath By Kristie Koll Credits: Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Jonathon + Emily 2011 30 x 48 inches Acrylic and tracing paper on canvas Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link 'Hope does not disappoint' from Romans 5:5 is where this painting began and is hidden in the early layers. This passage contains a promise that I continually need reminding of. As I worked on the painting, it moved away from the original direction and was gessoed over and started anew. Still some of the earlier work showed through. The layers with tracing paper and blue acrylic was highly intuitive and straight from my soul or center. "What I found most interesting is this piece had the most conscious scripture and focused prayer and was the work 90% of people engaged with in a recent open studio event. They stepped into it as if they could see the hope through the layers of tracing paper and gesso." -Kristie Koll Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection New York City artist Kristie Koll uses unlikely materials to create complex and captivating works of visual art. Website Kristie Koll About the Artist Kristie Koll Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

the-spirit-3-scott-neely-iii-main-image.jpg Loading Video . . . In his third installment, Scott Neely finishes his series in response to 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, exploring the unity and uniqueness of the Spirit's presence. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 Three Meditations on the Spirit | 3 By Scott Neely Credits: Title: The Same Spirit Curated by: Marlanda Dekine 2017 series of seven drawings, 9 x 12 inches Mixed media on paper Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link The gift within each of us, the quiet flame we carry in the shape of our soul, each so different for one another, each the image of the Same. “The shape of the soul is a circle.” Joseph Campbell, interpreting Plato Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Scott Neely directs the Project for Community Transformation , an initiative to strengthen congregations to transform our communities. He works intensively with the social justice organization Speaking Down Barriers , which uses facilitated dialogue to build our life together across the differences that divide us. He is a graduate of Wofford College and Harvard Divinity School. Neely served at First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, SC from 2006-2015, first as Director of Missions and then as Pastoral Executive. In April 2015 he presented a TEDx talk on race and racism entitled “ What Will I Teach My Son? ” A practicing artist, his work fuses writing, painting, and digital media. He writes: “My method balances expression and simplicity. I make visual poems: succinct, present, for the heart.” His work may be found at www.neelyprojects.com . Website Scott Neely About the Artist Three Meditations on the Spirit | 2 Three Meditations on the Spirit | 1 Scott Neely Other Works By VIEW THE REST OF THE SERIES: Three Meditations on the Spirit | 1 Three Meditations on the Spirit | 2 Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Emily Ruth Hazel's poem responds to the theme of "Dancing" and Jeremiah 31:13 as she builds a poetry collection responding to every theme from the year as a 2013 Spark+Echo Artist in Residence. Explore the other works composed throughout the year in Emily's poetry collection, created as a 2013 Artist in Residence. Jeremiah 31:13 Homecoming By Emily Ruth Hazel Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2013 Poetry/Spoken Word Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I love how dancing can be a shared expression, and I'm intrigued by how that tradition is kept from culture to culture and in different contexts. In reading Jeremiah 31:13 and reflecting on mourning traditions, I wanted to explore how music and dance can draw us out of grief and isolation, into joy and community. While it is a focal point at a funeral, the human body has often been considered irrelevant to—or even the enemy of—a person's spiritual life. As I see it, the physical and the spiritual are closely connected and the body also deserves to be honored, so I wanted to acknowledge in this poem some of the ways we experience both grief and joy through our bodies. In choosing the title, I was interested in the different meanings of the word "Homecoming." Within the African American church, it can refer to a funeral service (also called a Homegoing Celebration), based on the belief that earth is only a temporary residence and the deceased is going home to be with God; space is held for mourning a loss as well as for celebrating a life. Then there is the entirely separate tradition of schools welcoming alumni during Homecoming Weekend, the culmination of which is a dance. And of course, the reasons we go home to be with family are as varied as the emotions that accompany our returning. But to me, homecoming always carries a sense of reunion, as much as dancing in a communal way evokes an emergence of joy. 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 Runaway Give Us This Day Undressing Prayer Emily Ruth Hazel Other Works By Poet Emily Ruth Hazel wrote a collection of six poems incorporating her experiences with every theme from the year in response to passages of scripture. 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 Because joy is often stuck in traffic and is known for getting lost; because she cuts loose from the funeral procession and winds up missing the burial View Full Written Work Homecoming by Emily Rose Hazel Because joy is often stuck in traffic and is known for getting lost; because she cuts loose from the funeral procession and winds up missing the burial, but arrives at the repast hours later, wearing a yellow sundress under her long, black coat, brings us a pineapple upside-down cake and turns up the sweet remembering; because we’re so relieved that she’s alive none of us chide her for showing up late; Because we hear a melody that calls us by our home names; Because we are wandering planets moving through a shared space, together in our separateness, and we need to be surrounded by all the ages we have been and those we have yet to be; Because we know nothing is certain beyond the blurred edge of this moment; Because on the back porch, though sometimes the boards leave splinters in our bare soles, the floor is open, wide enough to spread out, and fireflies are flashing Morse code messages we are itching to translate with our bodies; Because the body is more than a wheelbarrow to carry the spirit; Because salting our cheeks has become a part of our mourning routine, and it’s time to bow at the sink, let sorrow swirl in the drain, let our pain wash down with what we’ve lost or spit out; time to straighten our shoulders, try on a lopsided smile, and walk into a more spacious room; time to reach for the radio, pull from the waves whatever clarity we can between the shades of static and ash, and sway to the song that comes on next; Because life cannot be choreographed but we learn to improvise; Because even the ankle weight of grief can’t keep us pinned to our chairs when the music overtakes us— we set down our glasses, rise to our feet, and dance. Close Loading Video . . . Because joy is often stuck in traffic and is known for getting lost; because she cuts loose from the funeral procession and winds up missing the burial Download Full Written Work

francesfreyberg_labyrinth_smaller.jpg Loading Video . . . Photographer Frances Freyberg explores the metaphor of a path through the lens of a labyrinth in her thoughtful response to Proverbs 4:26. Proverbs 4:26 Labyrinth By Frances Freyberg Credits: Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2018 Photography Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link There have been times in my life when the number of paths stretching out before me was both exhilarating and overwhelming. There have been other times when I felt stuck on a path headed the wrong direction, whether because of choices I’d made, or circumstances beyond my control. And there have been times when I’ve walked a path – perhaps beautiful, sometimes painful, often ordinary – and felt the peace of God’s spirit alongside me. Walking a labyrinth – with only a single path leading to and from the center is – for me – a time of reflection, prayer, and renewal. It’s a reminder that no matter how winding my path may be, even when I feel like I’m headed the wrong way, God is always there at the center inviting me to walk with him. Just as God sees our entire journey with Him at once, this image explores the complete journey of a labyrinth walk, with its times of introspection, wonder, and joy. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection About Francis Freyburg: "Photographs have a unique ability to inspire reflection, hope and action. They hold the power to spark memories and encourage new adventures. They enable viewers to see familiar surroundings from a fresh perspective, or to explore uncharted territories for the very first time. Through my photography, I hope to educate people about our world, and to interest them in the natural beauty that surrounds us. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I grew to love the great outdoors. Childhood trips to exotic locations fostered an early appreciation for different places and cultures, as well as a continuing passion for travel. In 2008, I left my job in high-tech communications to travel the world for a year, taking photographs and writing about my experiences. During that time, I built an educational travel weblog ( www.wheresfrances.blogspot.com ) with weekly photos, as well as historical and cultural information about the countries I visited. I specialize in portraits of people, wildlife, nature and architecture from my travels to more than 60 countries. I’m particularly drawn to scenes that express the beauty, excitement, humor and diversity of our world, whether through a brilliantly colored blossom or a poignant face in the crowd." Website Frances Freyberg About the Artist For this child I prayed Tree of Life Frances Freyberg Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

jonathanroberts_figbranches.jpg Loading Video . . . We are excited to present "Fig Tree" by Cameron DeWhitt in response to Mark 11:12-14, with accompanying art work by Jon Roberts inspired by the song and John 15:5. Mark 11:12-14 Fig Tree By Cameron DeWhitt Credits: Music and Lyrics by Cameron DeWhitt Visual Art by Jon Roberts Artist Location: Portland, Oregon Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2011 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link From Cameron DeWhitt: “Fig Tree” is about being unable to reconcile things in the Bible with the character of God. Normally, I use Jesus as my primary reference to discern the nature of God, but Mark 11:12-14 is an example of a passage where Jesus said something I didn’t know what to do with, and still don’t. From Jon Roberts*: God does some offensive things sometimes. Take these delicious figs, for example. The only way they can be pollinated is by a wasp, who squeezes inside through the hole in the top – breaking off her wings in the process – lays eggs in some of the flowers (which are inside the fig), pollinates the rest of them, and then dies. Her body is consumed by the fig, and the fig is consumed by us, after the new generation of wasps has hatched and escaped the fig to continue the cycle. How interesting! How bizarre! Something that upon first sight strikes most of us as disgusting, creepy, and definitely a sign that that fruit is not fit for consumption, is actually the way God has chosen to provide for these two organisms, and in turn, to provide for us. It’s another witness to the fact that God works in us in ways we would not predict, and in ways which may strike us as painful or offensive at first. But if we remain in his love we can have faith that, unexpected as it may be, God will be faithful to bear good fruit in and through us. *Artist Jon Roberts is not related to Spark+Echo Arts co-founder Jonathon Roberts Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Cameron DeWhitt is an American clawhammer banjoist and songwriter born in Portland, Oregon. His live show is interactive, with sing-along sections, open discussions about song themes, and storytelling. He new self-titled record is available now on Bandcamp. Cameron’s songs explore themes of love, death, marriage, judgment and forgiveness. His lyrics display a quick, profound wit, enriched throughout with weighty metaphors and literary cross-references. Through personal and biblical stories, he prompts the listener to contemplate the definition of love, the character of God, and the human struggle towards hope and redemption. Cameron has developed a unique, melody-driven banjo style. While fluidly shifting modes and meters, he quotes popular melodies, improvises with other musicians, and makes musical jokes. His songs feature trumpet, string bass, drum set, complex vocal counterpoint and improvised solos. Cameron lives with his wife, Rebecca, in the East Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, where he is a part of the Circle of Hope Community. He plays an Ome Jubilee banjo with a Moon bridge and a John Balch goat skin head. Website Cameron DeWhitt About the Artist Leavener Cameron DeWhitt Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Artist Nicora Gangi explores the journey of Rahab in this collage by responding to Matthew 1:5 in the third work of her three-part series: When the Lord Gives Us the Land. Matthew 1:5 The Mountain of the House of The Lord By Nicora Gangi Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2023 Paper Collage Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Matthew 1:5 records Rahab taking her place in a promised lineage that became a prophecy of salvation. The promise was first made to Abraham in Genesis 15 : a land, a seed, and a blessing. In 2 Samuel 7 , King David was blessed with the promise of a son who would reign in His house forever: “ And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever ” (v. 16). While Rahab was initially rescued and brought into the camp, she later numbered amongst those of the nation of Israel and the carrier of king's lineage. She married Salmon—who was of the tribe of Judah—thereby joining the nation of Israel and eventually becoming the great-grandmother of King David. I imagine she saw The Day of the Lord, the Day of Messiah. Her faith in the Lord was firm. She declares in Joshua 2 : “ I know that the Lord has given you this land” and “for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below .” Similarly, in Luke 1:50 ,54-55 , Mary the mother of Jesus declared with joy before Elizabeth: “ And His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation….He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of His mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, (Issac, Jacob), and to his offspring forever. ” I have used the mountain image in this piece to illustrate the inclusion of all the nations in this kingdom promised to King David in the 2 Samuel passage. Isaiah 2:2-3 expands on the description of this kingdom: “ It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains …and all the nations shall flow to it. ” I have used the ‘stars’ again to indicate the multitude of people who are streaming to Mount Zion ( Isaiah 2:3 ) and I have included the God of the universe by placing the three orbs near the top of the mount. The circle is an old symbol for eternity and the moons in the background of the mount suggest His rule over ALL the heavens. 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 I See Him but Not Now So Shall Your Descendants Be This One The Body without the Spirit | 1 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 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 To see the other panels from Nicora, click the links below: I See Him but Not Now So Shall Your Descendants Be To see the triptych, click the link below: When the Lord Gives Us The Land Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Filmmaker Landon Brands' short film Under the Sun exploring Ecclesiastes 1-2 and the theme of destruction. The piece hinges on the idea that all our toiling, all our work is essentially meaningless. Ecclesiastes 1:18 Ecclesiastes 2:1–13 Under the Sun By Landon Brands Credits: Curated by: Michael Markham 2014 Film Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This piece, a response to Ecclesiastes 1-2, was inspired partly by observing my own tendencies to work extremely hard for long periods of time–to excess, some would say. I remember reading this passage on a quiet fishing trip several years ago, and it immediately jumped out at me. Out there, away from cell phone coverage and reminders of work or school, it made sense. Nowhere else in scripture is it so blunt: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the teacher. “Everything is meaningless.” That can be hard to hear when we’ve been told all our lives that work = achievements = position = happiness. (It was tough for me.) While our accomplishments may bear short term rewards, will anyone remember (or care) after our short time on earth is up? With this piece I aim to question the toil-fueled, achievement-oriented definition of success that is en vogue in Western societies today. I’m not suggesting that accomplishments and work ethic are without value, but we need to stop and think (and consider higher things lasting things) before we pour every drop of our lifeblood into the temporary pursuits of this world. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Landon Brands is a digital creator of film, video, and motion design. He has nearly completed his BA in Media Arts at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN, graduating this December. Landon works at the intersection of creativity and technology. A true digital native, he first experimented with graphic layout at the age of eight and completed his first video production at 13. He brings this curiosity and methodology to his work today, working in a variety of mediums (including live action, animation, and motion design) and often mixing them together. He has worked commercially for over 30 clients — a combination of directing, shooting, producing, and editing. He has also assisted in the production of several national and international commercials, music videos, and TV promotional campaigns. Landon's paramount goal is to tell stories that matter. Website Landon Brands About the Artist Landon Brands Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work