Loading Video . . . The sound of this song by musician, singer-songwriter, and performer Peter Mawanga offers an energetic and joyful feel that complements the words from the work's originating inspiration: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-6. 2 Thessalonians 1:3-6 ASAMALA By Peter Mawanga Credits: Music and Lyrics by Peter Mawanga Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2018 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This song is inspired by the words of 2 Thessalonians 1:3-6, "Thanksgiving and Prayer." The song opens with the words "TIZIYAMIKA MULUNGU NTHAWI ZONSE IYE AMAPEREKA MWAULERE,"meaning: "We ought always to thank God for you brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more." I go on to say, "We ought to thank God for he gives us all freely." ATISAMALA means HE CARES. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Peter Mawanga has attracted worldwide acclaim with his music, the Nyanja vibes, performing on world stages in Africa, Europe and America. Not a stranger to the BBC and other media outlets, Mawanga has established himself as one of the living legends in Malawi and Africa. Blending traditional instruments as the Nyanja’s visekese, malimba , and kaligo , with contemporary instruments, he produces music that is fondly described by many as therapeutic, drawing from the Nyanja’s core values of peace and calm. The Nyanja are the most peaceful people in Africa and their country Malawi, which has never been at war, be it civil or otherwise, is known as the warm heart of Africa. Their instruments are deliberately designed to produce sounds that appeal to different feelings that aim at calming the nerves, celebrating life, pleading for peace and mostly merrymaking. It is from this source that Peter birthed the aMaravi movement and the celebrated Nyanja afro-vibes which mainly took off when he produced the now world renown album, Mawu A Malawi (The Voice of Malawi) , which featured stories of AIDS. For seven months Peter and colleagues had collected narratives from twenty-six of the most inspiring people they had ever met. They shared their loss, pain, joy, courage, and wisdom. The result of the project was Mawu a Malawi . The album was launched at the University of North Carolina and Department of State, making Peter Mawanga the first African musician to perform at the office of the Secretary of State. Since then, Peter’s performances have been holistic, characterized by song, film, dance, talks and sometimes dramatic monologues. His talks, among other things topics, are on: Malawian traditional sounds ; origins, use, relevance, relation to Africa and the world at large, the fusion with contemporary instruments, extinction, and preservation efforts. Music and dance in Malawi , the interplay of music in the social setup. Issues of identity, music as a people’s movement and a catalyst for life. Dance and tribal heritage. Talents of the Malawian Child Project Mawanga’s personal life (self-discovery) and involvement in projects for social change and economic empowerment. Peter, just like the Nyanjas of Malawi, believes that music goes beyond the ear, reaching out into the inner person to produce a healing power. It is one of the keys to a peaceful mind. Website Peter Mawanga About the Artist ULEMU Nambala Wani NDAUPENYA Peter Mawanga Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Anna Paddock's song captures the seeming simplicity of Lydia's conversion juxtaposed with the depth of the life changing event in Acts 16:13-15. Acts 16:13-15 Stop Listen By Anna Paddock Credits: Written by Anna Paddock. 2016 Performed and recorded by Anna Paddock and Patrick Anderson Curated by: Sarah Gregory 2016 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This song is written from the perspective of Lydia. As I spent time reading this passage, it struck me as an interesting conversion story. Lydia seemed to have her life in order and wasn't in a state of physical need or apparent desperation of any kind. She was already a follower of God, had a family, lived in the city, and was an established working woman. And yet, on presumably just an ordinary Sabbath day, she heard a message from strangers that inspired her to believe and be baptized. "The Lord opened her heart", it says, and I wonder what that felt like to her in that moment. It's a mysterious thing, and yet I can relate to the feeling of knowing that our seemingly mundane existences can be interrupted with inexplainable heart awakenings and understandings, and it was a reminder to me to stop and listen. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Anna Paddock is a singer-songwriter and pianist based in Brooklyn, NY, although her family roots are in Manitoba, Canada. Anna studied piano at Trinity Western University and then received her Masters in Music Theory and Composition from New York University. Anna has collaborated with filmmakers, choreographers, and other songwriters as a composer and vocalist, and released her first solo album, “ Feel Better ” in 2013. She currently teaches in New York, and recently released a self-titled EP “ The Lay Awakes ” – a collaboration with her husband (rockstar Canadian paralympian) Patrick Anderson. Anna and Patrick make their home with their baby boy, Stanley, and are members of Resurrection Williamsburg Church. Website Anna Paddock About the Artist Anna Paddock Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Alina Potemska Lords Compassions Loading Video . . . In the past (2010-2014), Spark+Echo Arts has grouped the year into themes. 2014's themes included poverty, meals, eavesdropping, etc. In 2015, we are trying something different. Instead of thematic groupings, we have asked our artists to create works in response to specific books of the Bible. 2015's explorations will consist of: Lamentations, Philemon, Joshua, and Psalm 107. The first work within this approach, this striking piece from Ukrainian artist Alina Potemska responds to Lamentations 2:18. Lamentations 3:22-25 Lord's compassions fail not By Alina Potemska Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Selected through Artist Submissions 2015 40×50 cm Colored pencils, paper on cardboard Collage Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link My work claims to the theme of God's mercy to whole nations in general and particularly to each person. We can experience any struggles and think that it's last stage of trials. But as a rain feeds the arid land and have no limits in every day refreshing, in the same way God's love and tenderness captures us in a flow that keeps us from any trouble and problem. Even more, it doesn't really matter what issues are under the boat, it is only important that we are safe in the God's shelter and are covered by His love and mercy. We flow in His stream and it cures us and gives us felling of safety. Maybe, as Jeremiah did, we should experience some trials to appreciate this gift. During the horrible time of war in my homeland, it's natural to us ask God why He allowed this? But especially in this trouble we can feel deeply LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, and it's new every morning, so thanks to God for that! Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Alina Potemska graduated from the National Art Academy in her hometown Kyiv in 2013 and keeps her passion in illustration and printmaking. Alina is active participant in row of exhibition and takes part in social activeness through art. In 2015 she was nominated for Polish governmental Scholarship “Gaude Polonia”. “My art is a part of me and my understanding of life. I would be more than happy if it serves any person in any extend to become more fulfilled and experience something new in his life”. Website Alina Potemska About the Artist Alina Potemska Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Poet Hayan Charara explores the theme of "Harvest" through Jeremiah 8:20. Jeremiah 8:20 The Harvest is Past By Hayan Charara Credits: Curated by: Emily Ruth Hazel 2013 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I was drawn to Jeremiah 8:20 for a few reasons. At its most basic, it is a lament, and its message rings true for me, both literally (I live in Texas, which for years has suffered a severe and destructive drought) and metaphorically (reading the passage I couldn’t help but think of how the world’s ills have imposed themselves on the lives of loved ones, especially those who live in the war-torn Middle East—including my father and brother—and those who live in my hometown, Detroit). The tone also grabbed my attention. Unlike the angry invective with which most “jeremiads” are associated, whether Biblical or modern-day, Jeremiah 8:20 is, at least in isolation, again a lament more than a diatribe; it bears more responsibility than blame. Also worthwhile is the “we,” a pronoun of authoritarian, grandiose rhetoric (think “We the people…”). Here, though, the “we” accomplishes something close to the opposite. While authoritative, its tone is also inclusive and even humble. Finally, the formal elements impressed me. Jeremiah 8:20 is nearly a traditional haiku insofar as the number of syllables-per-line is concerned. The traditional 5-7-5 structure is here 5-6-5. As a way to impose conciseness, I decided to adopt the 5-6-5 syllabic structure, and also to follow the parallelism of the independent clauses, which added gravitas to the original passage and, I hope, to my poem. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Hayan Charara is the author of three poetry books, The Alchemist’s Diary (Hanging Loose, 2001), a Publisher’s Weekly “Notable Debut,” The Sadness of Others (Carnegie Mellon, 2006), nominated for the National Book Award, and the forthcoming Something Sinister (Carnegie Mellon, 2014). He is a recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, for poetry, as well as the Lucille Joy Prize for Poetry from the creative writing program at the University of Houston. His poems have been published widely, translated into French and Arabic, and nominated several times for the Pushcart Prize. He also edited Inclined to Speak (University of Arkansas, 2008), an anthology of contemporary Arab American poetry, and has also written a children’s book, The Three Lucys , winner of the New Voices Award Honor and forthcoming from Lee & Low Books in 2014. He teaches in the Honors College at the University of Houston. Website Hayan Charara About the Artist Hayan Charara Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art (1)The bees come from far, the migrant workers too, but the rains do not. View Full Written Work THE HARVEST IS PAST, THE SUMMER HAS ENDED, AND WE ARE NOT SAVED by Hayan Charara (1) The bees come from far, the migrant workers too, but the rains do not. (2) The ground cracks open, the lost pines choke the sky, and the cows are trapped. (3) We prepare for war, we sing songs, weep, and pray, and so does our foe. (4) The children are fed, they are clothed, taught, cherished, and they too must go. Close Loading Video . . . (1)The bees come from far, the migrant workers too, but the rains do not. Download Full Written Work

Rev5 1 4 Lknights Main Image Lily Knights, For Reaching and Holding (detail) Lily Knights, For Reaching and Holding (detail) Loading Video . . . Artist Lily Knights transfers her love of murals onto canvas as she responds to Revelation 5:1-4. Revelation 5:1-4 For Reaching and Holding By Lily Knights Credits: Curated by: Lauren Ferebee 2016 88 x 64 inches paint and ink on canvas Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link My piece is inspired by the idea of unexpected community. What a vivid image the text provides: all hands on deck, trying and equally failing. We put so much energy into proving we are worthy — to ourselves and each other. We want to be loved and heard and to do something with our time that matters. We spend our lives attempting impossible tasks and feeling a familiar sense of futility. But that is the essence of our humanity; our foibles and our failings unify us. When I read this passage, I want all those hands collectively coming up short to know that we are in this together and that we are leveled by our insufficiency, our inadequacy, our imperfection. When we recognize that, we can realize our connections to each other. The hands represent humanity and individuality, striving and art. The gold represents the divine, surrounding us and tying us to each other. I put this idea into practice while creating my piece. It was a process that took a few weeks, a lot of space and a great deal of patience. I spent some time with my anxiety, fearing I wouldn't be able to realize my vision, before I reached out to my friends and let them step in to lend a hand. Thanks to Valerie, Luke, Lucy, Jonathan, Jake, Bill and Andy. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lily Knights is a graphic designer, illustrator and photographer. In addition to her creative drive to make art, she has a passion for working with local organizations involved in the arts and dedicated to community building. Lily lives in South Carolina with her children, Bebe and Amby. lily-knights.com etsy.com/shop/RaisetheProof Website Lily Knights About the Artist Lily Knights Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . A classic gets revisited in this musical piece by composer and arranger J.R. Mikels. Mikels composed his rendition of the hymn "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" in response to Matthew 28:6-7 and Luke 24:6-7, expanding on the melody throughout the work. It is performed here by Center Stage Brass for Spark+Echo Arts to celebrate Easter. Luke 24:6-7 Matthew 28:6-7 Christ the Lord Is Risen Today By J.R. Mikels Credits: Composer: J.R. Mikels Musicians: Center Stage Brass Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2021 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link My treatment of ''Christ The Lord Is Risen Today'' was penned while living in Bethel, Connecticut; working as a school bus mechanic helper and staying with a small group that was establishing a Christian mission church in the area. It was first performed publicly for Easter Morning services in 1973 as a ''4 hands'' piano piece in a large gym; always my favorite type of room, acoustically. Later I scored it for Brass or Woodwind Choir. The two Bible references (both interestingly enough verses 6-7) announce the core of the Christian Faith. Without the resurrection, there is no redemption. Growing up, this hymn was very enthusiastically sung in our church only once per year and I always looked forward to it — especially the counterpoint in the 'Alleluias'. When asked to compose an Easter prelude for the mission, setting this melody was an easy choice. No one seems to know who wrote it originally. The ''tune first circulated in 1708 with the Lyra Davidica hymnal, but no composer has ever been acknowledged.'' (Christianity Today Magazine) The piece was recorded for Spark+Echo Arts in 2021 by Center Stage Brass of Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection J.R. Mikels was born In Door County, Wisconsin, and raised on a dairy farm/cherry orchard. He began piano at age 5 and played organ at St. Peter's church. He holds a Music Theory/Education degree from UW Madison with additional studies at Silver Lake College, Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He has been an itinerant rock musician, school/private instrumental director/teacher, mechanic, farmer, researcher, recording studio owner/producer, arranger/composer, and currently resides ''in the woods'' near Iola, Wisconsin. Website J.R. Mikels About the Artist J.R. Mikels Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . As the second work in a collection curated by Shann Ray, also featuring the works of Vanessa Kay, Alan Heathcock and Shann Ray; this beautiful work by Mary Jane Nealon explores theme of “Light and Darkness” from the perspective of Isaiah 61:3. Isaiah 61:3 Adoration of the Foot By Credits: Curated by: Shann Ray 2013 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This piece is my attempt to highlight the body as the warrior for the spirit. In every situation of suffering that I have witnessed, the body asserts itself as a force for life. I am convinced that despair often comes with physical pain and that comforting the suffering body is what makes way for praise. I am especially drawn to the power of the human foot, which is the element of praise in my poem. The body in despair is often curled and tight and touching the foot with compassion and love is a way to honor the suffering person, to praise the body’s struggle to live and in doing so, one often sees the body uncurl, open out and release the suffering spirit. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Mary Jane Nealon , RN, MFA has worked as a nurse and writer for 36 years. She has two collections of poetry: Rogue Apostle and Immaculate Fuel (Four Way Books). She has received fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and Breadloaf Writer’s Conference. Her memoir, Beautiful Unbroken : One Nurse’s Life (Graywolf, 2011) won the Bakeless Nonfiction Prize. Website Mary Jane Nealon About the Artist Mary Jane Nealon Other Works By As the second work in a collection curated by Shann Ray, also featuring the works of Vanessa Kay , Alan Heathcock and Shann Ray ; this beautiful work by Mary Jane Nealon explores theme of “Light and Darkness” from the perspective of Isaiah 61:3: and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Related Information View More Art Make More Art I took my hand, which was as waxy as a crayon and reached into the world and it hit the bottom of someone’s foot. View Full Written Work ADORATION OF THE FOOT by Mary Jane Nealon I took my hand, which was as waxy as a crayon and reached into the world and it hit the bottom of someone’s foot. I made a career of it. The feet were (swollen, blue, veiny, excoriated), and always at the bottom of the bed, when I entered in white. A bride of the foot. ~ At the peak of the AIDS epidemic, I could not look Marco in the face, venue for his suffering but we understood that in his right foot there was a door to a netherworld and tethered there, forever there, I left my hand on an opening. My hand wanted to both see beyond where we stood and to hold his spirit here in this room, maybe if I pressed gently at the bottom of the foot, he would live, his soul might find no egress. Yet, when the swelling was wide enough, the pain was wide enough his spirit pushed past my hand, into the room and for a few moments, his skin, (which appeared as a wide curved door) opened towards the ocean of grief in the room, and he rose into some odd oblivion of sound meeting no-sound. ~ And then someone else’s feet: a woman running into the Emergency Room, downtown Jersey City, a Vietnamese woman escaping her husband’s gun, she ran three miles down Montgomery Street, from the highest point to the lowest point over glass and the curved street leading to the Turnpike, past the Kosher grocer and the Seventh Precinct, ran into the hospital, bloodied. I held my arms out to her. I held my arms out. I scrubbed her feet in front of the detective who said, it’s a waste of time, she’ll go back to him…. but she and I understood her husband no longer had anything to do with it, she had made a comrade of her feet and in the shards we lifted with tweezers from her heels, in the glossy black stitches that reattached her toes, we praised the beginning of a beautiful mutiny. In the fluorescent light of antisepsis, her feet were quite simply, revolutionary. Close Loading Video . . . I took my hand, which was as waxy as a crayon and reached into the world and it hit the bottom of someone’s foot. Download Full Written Work

natures_lamp_light_collage.jpg Loading Video . . . The Constant is a blueprint for an experience, a composition, performance, activity, guided improvisation exploring the Creation account in Genesis. It is a set of cards that, when used by a group of willing participants will bring out their talents and result in something new, a creation that tells something unique about the group itself. Genesis 1 The Constant By Jonathon Roberts Credits: Special Thanks: John Roberts and the Nature’s Lamp project Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2010 Guided improvisation/creative blueprint Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This work explores the Creation Account by doing, by creating. The actions outlined on the cards could be carried out by a musical or theatrical ensemble, a corporate team, as a workshop or performance, and for any length of time. What each group creates depend on their identity; just as creation tells us about our Creator, so our creations tell others about us. 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 Ecclesiastes Cows Blessing Fools for Christ More Than Rubies Only a Few Years Will Pass Dear Friend Jonathon Roberts Other Works By Download the set of cards: The Constant Each card comes with an image corresponding to a day of Creation, and a set of instructions. the holder of "The Constant" card is the leader; other cards are distributed to participants. Click above to download the entire set in high resolution. Below are previews of each card. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Sarah Gregory's beautiful song responds to Psalm 107:17-22. Psalms 107:17-22 I Was a Fool By Sarah Gregory Credits: Composed, Written, and Performed by Sarah Gregory Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2015 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link On Psalm 107:17-22 Who doesn’t like food? I could not fathom the fools described in Psalm 107 who “loathed any kind of food and drew near to death.” At any given moment, I’m either eating or thinking about eating. It’s the only thing in my life that has my loyal attention. So, I tried to imagine the kind of state I’d have to be in to truly dislike food. And then I remembered, "Oh yeah, just last week I ate a huge plate of fries right after I’d just eaten a huge bagel dripping with cream cheese and afterward I never wanted to taste, smell, touch or even see food ever again." So I suppose these idiots in Psalm 107 filled up on all the crap food and completely lost their appetite for food at all. But then these jerks did the smartest thing anyone can ever do when they screw it all up: they started crying. That cry that you cry when you just finally give up. You don’t care anymore about your embarrassment over the massive plate of french fries and the jumbo bagel. "I admit it, I’m an idiot and I just don’t want to be an idiot anymore. Please, I just don’t want to feel this way ever again." So you cry to the only thing that can pull you out of this misery, this misery that is yourself. And then, hot damn, He actually pulls you out of the misery. You get saved from a literal drowning in french fries and bagels. You move from the gates of hell to God’s house where the twenty four hour chef makes you hand crafted salads that actually taste delicious and you have more energy throughout your work day. Then, at dinner He pours you a perfectly portioned glass and a half of chardonnay – just enough to give you the happy buzz but not so much that you start silently panicking about your career choices and fixating on your husband’s flaws. Then, buzzed from that beautiful buttery wine, you sit down together in front of a crackling fire, pull out the guitar and sing a sappy love song about how "I love you more," "No way, I love you more." Except the french fries are sin, and the salad is Jesus? Something like that. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Sarah Gregory’s lush and quicksilver vocalism is most frequently showcased in her work with the online music-comedy quartet The Gregory Brothers, who are responsible for The Double Rainbow Song, The Bed Intruder Song, and other viral hits that have garnered the group two Comedy Awards, three Webbys, a gold and a platinum record and over 600 million YouTube views. In the last ten years since moving from her home state of Texas to New York, Mrs. Gregory has crooned all over town with her soul band The Stanleys and has lent her voice to many amazing artists and projects, such as Kelley McRae, Andrew Rose Gregory, Pony of Good Tidings, The Welcome Wagon, Sufjan Stevens, BiFrost, Dishman + Co., The Key of Awesome and Josh Rutner’s Twelve Gates. Here Mrs. Gregory lays forth a rare vulnerability, stripped of both her precious autotune and her usual co-conspirators. Website Sarah Gregory About the Artist Sarah Gregory Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

danny-kline_one-step-one-breath-photo.jpg Loading Video . . . We are pleased to present this meditative work by artist Danny Kline in response to Psalm 46:10. Psalms 46:10 One Step, One Breath By Danny Kline Credits: Curated by: Carey Wallace 2012 4 x 8 feet Photography, Ink Jet Print Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link My work is about simply seeing. I work in a variety of media to research and experience where the intellectual mind starts and stops. Creating visual koans (riddles), I work to short circuit the intellectual mind in order that the intuitive mind can be experienced more fully. The raw materials I choose (shed antlers, rust, grass, etc.) help me to get closer to the experience rather than being pulled into judgement and intellectual analysis. I am always searching for the vein (or divining rod) in the work that has a natural flow and direction toward new space. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Born in 1973 in a small industrial town in central Ohio, Danny Kline has always found expression in his life as an artist of one sort or another. Whether in formal studies at University art programs from the age of 12 or traveling the U.S. and Europe playing his own unique brand of American roots music, Kline has made it his central effort to mine the intuitive experiences of life. The common thread in all of his work (in various media – 2D, 3D, Installation, Music, Aikido) would have to be the desire for connection and expansion of the mind through intuitive expression. To walk through this life clinging to little, creating in one an openness to as much as possible. Kline’s work can be found in both private and public collections and has been exhibited throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. He has recently completed a new body of work on the subject of non-attachment using various photography and sculptural processes to play with naturally cast-off materials such as shed antlers, bone, and various other natural materials. Kline currently works as a freelance photographer in Ypsilanti, Michigan where he is founder and chief instructor of Michigan ASU Aikido . Recent Exhibitions include Cellar Roots , Booker Gallery, EMU Form and Emptiness , Student Gallery, MFA Exhibition, Eastern Michigan The Peace Bell Annual , Peace Bell Museum, Cincinnati Being Again Union Gallery, Ann Arbor; and Stages of the Cycle , University of Michigan. See more of Danny’s work at www.dannykline.com and www.klinework.com Website Danny Kline About the Artist Danny Kline Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Nicora Gangi Psalm 18 Loading Video . . . We are delighted to feature this image of Psalm 18, a vivid collage by renowned visual artist Nicora Gangi. Psalms 18:1-17 Psalms 18:29-50 Psalm 18 By Nicora Gangi Credits: Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2011 Paper collage, digital media Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link David gives praise for all of the deliverances God has given him. He takes comfort that his integrity is restored. He gives to God the glory for all of his achievements and encourages himself with the expectations of what God would further do for him. To create this collage I used magazine clips to illustrate the colors which were inspired by the different themes of this psalm: holy faith, love, joy, praise and hope. 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 Paneled and Ruins Series The Harvest Spirit of God-The Spirit Hovering Memories Lies Fool Dance Your Truth from the Great Congregation 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

Loading Video . . . Aaron Beaumont unveils the impressive product resulting from his 2017 Artist in Residency in response to Daniel 4: a musical soundscape exploring the universal human experience of existence, identity, and consciousness. Daniel 4 Artist in Residence 2017: Aaron Beaumont By Aaron Beaumont Credits: Title: “The Strangest Thing” All Music Written, Performed, and Produced By Aaron Beaumont. 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 For the past week, the maintenance crew has been replacing the heating system in my apartment building. I've been subjected to an extensive palette of clatters, buzzes, thumps, pounds, hisses, and every manner of aural assault (incidentally, I could not resist including a few samples in the third movement of my piece - an apt demonstration of the sinister, untold horrors that familiar objects like toys and seashells take on when wrenched from their harmless contexts). We've had no hot water over the weekend, and today, after vacating the premises completely from 9 to 3 while drywall dust settled on every surface of my apartment, I've spent the last two hours being shuffled from room to room, tragically and callously displaced from my disheveled home studio workspace, currently seeking refuge in the kitchen, the tapping on my iPhone-linked Bluetooth keyboard hopelessly drowned out by drilling and welding in two other rooms. Oh, the humanity. This tongue-in-cheek lament of my current status in no way means to make light of any actual suffering in the world. Rather, it shows how easily our comforts and physical state can be thrown into seemingly irrevocable disorder - where something as simple as lack of hot water for a day or two (a comfort I admittedly take for granted) can produce existential anxiety and spotlight the roving line between security and destitution. Few things make us as cognizant of the tenuous nature of our place in the universe as being forced to prop one's iPhone perilously against a toaster oven simply to send an email. Daniel 4 serves up perhaps the most spectacular Biblical example of existential upheaval. On first glance, it would seem tricky for plebs like me to empathize with Nebuchadnezzar and his "emperor problems." Here is a man painted as a megalomaniac, narcissist, and authoritarian; in the dramatic psychological mutation of his fall from grace, we are, perhaps, meant to believe he's gotten his comeuppance. As all ancient myths agree, hubris must be chastened. Indeed, the powerful-powerless, authoritarian-benevolent ruler, and God-human binaries initially attracted me the most in the early days of this project . But Daniel 4 turned out to be less tidy and more challenging than that. For starters, we see a man who, in some respects, is not inaccurate in his boasts - Neb did accomplish some of the most spectacular feats in recorded history, as the provider-tree of his community depicted in the vision. Daniel seems to sincerely lament the judgment pronounced on the king in his dream. If justice is served here, it is at the very least a complicated one. In my last post , I offered one possible reason for my vague unease with Neb's plight. The king found himself swiftly bereft of a past, abruptly wrenched from his previous exalted state. We don't know the extent to which Neb was self-conscious of or able to contextualize the amplitude of this fall. But regardless of the specifics of his madness (subject to considerable discussion - lycanthropy is one potential analogue in modern medicine), it would have been a precipitous and disorienting transformation, and the suffering therein is sure. The sudden absence of my own history, of memories of any kind, would for me represent the purest kind of madness, perhaps the worst kind of hell. Uprooted, and thrown into a completely foreign state, Neb would have no context from which to derive a sense of identity. Deeper than simply losing a few physical artifacts of one's own personal narrative (e.g. the beloved 90s era DVDs I mentioned in post #3 ), my empathy with Neb's plight stems from this: his sudden reappearance as a brand new creature in a foreign state is analogous to the experience of every human at birth. At some point, we all "wake up," born with consciousness in a physical body. Our only context is some vague subconscious genetic hangover, a cellular knowledge of things, a sensation almost like trying to remember something you just dreamed, but can't quite pinpoint. We acquire an operating manual bit by bit, get busy trimming back the weeds of the absurd and the surreal from the manicured lawns of culture and civilization, and do our level best to organize our home within a cosmos in which our position is ultimately uncertain. In my work, I extend Nebuchadnezzar's story as a metaphor for the universal human experience, ruminating on the idea of birth as a plunge into a surreal, dreamlike state as we undergo the halting, erratic process of forging our own identity and bringing into focus a personal narrative. My work draws heavily on the most potent purveyor of identity and culture - the family. The arc of my piece, entitled "The Strangest Thing" (unfortunately in no way affiliated with or inspired by the celebrated Netflix series) seeks to represent the dynamic, fragmentary way our own personal narratives and identities develop and persist, as we navigate uncertain circumstances and unfamiliar contexts, wading through all the wonder, confusion, and occasional terror that accompanies growth. "Sampling" seemed an especially well suited vehicle to this exploration of memory, permanence, and personal history. Our very identities are derived from prismatic "samples" of our accumulated stories as creatures. As such, the connecting tissue between the five movements of my piece is a musical mosaic taken from dozens of samples from my own existing musical catalogue, including my very earliest recordings of the first songs I ever wrote - artifacts of a previous state, if you will, recontextualized (sometimes wildly) here. Similarly, I've used field recordings and audio samples from my own life - playing with my nieces, chatting with my parents, sitting by a lake in the Midwest, shaking a handful of seashells in a beach in Maine. Many of these field recordings did not originate for this project, but rather out of my own simple desire to remember and somehow preserve what's most important to me, and in so doing, document and cultivate my own sense of identity. I used my great uncle's guitar and my grandma's mandolin, heirlooms that are bound up in my own origin story as a music maker. I tried to select from all these raw materials samples that could relate the very human experiences of birth, self-discovery, evolution, decline, and redemption, to the surreal arc of Daniel 4. Appropriately the medium itself recreated a sense of nascence and even discomfort for me, in that I was artistically off the map - I'd never tried my hand at an electronic, ambient, through-composed soundscape (see Narwhal and Ocelot , my decidedly more "pop" Spark & Echo tune from last year). The piece closes in familiar territory though, with a pop song that ruminates on the thread tying every participant in this narrative together - we all wake up as creatures, bound together by our shared experience of wonder and newness, terror and tenuousness, and exuberance in our creature-ness, revelling as simultaneous minds and bodies. Neb's experience is bizarre no doubt - but the weirdest part of his story is still the part it has in common with our own - the simple, wild fact of waking up as a conscious corporeal creature, whose very composition - whose very cells - herald toward the future aeons of seismic victories and instructive failures. It's an experience that, if we give ourselves enough pause from the comforts we seek to shore up around it, is altogether strange. The strangest thing, you might say. The Strangest Thing I had a dream, what a strange thing - I became a creature with a beating heart. It had a body that kept changing - Sure felt like the same thing even as it fell apart. And that’s when I woke up I had a dream I was the falling snow Learning everything about the ground. But any pretty thing that’s ever fallen knows You can never quite forget the clouds, And you never quite wake up No, you never quite wake up. I could be a king again If only I could just go back to sleep, back to sleep. Every Body understands That a body is no kinda place for a mind to be. God has never learned a thing, While my holy brain bursts at the seams Seems life is just remembering What you saw in a dream - It’s the strangest thing, it’s the strangest thing. I dreamed about a dark room in my mind Where I woke up just as something left And life was just the time I spent Trying to paint the scent they left behind. My brain is clenched, it can forget My bones still blindly carry it My blood will be a chariot and I’ll find that I could be a king again If only I could just go back to sleep, back to sleep. Every Body understands That a body is no kinda place for a mind to be. God never learns a thing, While my holy brain bursts at the seams Yeah, it seems life is just remembering What you saw in a dream - It’s the strangest thing, it’s the strangest thing. I heard my name on the whistling wind It passed right through me like a shiver in An old man with old eyes glistenin,’ Spittin’ fireside yarns like they’re listenin.’ But who’s got time for reminiscin’ when A fresh snow’s fallin.’ So kissing him On sandpaper whiskers, God slips in To a loud snow suit, Laces little winter boots And races outside to play. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Aaron Beaumont has toured the U.S. and Europe as a pianist and songwriter and been invited to share his work in wide-ranging venues from the Sziget Festival in Budapest to KCRW Santa Monica to the Tribeca Film Festival to off-Broadway Theatre 80 in the East Village to the main stage of the West Hollywood Carnaval. L.A. Weekly wrote that Aaron's music brings "a new life to the ancient music-hall/pop piano-man tradition, with clear-headed songs of genuinely witty lyrical oomph and, most of all, a historically informed musical depth – all delivered with style, grace, wit and elan, of course." Aaron wrote one song, arranged two others, and served as a piano performance coach for the feature Permission (Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Jason Sudeikis, 2017 Tribeca Film Festival), which premieres worldwide February 2018. He also contributed two songs to the forthcoming series Dan is Dead (Drake Bell, Maker Studios) and two songs to the indie feature film Alex & Jaime (2017 Roxbury International Film Festival). Aaron contributed an original co-write (“17”) and several arrangements to Gil McKinney’s 2017 debut album, How Was I to Know, which reached #1 on the iTunes jazz chart and #8 on the Billboard jazz chart. He also co-wrote “Good Love” for Briana Buckmaster’s 2018 debut album (#1 iTunes blues, #3 Billboard blues). Other recent TV and film placements include original songs written for Cedar Cove (Andie McDowell) and Where Hope Grows (Billy Zabka, Danica McKellar; Dallas Film Festival, Roadside Attractions). Aaron has composed original scores for films and theatrical productions, including All the Lovely Wayside Things; Tall, Dark, and Handsome; Heart; Until We Have Faces; Shrew; The Fire Room; the Breakfast Show with Adam O; Companion; and Beyond Imagination, winning best score and sound design at the Hollywood Fringe Festival for his work on Fugitive Kind’s production of The Fire Room by Ovation Award-winning playwright Meghan Brown. In 2016, Aaron wrote a commissioned work for the Spark & Echo Arts project, and in 2017 Aaron created a larger scale work as an Artist in Residence. Aaron also works as an in-house arranger, producer, composer, and mix engineer for the Gregory Brothers / Schmoyoho, whose original music has earned them a gold and platinum record and nearly one billion views on YouTube, along with myriad collaborations on other platforms. Recent Gregory Brothers collabs include the Justice League film (ft. Gary Clark Jr.), Weird Al Yankovic, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bassnectar, Alex Wassabi, LaurDIY, Markiplier, Slow Mo Guys, Todrick Hall, J. Fla, The Resident (Fox Network), and the International Olympic Channel. Songs Aaron has worked on with the Gregory Brothers have received over 175 million plays on YouTube. In 2015, Aaron participated in the Ultraviolet Music and Arts Festival in Los Angeles as a featured artist and presenter, and performed with his band The Mots Nouveaux for the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Rockwood Music Festival in Frankfurt, Germany. Aaron wrote the music and lyrics to the original musical, Behind Closed Doors, which sold out every performance at the historic Hayworth Theater, received multiple Broadway World L.A. Award nominations, and played for thousands of festival goers on the main stage of the West Hollywood Carnaval. Behind Closed Doors was selected to participate in the New York International Fringe Festival as a national show, enjoying a mostly oversold run at off-Broadway Theatre 80 in the East Village. Aaron was selected as a finalist as a composer and lyricist for the Fred Ebb Foundation / Roundabout Theatre Company Fred Ebb Award for musical theater songwriters, and received the Hal Gaba Scholarship for Excellence in Lyrics from UCLA/Concord Records. Aaron is currently developing new musicals with playwrights Meghan Brown, Andrew Crabtree, Peter Berube, and Cassandra Christensen, and a one-woman show with soprano Lorelei Zarifian. Lorelei and Aaron’s first musical triptych, Midtown Antoinette, was featured on NPR-affiliate WFIT in March 2016 and debuted as part of the Florida Tech / Foosaner Museum French Film Festival. Aaron also occasionally helps produce the outrageous bingo raves phenomenon, Rebel Bingo, in New York and Los Angeles, as featured in the L.A. Times, Guardian, and BBC , and recently played a run of five capacity shows in the downtown L.A.’s Globe Theatre as part of 2016 Night on Broadway. Aaron has collaborated as pianist, musical director, and/or co-writer with a panoply of music buddies, including Jason Manns, Gil McKinney, Sara Niemietz, Tim Omundsen, Dave Yaden, Nicholas Zork, Aaron Roche, Nick Bearden, Emma Fitzpatrick, Amanda Wallace, Shane Alexander, Ben Jaffe, Brett Young, Courtney Bassett, Eden Malyn, Luis Selgas, Aly French, Sam Heldt, Karma Jenkins, Emily Iaquinta, Lynette Williams, Meshach Jackson, Roy Mitchell-Cardenas, Kamasi Washington, Chad Doreck, J.T. Spangler, and Katrina Parker. He claimed several distinctions as a young classical pianist, including two-time Wisconsin Academy Musician of the Year, Andrews University Concerto Competition Finalist, and the British Royal Conservatory of Music Award of Highest Distinction for Piano Performance at the Newbold Creative Arts Festival. He currently serves as co-chair of the Carnegie Hill Concert Series in New York, featuring leading interpreters of classical and New Music from around the globe. In 2015, Aaron founded SongLab, an online songwriting community for emerging songwriters. The inaugural SongLab Series welcomed GRAMMY-winner Dave Yaden as special guest. In addition to working with other artists, Aaron performs as one-third of the pop trio, The Mots Nouveaux, alongside vocalists Emma Fitzpatrick and Amanda Wallace. The band celebrated their latest album release with a residency at Hotel Café, a six-month residency at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, and residencies at Rockwood Music Hall and Sidewalk Café in New York. They were invited to join the lineup for the Broke L.A. Music Festival in downtown Los Angeles, where Lyynks music hailed their set as the “greatest revelation” of the festival, one that “really thrilled the crowd” of thousands at the Lounge Stage (GroundSounds.com). The Mots Nouveaux recorded a new EP in Spring 2017 with co-producer Peter Barbee / Among Savages, with forthcoming tracks slated for 2018 release. Aaron released his debut solo project, Nothing's Forever (Not Even Goodbye), featuring the first ten songs he wrote, on Milan Records (Warner-Ryko) in 2008. In his spare time, Aaron enjoys playing the piano, traveling, eating, writing songs, making coffee, drinking coffee, collecting records, going for brisk walks, being near coffee, and composing extensive autobiographical sketches in the third person. Website Aaron Beaumont About the Artist Artist in Residence 2017: Aaron Beaumont - Part 3 Artist in Residence 2017: Aaron Beaumont - Part 2 Artist in Residence 2017: Aaron Beaumont - Part 1 Lightness of the Pines Narwhal and Ocelot (Dietary Restrictions) Aaron Beaumont Other Works By Follow the development of Aaron's project by reading his prior first , second , and third posts written as 2017 Artist in Residence project. 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