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Loading Video . . . The piano and vocal composition by Jonathon Roberts, Dear Friend, juxtaposes a floating melody with virtuosic piano playing to represent Apostle John's letter to his friends. 3 John 1:1-13 Dear Friend By Jonathon Roberts Credits: Composer and performer by Jonathon Roberts Artist Location: New York City 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 A piano and vocal composition setting the book of 3 John. The gentle melody is nearly entirely whole steps and floats over a rapid-fire piano section--John's words are both calm and energizing. The distant feeling of whole steps gives way to a half step in the final vocal line as John prepares to visit in person. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection J onathon Roberts is a composer and sound designer for games, film, theatre, and ensembles. His style grew out of classical and jazz training, and evolved through quality life adventures: touring the country in an RV with a one person theater piece on the Apostle Paul, living in Brooklyn with an improv music ensemble, performing in a downtown NYC absurdist comedy band, and a long stint writing music for the renowned slot machine company, High 5 Games. He has released four albums including the latest, Cities a song cycle personifying biblical cities. He created the popular podcast/web series ComposerDad Vs. Bible , in which ComposerDad accepts intense compositional challenges from a mysterious Bible while out with his kids. He frequently collaborates on music and theater projects with his wife, actor Emily Clare Zempel. They live in Beacon, NY, with their two boys and a tangled box of electrical cords. www.jonathonroberts.com Website Jonathon Roberts About the Artist Loving Arms I Make Tents The Sower Response There Is Room These are My Sons Consider Me a Partner Weakness The Day Is Almost Here Surrogate Babbler Remember Me Prayer How Beautiful I Am a Fool The Constant Ecclesiastes Cows Blessing Fools for Christ More Than Rubies Only a Few Years Will Pass Jonathon Roberts Other Works By Dear Friend Dear friend, I pray for your health. Even as your soul is getting along well. It gives me great joy. There’s no greater joy. I have no greater joy. O my dear friend, you are faithful to the Name, and to my brothers and sisters, though they’re strangers to you, they know your love. I know your love. I write to you. I don’t write to your friend who loves to be first. He will not welcome us, spreading malicious nonsense. So I will call attention, I will call attention. Dear Friend, do not imitate evil but what is good. It is from the Name. I have much to tell you, but not with pen and ink. I’ll see you soon, face to face. I will see you soon. Peace to you. Your friends here send their greetings. Greet my friends there by nam Download Full Score Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Improvising cellist Matt Turner brings us this haunting piece in response to the theme of "poverty" and two verses from the Psalms. Psalms 102:17 Psalms 140:12 Two Prayers By Matt Turner Credits: Composer and Recorded By Matt Turner Artist Location: Wisconsin Artist Photo: John Beaver Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2014 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link "Two Prayers" is an improvisation for multi-tracked electric cello. The piece consists of two distinct sections with each part representing a prayer, hence the title. The first prayer is one of anguish and questioning. The second prayer is a desperate plea. As a child, I remember reading the Psalms and being drawn to the imagery and colors of each psalm. Concise and powerful, these writings are full and vibrant much like this verse. In this verse, destituteness means more than being poverty-stricken. Here it represents those who are grieving, suffering, or lost, and I have attempted to capture this in "Two Prayers" as a lamentation transforming into resolution. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Matt Turner is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading improvising cellists. Equally skilled as a pianist, Turner performs in myriad of styles and has shared the stage with Cape Breton fiddle sensation Natalie MacMaster, avant-garde musicians Marilyn Crispell, Peter Kowald, Guillermo Gregorio, Scott Fields, and John Butcher, country musician Wanda Vick, singer-songwriter LJ Booth, and jazz musician Bobby McFerrin to name a few and has performed in Canada, Europe and Asia. He appears on over 100 recordings on Sketch/Harmonia Mundi, Nato /Hope Street, Ayler, Illusions, Music and Arts, Accurate, Polyvinyl, Cadence Jazz and others and has recorded with jazz violinist Randy Sabien, goth vocalist/pianist Jo Gabriel, singer-songwriters Mark Croft and Tret Fure, punk artist Kyle Fischer, Kitty Brazelton’s chamber rockestra Dadadah, alt-country band Heller Mason and with the Pointless Orchestra. Turner completed his undergraduate studies at Lawrence University and his Master of Music degree in Third Stream Studies (now the Contemporary Improvisation program) at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Dave Holland, Geri Allen and Joe Maneri, and where he was the recipient of a Distinction in Performance Award. As a leader, Turner’s recordings appear on Illusions, Stellar, O.O. Discs, Asian Improv, Penumbra, Fever Pitch, Geode, Tautology, and Meniscus Records. His music is published by Carl Fischer, Alfred Music, Latham, and Alliance. Turner is a Yamaha Performing Artist, teaches improvisation at Lawrence University and currently performs and records with Bill Carrothers, Randy Sabien, Karmadog and with the Jean-Marc Foltz Trio. (Photo by John Beaver) Website Matt Turner About the Artist Matt Turner Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This work of poet and Christian theologian Jerome Blanco holds the tension of devastation in the world with the promise of God's restoration from Joel 3. Joel 3 The Day of the Lord By Jerome Blanco Credits: Photo by Matthew Jones Curated by: Rebecca Testrake 2017 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Prophetic passages on God's eventual judgment and restoration of the world can feel very distant for me. As I wrestled with the third chapter of Joel, I couldn't help but think these coming mysteries were lifetimes away, especially considering all the weight of what is happening in the world today. Despite God's dual promises of vengeance and restoration, I wonder about what good those promises have for those suffering now. Are the promises of abundant milk and wine (3:18) satisfying enough? What about the promises of God's vengeance on the wicked (3:21)? The prophecies of Joel certainly deliver a sense of hope, but that hope that comes from a promised future sits in tension with the painful realities of the present. In this poem, I recall the refugees that I met during a brief time I spent in Europe. Many expressed a hope in God despite terrible circumstances, but who were of course also weighed down with unimaginable despair. God was often what kept them going, but they weren't without fear. In the text, I specifically refer to a man I met from Homs, Syria, who spoke to me about both these things. The poem's form is modeled on this not-yet-ness of God's restoration. Excluding the final line, the poem is written in six stanzas of six lines each. Six, here, exemplifies that longing for completion‚ seven being the satisfying number of wholeness in God's creation. The final line acts as a promised seventh line to the final stanza, and as a promised seventh stanza to the poem as a whole. The prophecies in Joel are already in our hands. Christians can hold to the truth that God's promises will be fulfilled. And yet we are forced to wait restlessly for them in the meantime, as we wait for the day of the Lord‚ the day of judgment and restoration that is yet to come. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Jerome Blanco is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and is an MFA candidate at New York University’s Writers Workshop in Paris, where he is studying fiction writing. He was born in Manila but currently calls Southern California home. Website Jerome Blanco About the Artist Jerome Blanco Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art As for the sinners, so they say, the hand of God will someday descend from heaven to pick hem off like forked lightning. View Full Written Work The Day of the Lord Jerome Blanco As for the sinners, so they say, the hand of God will someday descend from heaven to pick them off like forked lightning. The promise for saints: streams of wine, water for life, a heaven-land of flowing milk—but all this a long time from now. Today, we watch good men murdered in the streets, hear cries of wounded women wrecked, see children made orphans at the bomb’s thunderclap. Once, I met a man who feared the Lord, who hailed from hell-torn Syria and showed me pictures of his rubble home—nothing left but stones on stones. I trust in God, he said with hope in the words of the prophets. But the weight of exile can bring a man’s shoulders low, pull his head down towards the foreign ground—like he might sink into the earth, slowly first, then suddenly, like a shot. When I go, I swear, he is ankle-deep. What good the promised justice eternities away, that a man’s short life cannot stretch to reach? What help is heaven milk while killers dance in dusty Homs? If God withholds the wine, then it had better be sweet, overflowing so that it pours back in waves, cascading over all the years that my friend is made to wait. When God smites with his left, I’d like to see his right dig deep, pulling the buried from the dirt, raising them high like the acacias in the Lord’s green valley Close Loading Video . . . As for the sinners, so they say, the hand of God will someday descend from heaven to pick hem off like forked lightning. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This soundscape by Jonathon Roberts walks with the Apostle Paul as he discovers God's grace among the struggles of life. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 2 Corinthians 12:7 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Romans 8:15 Romans 8:18-19 Weakness By Jonathon Roberts Credits: Voices: Jonathon Roberts (Paul), Emma Sweet, Aram Monisoff, Charlie Christenson, Anneliese Dediemar, Emily Clare Zempel, Brendan Marshall-Rashid, Fred Gaines, Paris Brown, Jacob Allen, Maryl McNally, Marie Mikels Additional Text by Christy Bagasao Image by Scott Baye Artist Location: Wisconsin Curated by: Jonathon 2005 Soundscape, theater Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This sound and music collage explores God's grace and the concept of "power in weakness." The text is from Paul's letters to the Corinthians and the Romans with original writings by Christy Bagasao in reaction to his letters. The soundtrack is primarily crafted from ambient sounds, voices and performers on a balmy night on a main street in Santa Barbara, California. Listen on headphones to hear the world of sounds that circle the speaking voices. This piece focuses on questions people have asked for ages, not just "Why do bad things happen to good people?" but "Why do bad things happen at all?" Apostle Paul was an extraordinary and ordinary man who struggled with these same thoughts. "Why do I do what I don't want to do? Why am I weak?" This piece contains excerpts of his writings to the Corinthians and the Romans. Seven passages from his writings are used verbatim in this piece. Additionally Christy Bagasao's writing expresses Paul's point that we have sufficient power because God's grace works through our weakness. "No matter how deep the pit, God's grace is deeper" is a quote from Corrie Ten Boom, read by my grandmother Marie Mikels. This piece is part of a larger theater work called Project Paul . The image is a still taken from the video by Scott Baye that supports this scene. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection J onathon Roberts is a composer and sound designer for games, film, theatre, and ensembles. His style grew out of classical and jazz training, and evolved through quality life adventures: touring the country in an RV with a one person theater piece on the Apostle Paul, living in Brooklyn with an improv music ensemble, performing in a downtown NYC absurdist comedy band, and a long stint writing music for the renowned slot machine company, High 5 Games. He has released four albums including the latest, Cities a song cycle personifying biblical cities. He created the popular podcast/web series ComposerDad Vs. Bible , in which ComposerDad accepts intense compositional challenges from a mysterious Bible while out with his kids. He frequently collaborates on music and theater projects with his wife, actor Emily Clare Zempel. They live in Beacon, NY, with their two boys and a tangled box of electrical cords. www.jonathonroberts.com Website Jonathon Roberts About the Artist Loving Arms I Make Tents The Sower Response There Is Room These are My Sons Consider Me a Partner The Day Is Almost Here Surrogate Babbler Remember Me Prayer How Beautiful I Am a Fool The Constant Ecclesiastes Cows Blessing Fools for Christ More Than Rubies Only a Few Years Will Pass Dear Friend Jonathon Roberts Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

3. Face This and Proceed (Haggai 1:12) 1. My Temple in Ruins (Haggai 1:9b) 2. Wood for the House (Haggai 1:8) 3.face-this-and-proceed_Nicora-Gangi-resized.jpg 4. Building His People-Temple (Haggai 1:14) 5. Your Future Temple (Haggai 2:6) Loading Video . . . This impressive series from artist Nicora Gangi stems from her contemplation on the first book of Haggai and her ensuing reflection on the passage's implication for her own life. Haggai 1 Paneled and Ruins Series By Nicora Gangi Credits: Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2018 Collage Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Haggai was a messenger chosen by God after a long period in Israel's history when there had been no clear communication from the Divine. At the end of Israel's exile in Babylon, they were instructed by God to return to Israel and rebuild His temple. No sooner had the people of God had come up out of captivity in Babylon and returned to Israel than they set up an altar for sacrifice. The foundation of the temple was laid within a year, but shortly thereafter building ceased entirely. They put that expensive piece of work off, no longer interested in the needs of their spiritual life—God’s temple and presence among them. They wanted to spend what time and money they had on their own pleasures, to provide for their families and fill their own houses with all kinds of earthly finery. God was displeased with this and therefore rebuked them: "You dwell in your fancy paneled houses but my house lies desolate" (Haggai 1:4). Provoked by their lack of commitment, He scattered the heaping of their wealth with the breath of His mouth. Though they had foolishly neglected the building of the house of God, He promised to not remember their former ways, knowing that He would be honored by them in His temple. "I will be glorified, says the Lord" (Haggai 1:8). When the temple is built, God will be served, worshipped and sanctified by those who come near to Him. This made clear to me how worthwhile it is to invest our care, pain, and resources in those tasks by which God may be glorified. I believe that if the work we have to do for God and our own souls is left undone—if we seek our own desires more than the will of Jesus Christ—God will cross us in our temporal affairs and we will be met with trouble and disappointment. However, if we follow Him and seek His kingdom we will be blessed with all necessary things and more in abundance to complete that to which we are called ( Matthew 6:33 ). 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 | 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 The Mountain of the House of The Lord 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 Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

amina-ahmed_annunciation-meeting.jpg Loading Video . . . Artist Amina Ahmed reacts to Luke 1:26-31 and the theme of "Harvest" in her work The Annunciation -The meeting. Luke 1:26-31 The Annunciation -The meeting By Amina Ahmed Credits: Curated by: Ebitenyefa Baralaye 2013 12 x 12 inches Egg Tempera on Gesso Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link One arrives at a state of beholdenness when one sees deeply into everything that is given. Being beholden binds one to the Giver, leaving one in a state of ecstatic bindingness. The binding can never be whole while one lives and so one is filled with longing. A longingness that leads once again to the joy of beholdenness. One's work becomes a gift to the Giver, made from and of this eternal cycle. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Amina Ahmed was born in Africa and is a Kutchi Turk Indian. She grew up in England and has lived in Iran and the USA. Ahmed is a graduate of Winchester School of Art and Chelsea School of Art. She received her MFA from the Royal College of Art (1991), where she specialized in Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts and was awarded the Barakat Trust prize for excellence. A visual artist, educator and activist, Ahmed is a board member for the Muslim Women’s institute for Research and Development, Her projects are inspired by her interests in human rights and coalition-building. She has worked with several non-profit art institutions in the US and UK. Her work has been exhibited in the USA South Asia and Europe, Ahmed is a former studio member of the EFA NYC and is currently a Studio Resident at Mana Contemporary NJ. She lives in NJ. Website Amina Ahmed About the Artist Amina Ahmed Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Theater artist and poet Edward Bauer explores a unique interaction of family and deity in response John 12:1-11 and the theme of “meals.” John 12:1-11 Family Dinner By Edward Bauer Credits: Artist Location: Brooklyn, New York Curated by: Lauren Ferebee 2014 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I’m not chiefly a writer. I’m a good liberal arts student with at least a passing acquaintance with the skill, and the work of my theater company does often involve writing scenes and monologues, but at the end of the day I am an actor. As such, when I was first approached with the opportunity to create a piece for Spark & Echo, I considered the dramatic possibilities. As it turned out, though, there was no theatrical concept that sparked my interest. At least, not overtly. I grew up in a progressive protestant (United Church of Christ) household in Maine, and when I was in elementary school my mother began a seminary education. The timing was such that during the formative years in which I was interested enough to start paying actual attention to what was going on in our church services, I also had access to a parent who was making it her life’s work not only to study the Bible deeply, but to learn how to communicate its stories most truthfully and effectively as a minister. I’ll admit that I don’t attend church regularly these days — I dislike the word “agnostic,” but occasionally refer to myself as a “spiritual humanist” — but I’ve never lost my interest in the Bible as a fascinating story, or in the act of performing a ministry. As a result, the piece I’ve submitted to Spark & Echo is a kind of hodgepodge of poem, monologue, and homily, in a form not entirely unlike something my mother might have written over the years. My interest in the Gospels is rooted in a decidedly “low Christology”, and the theme of “meals” felt like a natural venue for exploring that. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus have always fascinated me because of their simplicity and humanity, and because their stories tend to bring out shades of the same in Jesus. This is a family that dines, loves, learns, and bickers together, and that is in the fascinating position of seeing Christ as — well, among other things — a friend, in a way that few others do. And yet, especially in the case of Lazarus, this friendship brings them to the very brink of the unknowable vastness of God. How does an average person deal with that, and then sit down to Sunday dinner as if everything is normal? I’m not sure. Here’s an idea, though. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Edward Bauer is an actor and theater artist currently residing in Brooklyn, NY, where he is one of four Co-Artistic Directors of the Assembly Theater Company. The Assembly is dedicated to producing rigorously researched and socially relevant theater created by an ensemble. The company's work has been produced as part of the Ice Factory, Undergroundzero, and CUNY Prelude festivals, as well as having been performed at The Incubator, The Collapsable Hole, HERE Arts Center, the Wesleyan University Center for the Arts, and the historic Living Theater. Edward can next be seen as Pip in The Assembly's “That Poor Dream," a play inspired by Dickens' “Great Expectations," this October at the New Ohio Theater. www.theassemblytheater.com Website Edward Bauer About the Artist Edward Bauer Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art In the beginning there was Okay, no, I'm not‚ I'm still okay. View Full Written Work A Family Dinner in Five Parts by Edward Bauer Inspired by John 12:1-11 I. In the beginning there was Okay, no, I’m not – I’m still okay. I am. But you’ll need to trust me when I say that I can’t say just yet just what is actually the word for what what is the word I am. I suppose I know that much, at this point. II. Ever since it happened, some feeling comes and goes. Fingers, arms, feet, tongue occasionally. Quick and unexpected, a wave of no sensation at all. I’ve been practicing, in the moment when a limb falls away – well, no, but, seems to – an act of grace, or action at least, of gracefully keeping some semblance of some balance. After all, why concern everyone? This is supposed to be a nice night. III. My sister is furiously focused on an uncompromising pan, the second thus far to fail her in her desperate attempt at gravy. Her whisk, erratic, worries the powdery lump of brownish-grey, still-visible flecks of flour match her whitening knuckles, and I can’t tell if I should tell her that we don’t need it. Everything will be fine without it. Plus that I think she needs to take the carrots out of the oven. I do not tell her anything, and of course she knows it’s time for the carrots. They come forth piping, wisps of fragrant steam redolent of I don’t actually know. She knows. She repairs them to their casserole dish and relegates her traitor saucepan to the sink bitterly. She says she just wanted dinner to be special. I know that I’m putting a hand on her shoulder. IV. They’re fighting. I’ve only ever spoken to him a handful of times, but I’ve seen him. I’ve seen the way he watches Him so closely, quietly, fully. It could be tender if it were. My other sister gave Him something. A gift, extravagant. She made it. She is radiant in her pride. And so he’s furious with her, with Him. I’ve always wanted to be the guy with the easy disposition, the effortless charm, the quiet sort of steel. A guy who needs only say, Guys. Come on. Come on, guys. And febrile tension gives way to a relenting sigh, a sigh to sheepish laughter, the laughter to contrition. Slaps on the back. Apologies all around. I look up and the moment has passed. They’ve left the room, and she looks caught somehow somewhere between shame at her own inciting and utter elation at her power. I take a tasteless sip of wine, and nod as a guy I barely know says something or other about politics. V. The fact that neither one of us smokes doesn’t seem to be stopping us. I hate the feeling, honestly, of the tiny blaze, the dry charred heat coating my teeth and filling my nose, wrapping its tendrils around my chest, the sudden rush of blood to my head, when I actually correctly inhale, but it is, at least, a feeling. When He takes his first drag, He coughs. We laugh. We turn up our collars, and it seems to me that I might have heard Him say something. Did you? I ask. No, He says. Just looking at the sunset. I follow His eye to the horizon, and am struck. All of the hues contained therein, if pulled apart, set down, and filed, could reasonably be tucked away in a folder marked: “Colors, Most Wondrous, All Creation.” It is like nothing else. And it seems that it would be lonely to be anything so singular. It’s pretty cold, for April, I say. Close Loading Video . . . In the beginning there was Okay, no, I'm not‚ I'm still okay. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Poet Darryl Ratcliff wrestles with current injustices and dreams of a life-filled future in response to Ecclesiastes 9:4. Ecclesiastes 9:4 Gardening with Lions By Darryl Ratcliff Credits: Curated by: Lauren Ferebee 2017 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I was struck by the truth of the human condition contained in this passage – we are better humbled and living than proud and dead. I thought about how we often lionize the dead, particularly those who die suddenly or unexpectedly. Through the lens of Black Lives Matter, I was thinking about how we lionize the names of those who have died due to police violence. As much as we should and want to remember these people, we would much rather that we did not have to – that they were indeed still alive. So the metaphor of the garden, the transformation of the dead into fuel for new life and growth – is ultimately a hopeful one. It is an instance where one is joined with all the living. Yet, even as the gardener in the poem contemplates and interrogates whether good things can come from these untimely deaths – he finds himself hoping that he too doesn’t become another dead lion during an interaction with the police. So the title gardening with lions – is in a way to be in communion with the dead – while cultivating new possibilities in our current life. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Darryl Ratcliff is an artist and poet based in Dallas, TX and is the founder of the North Texas poetry label Pink Drum . As an artist his work focuses on the topic of cultural equity, and his projects include Ash Studios, Creating Our Future, and Michelada Think Tank. Ratcliff is a recent recipient of artist awards from the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Office of Cultural Affairs, City of Dallas. His project, Ash Studios, was awarded Best Gallery or Art Space by D Magazine in 2016. Website Darryl Ratcliff About the Artist Darryl Ratcliff Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art When one 's hand becomes a shovel thrust into black soil, seeping grave land grub worms between fingers the dirt lining your nails like a black crescent, View Full Written Work Gardening with Lions By Darryl Ratcliff “But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.” - Ecclesiastes 9:4 1. When one’s hand becomes a shovel thrust into black soil, seeping gravel and grub worms between fingers the dirt lining your nails like a black crescent, a partial eclipse, as you replace what is dead with what is living, laying down seeds like wishes into the night earth 2. I have heard that the dead can make heat that if you place dead leaves, fruit rinds, dead flowers, bits of grass, into a bin the pile will heat up, become flush with fever will burn to the touch, remind the body that we must all return to soil that coal does indeed transform to diamond that the difference between life and death is often a matter of perspective 3. Gregory Gunn, Samuel Dubose, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Natasha McKenna, Walter Scott, Christian Taylor, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Akai Gurley, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Yvette Smith, Rekia Boyd, Philando Castille there are so many dead, black, bodies that the earth is boiling, the seeds tremble then plunge deep into the soil, taking root. 4. After working in the garden I harvest flowers and vegetables, loading them into my car, I drive towards home, praying that the red and blue lights are just a mirage a trick of sunset in the city that the officer approaching my vehicle won’t confuse a cucumber for a gun that he can tell by my dirt stained hands that I need no further intimacy with the earth. Close Loading Video . . . When one 's hand becomes a shovel thrust into black soil, seeping grave land grub worms between fingers the dirt lining your nails like a black crescent, Download Full Written Work

geo-of-healing-588x285.jpg Loading Video . . . Director and choreographer Patrice Miller developed this theater/dance piece over the past year in response to 2 Kings 2:21-25 and the theme of "healing". 2 Kings 2:21-25 A Little East of Jordan (The Geography of Healing) By Patrice Miller Credits: Director + Choreographer: Patrice Miller Playwright: Patrice Miller in collaboration with the performers + those who submitted their stories to the project Featuring: Laura Hartle, Stephanie Willing, + Morgan Zipf-Meister Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Lauren Ferebee 2014 Theatre, Dance, + Spoken word Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Commissioned by Spark and Echo Arts, A Little East of Jordan (The Geography of Healing) is inspired by the first works of wonder-worker Elisha, and uses theater, dance, crowd-sourced text, and anthropology to explore the dialogue between our bodies, minds, and space as we consciously undergo change. 2 Kings 2:21-25: “And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters, there shall not be from thence any more death or barren (land)” So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria. A Little East of Jordan is the first line of an Emily Dickinson poem. Director’s Note (from the workshop performance) : When Lauren Ferebee approached me about this project, I took the opportunity to challenge myself as a performance maker. Instead of writing alone or seeking a playwright, I opened up the text-creation to a number of people, resulting in a rich diversity of stories and responses. Instead of rehearsing for five days a week for three or four weeks at a time, we performed pieces of this throughout out the year. Instead of giving you a program to rustle through pre-show, I gave you an intention, some salt, and water. I also documented my process in a more precise manner than usual. What I noticed is that it is very hard to create material that feels personal when there are large political happenings constantly streaming across your computer screen, your phone, your eyes in Times Square. And I remembered that the political is personal. That nothing happens in a vacuum. With this in mind, Laura, Stephanie, Morgan and I wove together various pieces to create an honest account of attempting to create when you feel situated in the midst of chaos, of attempting to heal yourself when the world insists on never easing up on you. Read more about Patrice’s process in her blog. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Patrice Miller is a director and choreographer whose work has been called “hilarious, provocative” by the Village Voice. Her work has been presented at La Mama, 3-Legged Dog, The Brooklyn Museum, Prelude at the CUNY Graduate Center, Theater Row, The Brick, FRINGENYC and many of the other festivals in NYC, as well as at non-theater spaces including NYC FashionWeek, the 68th Street subway stop, city parks, and art galleries. She was the performance director for 571 Projects, a Chelsea art gallery, where she collaborated with visual artists, including Julie Trembly, to create art-specific performance pieces. She is a member of Untitled Theater Company #61 , where she frequently works with Edward Einhorn and Henry Akona. Patrice is also one half of Tux and Tom Productions, where she collaborates with Chris Chappell. She is also known to have spent some creative time with the Institute of Psychogeographic Adventure, Piper McKenzie, and Justin Maxwell. Some of her favorite directing and choreography credits include In Pieces (a dance adaptation of illustrator Marion Fayolle’s work), The Pig, or Vaclav Havel’s Hunt for a Pig, Elephant Foot Umbrella Stand (for IPA’s Experiment #23b ), Dead Cat Bounce/Money Lab , ELE↓↑TOR, Maggie Cino’s Decompression , and Bunny Lake is Missing . As a performer, Patrice has appeared with Urban Bush Women in their Place Matters: A Look at Displacement , Martha Bower’s Dance Theatre Etcetera in Angels & Accordions , as well as in her own work throughout the past decade. She has appeared in a number of Gemini Collisionworks productions including the American/English premiere of Richard Foreman’s George Bataille’s Bathrobe . Patrice is developing a process that uses theoretical intersections between performance and social science theories, in the hopes of creating work that has aesthetic and social impacts. Her interests include the representation of gender, class, race, religion, and other identity constructions in theater and dance, feminism in performance across cultures, and political performance. And humor. She’s very serious about humor. Artist Statement:When Lauren Ferebee approached me about this project, I took the opportunity to challenge myself as a performance maker. Instead of writing alone or seeking a playwright, I opened up the text-creation to a number of people, resulting in a rich diversity of stories and responses. Instead of rehearsing for five days a week for three or four weeks at a time, we performed pieces of this throughout out the year. Instead of giving you a program to rustle through pre-show, I gave you an intention, some salt, and water.I also documented my process in a more precise manner than usual. What I noticed is that it is very hard to create material that feels personal when there are large political happenings constantly streaming across your computer screen, your phone, your eyes in Times Square. And I remembered that the political is personal. That nothing happens in a vacuum. With this in mind, Laura, Stephanie, Morgan and I wove together various pieces to create an honest account of attempting to create when you feel situated in the midst of chaos, of attempting to heal yourself when the world insists on never easing up on you. Website Patrice Miller About the Artist Patrice Miller Other Works By The development of this piece has been a fascinating; it's a journey that Patrice beautifully documents on this blog . Read the script: A Little East of Jordan (The Geography of Healing) Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This eerie and yet familiar short story by author Jamey Bradbury responds to the challenging passage of 1 Timothy 2:11-15. 1 Timothy 2:11-15 Terrarium By Jamey Bradbury Credits: Curated by: Jeff Martin 2018 Short Story Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link As meaty and controversial as the verses I chose are, I kept finding myself drawn to the middle sentence: "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." The middle part of this passage takes us all the way back to Genesis and the Garden of Eden, and that crucial moment where Eve winds up having history's most notorious fruit snack. This, of course, gets her tossed right out of the garden, along with Adam. I kept coming back to the concept of deception--who was deceived and who wasn't--and transgression, and the idea of working with a limited amount of knowledge. Then, while on a run one day, it occurred to me: What if the deception wasn't a transgression, but an awakening? In Genesis, Adam and Eve are awakened to many things once they defy God's orders--they see they're naked for the first time, they experience shame. Like a lot of women, I feel like Eve gets a pretty raw deal--blamed for the sinfulness of all mankind. In my version of the Eden story, I thought, I'd try and give her a little redemption. This summer, I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in Southeast Alaska in the Baranof Wilderness on an artist's residency. The Baranof Wilderness is its own kind of Eden--a place so lush and fertile that the minute you leave a footprint, the woods instantly seem to go to work re-wilding themselves and covering up your tracks. This would be the Eden for my Adam and Eve, I decided--a mossy island seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Finally, real life wormed its way into the story as I considered the relationship between Eve and Adam--the first one in Eden, put there before his mate, and therefore at least slightly more knowledgeable than her, or so he can claim. Adam's advantage is that Eve doesn't know anything before him, and that's the perfect setup for a gaslighting situation. I started thinking about the ways we're seeing men try to control women as more news comes out around movements like #MeToo , and pretty soon I had a toxic relationship between history's first couple that only ends when my Eve realizes that to make a better world for her own children, she's going to have to destroy the only world she's ever known. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Jamey Bradbury is the author of The Wild Inside (William Morrow, 2018). Her short fiction has appeared in Black Warrior Review, Zone 3, and sou'wester . She lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and works for an Alaska Native social services agency. You can learn more at jameybradbury.com . Website Jamey Bradbury About the Artist Jamey Bradbury Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art There are two of them. He came to the island first. He knows it 's an island, he says, because there are borders, a solid edge met by a liquid blue that laps at their naked feet View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . There are two of them. He came to the island first. He knows it 's an island, he says, because there are borders, a solid edge met by a liquid blue that laps at their naked feet Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . So I have been thinking lately about the importance of two simple things: the notion of circles (in particular concentric circles), and the meticulous keeping of lists. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Revelation 11:3-7 Revelations 9:10-20 Isaiah 8:11 Proverbs 4:23 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 1 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 March 13, 2017 So I have been thinking lately about the importance of two simple things: the notion of circles (in particular concentric circles), and the meticulous keeping of lists. Because we experience our lives in a linear fashion we tend to take a very list-like approach to taking stock of our experiences. This is useful for us, for the most part, because it enables to get from point A to point B in our daily lives. But, if our lives really were as linear as we think they are, why does history have this pesky tendency to repeat itself? Wouldn’t it stand to reason that we would encounter a problem, learn from it, and then check it off our ‘list’ of life lessons and move on? If learning an instrument worked like this, my students would all learn their first song, master it, go on to the next song, and after doing this a dozen tunes or so have a relative mastery of the instrument. But anyone who has picked up a creative endeavor will most likely learn the hard way that this is not the case. It is only through learning six or seven (or sixty, or seventy!) pieces of music that we develop the skill and diligence to be able to go back an truly perfect the first. I spoke recently with a pastor who suggested to me two things: that the best way to interpret holy scripture is through the scripture itself, and that the things we experience within ourselves run in confluence with the things we experience outside ourselves. This runs in apparent conflict with the same pastor’s idea that no elements of the Bible should be taken figuratively. Attempting to conflate these two concepts into something applicable has been, to say the least, a fascinating prospect. There is a popular phrase in Eastern medicine that echoes this sentiment with a simplicity and elegance that so much of Eastern thinking brings to us Westerners, who like to deal in concrete details but who also like to make our understandings of even the most basic things unbelievably intellectually complex: “As within, so without. As above, so below.” This is actually a concept that I first encountered when being treated for my physical pain and, by extension, my PTSD. Interpreted literally, it means that if something is wrong with your right shoulder, you might see it reflected in the way you carry your left ankle. Or, if you have a disease of the gut, you might see evidence of this ailment present in places on your skin. But for me it has also meant that, as I learned to honor and work through my emotional pain, I have been slowly been relieved of my physical torments as well. Taken from a spiritual perspective, this becomes a fascinating way to interpret the Bible, and in particular, to interpret Revelation. Are we living in the end of times? Perhaps. But the human ego is, in the words of a popular public figure, ‘tremendous.’ And so every generation seems to have thought that it was perhaps destined to be the last to walk this earth. Nevertheless, in my own life I have experienced a myriad of personal crises that made me feel as if the world was coming to an end. And in each of these I had to dig into the darkness in my life, bear witness to the challenges before me, and decide which parts of my life will be asked to come to an end so the better parts may live. If this isn’t an apt metaphor for the concentricity of the apocalypse, I don’t know what is. There are some scriptural precedents for the idea of looking within for answers to the struggles that lie without. Proverbs 4:23 tells us “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Similarly, Isaiah 8:11 reads “The Lord hath said to me in the strongest terms: ‘Do not think like everyone else does.” To me this means that a Godly life is one of constant inventory of the self (the within) and a skepticism of majority thinking, even if this thinking happens to be the norm (the without). In other words, I am observing patterns in my life and in the world emerge in perfect circles, am taking stock of my interactions with these patterns, and as a result I am finding that I have quite a bit to write about. In some ways this process is one of concentricity—the evil within is echoed by the evil without, and the struggles and salvation within mirror the struggles and salvation in the world at large as suggested in the book of Revelation. In short terms, I am working on a song cycle from the perspective of the Devil and the angels who conspired together in the undoing of the earth. But the cycle is also about my mother, whom I am sad to say, is the purest representation of evil within my own limited worldview; and about the way this heritage has manifested in my own life and had to be held at bay. I am writing about bearing witness to these things and accepting the consequences of having open eyes, and about the fearlessness that this process—which is essentially a keeping of lists—requires. In the Bible these witnesses manifest as two pillars of light in the storm and I believe this has some pertinent political relevance—of all the protests signs I have seen since the turning of the political tide in this country, my favorite has been this, held by an elderly women in rural New Mexico: ‘I am the storm, I leave light in my wake.’ In mid-March I will begin recording some of this music and look forward to sharing the results with you before I continue onward in this process of self-discovery, creative development, and striving both internally and through my relationship with the outside world to continue to grow towards the light. 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 2 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 second , third and final posts. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

don-nyugen-air4th_first-supper-seating-layouts.jpg Loading Video . . . Don Nguyen shares the development of his new theater piece in his fourth post. Luke 22:14-48 Artist in Residence 2015: Don Nguyen By Don Nguyen Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2015 Theatre Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Hi, this is my fourth and final post (maybe) for my Spark and Echo artists residency. To recap, I chose Luke 22:14-48, which covers The Last Supper because it’s the ultimate dinner party. I was attempting to create a communal evening of theatre, food, improvisation, and game playing based on these selected passages. In my last post , I talked about the obstacles I was running into, my fear of finishing the project, and the direction I wanted to take it in. After exploring different avenues and giving it a lot of thought, I’ve decided to pivot the theme of the project from The Last Supper to The First Supper. The idea of the First Supper really intrigues me because we know so much about the events of the Last Supper, but we don’t know much, if anything, about the First Supper. And in exploring the notion of the First Supper as a kind of origin story for the apostles, I started to dig deeper into each of their backgrounds. It was then I reached out to Jonathon Roberts, Founder and Co-Executive director of Spark and Echo to discuss this new theme. I wanted to know if there was anything mentioned in the new testament about this so called first supper. Jonathon reached out to his colleague Pastor Timothy Bourman of Sure Foundation Lutheran Church for information, and I was struck deeply by what Pastor Bourman had to say about the relation of the last supper and the first supper: "The last supper probably isn't the best name for the Lord's Supper. It is really a continuation and a deepening of a fellowship that began at the beginning of time and will culminate in the wedding feast of the Lamb. It is neither the first supper nor the last supper." “It is neither the first supper nor the last supper.” This really crystallized thematically what I wanted my project to be about. It was this comment that gave me “permission” to look beyond the apostles and into my own life and the people I know and allowed me to posit the notion of a “First Supper” moment for all of us. So what is a “First Supper” moment? To me, it is a moment in your life when you’ve experienced something life changing, memorable, thought provoking, challenging, or illuminating; all while breaking bread with someone. This someone could be your family, close friend, or a complete stranger. This idea of everyone having a “First Supper” moment also helped me to figure out the audience participation aspect of my immersive theater project. How was I going to engage with the audience in a way that would allow them to feel included? Of course! I’ll ask them to share their first supper moment with me. And those personal moments for the audience would become the necessary seed used to grow the show organically into an evening of theatre. I then reached out to some of my friends and asked them to share their first supper moments with me. I told them to not be literal in terms of a “supper.” It doesn’t have to be a feast or large gathering. It can be small and intimate. As long as that moment was important to them. I also wanted to keep it simple for them, so I asked of them only two things: 1. A short sentence or two describing the moment 2. List any food or drinks that you remember/stood out to you. I provided an example from my own first supper moment: “I was forced to go on a family trip to Oregon when I was 13 or 14. One night we grilled fresh oysters that came in on the boat that day. My dad cracked open a beer and shared it with me. It was a moment I’ll never forget.” Food: Fresh oysters and a can of Budweiser. – Don Nguyen Here are some "First Supper" moments that have been shared with me. Some even provided photos: “I was eight when my father’s union went on strike. His friend brought us a plate of cheese and meats. As my father thanked him, I peered into the otherwise empty fridge gazing on it with awe. It dawned on me what it felt like to not have quite enough.” Foods: Swiss and cheddar cheese. Cured meats. Probably Hickory farms or some such. – Stella Fawn Ragsdale “Having my first proper dinner with grandma. I obviously didn’t have the manners required so i pretended to fall asleep and my mom took the cue and removed me from the scrutiny.” Foods: disgusting beets and cooked carrots… and some other things that were fine. – Dusty Brown “My wedding reception dinner. That day was one of the happiest of my life. And the meal included green bean casserole. This is significant because green bean casserole is one of my absolute favorite things, but it’s not exactly "classy”. Yet, my husband let me include it as one of the side dishes for our reception. I think it represented us as a couple quite well – not very fancy, but comforting, enjoyable, and finding happiness in making each other happy.” Foods: Green Bean Casserole – Deborah Krambeck “In 1985 my Dad would pick me up early from Sunday school and we’d rush back to watch the Chicago Bears win 15 games and then ultimately the Super Bowl.” Foods: Microwaved Tyson chicken patty with mayonnaise on a bun. Still my favorite meal. – Aaron Levy “At the O’Neill Center, I had oysters and lobster for the first time at the clam bake we attended. And Dark and Stormys. And Don (co-writer) and I both declared that it was the fanciest meal either of us had ever had. And our cast was there, too, even though it was only supposed to be for the writers. And we all felt like we were in heaven.” Foods: Oysters, Lobster, Dark and Stormys – Chris Cragin Day “Eating without my family, but with my dog at the dining room table, while my parents were visiting my sister in the eating disorder ward of a hospital. it was a delicious frozen meal given to us by a friend.” Foods: a baked noodle dish, with cream sauce, chicken, peas and Parmesan cheese on top. Italian inspired. – Anonymous “First time meeting the Mother of my first long-term boyfriend. She was a widow, he was an only child and somewhat of a Mama’s boy so pressure was high to get approval. She was treating us to her favorite restaurant: Farmer Brown’s Steakhouse. I knew she had a limited budget so I was conservative with what I ordered. The food was awful. I tried to push the food around on my plate to make it look like I had eaten more but she noticed and commented to the boyfriend later. I think she thought I was too good for the food. I just thought not ingesting it was better than ingesting and then regurgitating it back on the table. I so wanted to make a good impression. It was a no win.” Foods: Side of canned green beans, side of cold spaghetti, meat with gristle that I had to do the napkin spit into, baked potato that sat in the warmer too long – butter, salt and pepper dousing helped a little. – Anonymous “Thanksgiving, 2014. My son, who hardly ever gets sick, ran a fever the night before Thanksgiving, so we had to cancel our plans to travel to see family. My husband and I ran out at seven a.m. Thanksgiving morning to shop for groceries, and we whipped up a quick feast.” Foods: Cornish game hens (as there were no turkeys left to buy), mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, squash, corn, bread, cheese & crackers. Served on our only-used-once-ever china! – Christina I love how just a handful of these “supper moments” captures an incredibly personal story with wide ranging themes of love, loss, and hope. Next Steps Now that I’ve identified the ever important “seed” for the evening, we need to water it a bit. I imagine the evening will go like this: RSVP and Prep 1. After a guest rsvp’s online, they are asked to share their “first supper” moment with the option of listing it with their name or “anonymous” and sharing any photos related to their moment. 2. Guests can read other “first supper” moments and photos for inspiration and personal curiosity. 3. Only twelve guests are allowed at each show. 4. A special menu will be created based off of the foods and drinks listed in everyone’s first supper moment. The menu doesn’t have to get literal with the items listed, it merely needs to recreate the essence of it. What will be interesting here is to find any connections between each guest’s list of food items. 5. A group of 4-5 performers made up of actors and musicians skilled in improvisation will conceptualize a skeleton show based on these first supper moments. The Garden Show 6. When guests arrive to the First Supper, they are greeted with a garden show which consists of light mingling and music, either live or a playlist made up especially for the guests. 7. During the garden show, three “first supper” moments will be performed and can consist of a monologue, scene, improvised scene, song, dance, call and response, visual art, etc. We should be open to trying any form. Each “first supper” moment performed should last no longer than two to three minutes, with a maximum of ten minutes for each performance “act.” Breaking Bread 8. Everyone in the room will literally break bread. The guests will then be seated. The dinner table can be different for each show and it doesn’t have to be one long table. It can be anything, as long as the performer’s playing space is immersed within the dining space. 9. Three more “first supper” moments are performed The First Course 10. Performers will serve the guests the first course, which is starter dish consisting of soup or salad. Performers can mingle and actively listen to the guests conversations at this time and mentally file anything that is said which can be used for later improv. The Second Course 11. Three more “first supper” moments are performed. 12. The second course is served, which is the main dish. 13. Again, performers can mingle and listen attentively to the conversations. The Third Course 14. Dessert and coffee is served. 15. The final three “first supper” moments are performed. 16. The chef comes out and talks to the audience about how their “first supper” moments inspired the evening’s menu. 17. The performers present a special song written for the evening, made up of all the stories shared that night. 18. We end the night with a spoken coda: 1. “Thank you for breaking bread with us tonight, and sharing your stories. They are gifts we will cherish forever and we hope each of you will cherish them as well. And as we part ways tonight, remember that we all began as strangers, but we will part as friends, and the stories we’ve shared with each other we hope will prove that tonight’s supper was neither the first nor the last. Goodnight. Here are some rough sketches of possible dining/performance seating layouts: Final Thoughts I really do feel like I’ve made a breakthrough with my process. Unfortunately it took me all this time to get to this point. But what’s great about being an artist in residence is that that’s exactly what I needed to crack open this idea: time. I want to continue exploring this idea and once the holidays are over, to really get it on it’s feet with an audience. This was something I had hoped to do before this post, but it was difficult inviting an audience and performers to something that didn’t have a clear foundation to build off of. But now I feel like I really have something interesting to work with. Look for an update in early 2016! Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Don Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam, grew up in Nebraska, and now currently resides in New York City. As a playwright, Don has written several full-length plays including: SOUND, a sign language play which was a finalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and was previously developed at The Playwrights Realm. Don’s first full-length play RED FLAMBOYANT was developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference and was both a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival as well as the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. THE MAN FROM SAIGON has been developed at Naked Angels and was a NYSAF Founders Award recipient. THE COMMENCEMENT OF WILLIAM TAN was developed at New York Stage and Film and was a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Don was also recently one of 48 playwrights commissioned for The Flea Theater’s 5 1/2 hour epic production of The Mysteries, directed by Ed Iskander, which was a stage adaptation of the Bible. Don is a proud member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, a member of the inaugural Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater in New York and served five years as artistic director for The Shelterbelt Theatre. Don is also a frequent volunteer for the 52nd Street Project. Website: thenuge.com Website Don Nguyen About the Artist Artist in Residence 2015: Don Nguyen Part 1 Artist in Residence 2015: Don Nguyen Part 2 Artist in Residence 2015: Don Nguyen Part 3 My Million Spectacular Moments Don Nguyen Other Works By To follow the developmental process of Don's play read his first , second , and third posts as a 2015 Artist in Residence. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work