Loading Video . . . In this collaborative project, musician Peter Mawanga and visual artist Nicora Gangi teamed up to produce a multi-sensory response to John 16:33. Below are the lyrics and images from their project. John 16:33 Yimbira (Sing) By Peter Mawanga + Nicora Gangi Credits: Collaborating Artists: Peter Mawanga + Nicora Gangi Song Written + Composed by Peter Mawanga Nylon Guitar + Vocals by Peter Mawanga Electric Guitar by Faith Mussa Bass Guitar by Alfred Sitolo Nkhoma Trumpets by Kelly Dehnert Saxophone by Rick Deja Drums by Dryson Mwimba Visual Artwork by Nicora Gangi Curated by: Spark + Echo Arts 2020 6 x 9 inches Paper + Glue Collage Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Peter Mawanga This collaboration was an eye-opener for me as a musician, and I believe it can only be the works of the Holy Spirit. I believe that merging art and music means a new door has opened for my music ministry and another step taken towards the great commission. Nicora Gangi Collaborating with Peter Mawanga was like crossing the threshold of joy — the Spirit of Christ lifted us out of our flesh and placed us in the realm of making melody in our hearts, singing with abandoned exuberance to Him. “Sing to the Lord a new song!” ( Psalm 149 ). Process: By means of a concordance and commentary I studied the John 16:33 passage “so that in Me you may have peace.” I was lead by the Spirit through color and design to create a series of paper collages (pieces of colored paper cut from magazines and glued to a support). The colors and movements of this passage are ones based upon both activity and passivity. Jesus' statement, represented by colors of red, yellow, and orange) is active: It is what He will do for those who believe in Him. We are the passive recipients of this peace which we did nothing to deserve (represented by colors of blue, brown, green, and white). The will of Christ that His disciples should have peace within, whatever their troubles may be without informed my designs concepts of opposition, transition, and subordination. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Peter Mawanga has attracted worldwide acclaim with his music, 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 Nsansi (thumb piano), Visekese (shakers), Valimba (xylophone), and Kaligo (a single-stringed instrument), with contemporary instruments, he produces music that is fondly described by many as therapeutic and spiritual, drawing from the Nyanja’s core values of love, peace and calm. 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 including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award. She has been and continues to be published in numerous artist books on pastel paintings. She has lectured regionally and nationally as a visiting artist at universities and artist’s guilds. She is represented by: MME Fine Art (New York, NY), Bender Gallery (Asheville, NC), and LM Gallery (Saratoga, WY). To view more of her work visit www.nicoragangi.com . Website Peter Mawanga + Nicora Gangi About the Artist Peter Mawanga + Nicora Gangi Other Works By Lyrics Lekani kubvutika ndi zinthu zapadziko (Do not be troubled by the affairs of this world) Musekerere kuti tiziyimbira Yesu (Rejoice in the worship of Jesus Christ) Chorus Timuyimbire Yesu Mpulumutsi wathu (Sing for Christ our redeemer) Musaziunjikire chuma chapadziko (Do not focus on the accumulation of riches) Poti dzimbiri ndi njenjete zimachiononga (In due time riches will be lost) Image Stills STILL 1 FROM YIMBIRA STILL 2 FROM YIMBIRA STILL 3 FROM YIMBIRA STILL 4 FROM YIMBIRA STILL 5 FROM YIMBIRA STILL 6 FROM YIMBIRA STILL 7 FROM YIMBIRA Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . As the fourth work in a collection also featuring the works of Vanessa Kay, Mary Jane Nealon and Alan Heathcock, curated by Shann Ray; this short story by Shann Ray explores the theme of "Light and Darkness" from the perspective of Isaiah 61:3. Isaiah 61:3 Fourteen Types of Hunger By Shann Ray Credits: Curated by: Shann Ray 2013 Short Story Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link In this story I’ve tried to speak to the inner life that accompanies both desolation and consolation. The overwhelming fact that all people experience pain and joy, and that sometimes we have no idea of the great sorrow the person next to us carries, is one of the central inspirations for the art that informs my experience of our shared humanity. In my own inner life “the garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair” is both a leap of faith in this world of violence, and a deep and enduring hope in the intimacy that exists here and now. When we love others and we are loved, I believe we are given the grace to see the Divine in them and in ourselves. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Shann Ray ’s collection of stories American Masculine (Graywolf Press), named by Esquire as one of Three Books Every Man Should Read and selected by Kirkus Reviews as a Best Book of the Year, won the Bakeless Prize, the High Plains Book Award, and the American Book Award. Sherman Alexie called it “tough, poetic, and beautiful” and Dave Eggers said Ray’s work is “lyrical, prophetic, and brutal, yet ultimately hopeful.” Shann’s creative nonfiction book of leadership and political theory Forgiveness and Power in the Age of Atrocity (Rowman &Littlefield) explores the nature of categorical human transgressions and engages the question of ultimate forgiveness in the context of ultimate violence. His book of poems, Balefire, is forthcoming with Lost Horse Press. Shann lives with his wife and three daughters in Spokane, Washington where he teaches leadership and forgiveness studies at Gonzaga University. Website Shann Ray About the Artist Isaiah 61:3 Collection Shann Ray Other Works By As the fourth work in a collection also featuring the works of Vanessa Kay , Mary Jane Nealon and Alan Heathcock , curated by Shann Ray; this short story by Shann Ray explores the 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 THE HALLS are set with grey-white tile that shines a dull light, the walls built of hard red brick tall and straight. As the boy walks, the other students look at him funny. Everett Highwalker is a freshman in high school. View Full Written Work FOURTEEN TYPES OF HUNGER by Shann Ray 1 THE HALLS are set with grey-white tile that shines a dull light, the walls built of hard red brick tall and straight. As the boy walks, the other students look at him funny. Everett Highwalker is a freshman in high school. Shock of black hair. Slender, he holds his head down. He carries his basketball wherever he goes, places the ball under the chair during class, cups it like a loved one everywhere else. He is five feet seven inches tall and weighs just over one-hundred pounds. From sorrow over the loss of his father, he does not thrive but he gets taller, and as he does he works and the school seems to grow smaller as he grows larger. Sophomore. Junior. He studies, plays, puts time in the gym, runs, shoots, lifts weights, gains strength. He grows to six feet four inches tall, weighs one-hundred ninety-five pounds, and starts for one of the top teams in the state. A velocity breathes in him and he sees how the other athletes seem to look at him as they might a lion that paces and peers. He lives in Portland, Oregon where the mouth of the Columbia opens wide and wounds the body of the ocean. 2 HIS SENIOR year he walks more upright but still he keeps his head down. When teachers ask him about last night’s game he says how well his teammates played. When they ask him about his vertical, his jumper, his defense, how he won the game on a last second shot, he replies, “Still working. Gotta work hard.” “Where did you learn to work like that?” asks the Vice Principle who overhears the boy in the hall, and always loves to talk hoops. Sandy haired older man of slight build, he played shooting guard at Duquesne in the late 60s. The boy holds the ball in his hands, shuffles his feet. “My father,” the boy answers, and the VP says, “How about getting some lunch?” and the boy says, “Sure,” and they walk together to the cafeteria. They find a place near the far wall. The boy’s father was half-Cheyenne, and big. He loved basketball like he loved family. “He taught you what it takes to be great, didn’t he,” says the VP who looks the boy in the face. The boy stares back and says, “He did,” and puts his head down quickly and clenches his jaw to keep the tears out of his eyes. They sit at a table folded flat on benches attached by metal to the under works of the table frame. The boy cups the ball, turns it, rolls it, considers the curve and the channels, the leather, the feel of heat in his hands and despair and loss and love. 3 HIS FATHER had cupped his face and said, “When you shoot you focus on a target within a target. Got that? If your shot slips in and out, it’s always the eyes. Lock your eyes in and that won’t happen.” “Yes sir,” the boy said. “Got it.” “And I got you,” his father had replied pulling him hard to his chest and holding him tight. This, a month before his father’s death. He is gone, the boy thinks. And the thought eats at the edges of his mind and only stops when he is working on his game. Ball fake, drive left, pull up, nothing but net. Shot fake, drive right, pull up, bank off the glass. The movements and the rhythm provide a sense of calm. The VP knows the boy’s dad worked at the mill. Worked heavy machinery and died when the boom of a crane broke loose and crushed the man’s chest. A giant of a man, bold in the world. 4 THE VP reaches, touches the boy’s shoulder. “Your father could shoot the J,” he said, “and defend like no one else.” “Serious baller,” the boy says, and looks down. “A thing of beauty, watching him play,” says the VP as he holds his own follow through in the air and smiles. “Meet me for lunch again?” “Sure thing,” the boy replies. 5 THEY EAT lunch every Wednesday. They talk hoops, life, family. The boy gets offers from a few small colleges. He dreams Division 1 and decides he will walk on at the University of Oregon in the storied Pacific Athletic Conference, the PAC 12, where the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, guided UCLA to 10 national titles and four undefeated seasons. That summer, the VP invites him to travel on a tour team of all-stars from the Pacific Northwest, an international travel team to Great Britain, Scotland and the Isle of Man. The VP is the coach. The boy averages 37 a game. He feels unstoppable. The team goes 9 and 2 beating Wales, Liverpool and Manchester. They lose to the London Knights and the Torches of Edinburgh. In the US, at the D1 level, no one knows his name. He walks on at Oregon and makes the team. The coaches dog him. Run him. Yell at him. Curse him. Though he thinks he has no chance at earning playing time he works hard and sacrifices himself, and his hunger grows harder and his love for the game grows stronger. 6 HIS FRESHMAN year, he plays a total of 22 minutes in four games. He shoots 0 for 3, gathers 2 rebounds, fouls twice, and garners 1 steal. His sophomore year, three guys get injured. He weighs 210 pounds and gets 14 minutes per game, averages 4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals. He takes care of the ball. The team improves and breaks .500. Midway through the season he sweeps in from the wing for a rebound in the half court offense. Untouched, the players seem to part before him and he plants, launches into the sky and catches an errant shot that has caromed wide off the rim. Everyone is far below him as he tip jams over two defenders, the force of the dunk like the barrel-swing of a sledge hammer. He lands off kilter in the middle of the pack and bounces to his feet as the crowd erupts and the sound is deafening and the air seems to compress and expand and roar. He looks at his hands, sees a red mark high on his wrist, like a blood wound from the rim, and his teammates mob him and holler and pound his chest. The team talks about the high wire smash for weeks. From this single event he gains the nickname: Tomahawk. The play is the first of many more to come. Twenty games in, the coaches tell him what a huge contribution he has made to the team and that they will scholarship him next year. After the season, the coaching staff confirms their promise. At home for the summer, he holds his head high and walks into the gym and tells his friends from high school. They give him 5 and hug him and laugh and look at him almost as if he is from another, brighter world. In the dark at night, he sits beside his father’s grave and tells him about the scholarship and weeps. “I miss you,” he says, “I need you,” and as he walks from the cemetery he remembers how the sorrow takes a long time going, and perhaps is never completely gone. In his dreams, his father walks with him. Everett has lunch with the VP and tells him about the scholarship too, and the VP slaps him on the back and looks him in the eyes and says, “Congratulations! You’ve worked hard for this. Keep working.” “I will,” he says, and before he leaves, he looks up at the VP and pauses. “I wouldn’t be where I am without you,” he says. The skin on the VP’s neck turns red. The man looks down at his feet and taps the boy on the shoulder a few times. “Count on me every home game,” he says. 7 MID-SUMMER before Everett returns to campus, an assistant coach calls. “Couldn’t give you the scholarship,” he says. “We have to take it back because we need it for other positions.” 8 “THAT’S NOT right,” the boy says softly. “You lied to me. You broke your promise.” “Happens,” the assistant retorts, “get over it.” The boy does, but a fire burns in the chambers of his heart, burns at the dishonesty of men, men unlike his father, unlike the VP. He burns and he works. He runs and jumps and increases in power. He weighs 220 pounds now and benches 260. His vertical tops 40 inches. He dribbles all over town, the ball an extension of his body, the jumper, the follow-through, the release, the backspin like a gift from his father, the net on fire, the sound of the swish roaring inside him like a blaze to consume the world. “He plays defense like an army of men,” his old teachers say. “He rebounds like a wrecking ball.” He knows what they say is true because when he defends he feels alive, alive for his father. And when he crashes the boards, the other players fall away from him like trees felled in a forest. He remembers when his father took him to the Beartooth Mountains and the boy shot his first bull elk on the pass north of Two Oceans Plateau, the animal huge and ominous in the early light, a rack of tines hung back from the head, the horns thick and pointed skyward even in death. He’d used his father’s Remington .243, the stock warm against his cheek, a deep breath blown smooth from his lungs as the report rang over the valley and the animal fell before the echo died. He held the legs as his father made the cut from neck to base and drew the skin away from the rib cage with clean swipes of the hunting knife so that the white inner lining shown in the half-light. His father pulled out the entrails, his arms drenched in blood to the elbows. He looked to the boy then and said, “My father’s people went hungry.” He shook his head. “Don’t forget that, son. Ever.” “I won’t, Papa,” he’d said, and he watched as his father boned out the animal, cutting through the joints with the bone saw, quartering the elk and removing the hooves. In the end his father caped it out, bagged the meat, tied the head and horns to his pack and the boy and his father walked the land in tandem as something angelic and ethereal, the horns above his father’s back heavy and arched like wings. 9 BEFORE SUMMER’S end the boy and the VP travel to Alaska to put on an assembly for a school in Seldovia where the VP’s good friend is the principal. Seldovia, a harbor on the edge of the ocean, a town of blue water in a bowl of forest and rock surrounded by small well-built homes, smoke adrift from tight round chimneys. Every kid in town shows, and their parents with them, and the box gym is filled to the rafters as the VP speaks to the kids about school, and leadership, and grades, and dreams. The boy comes to the microphone in a baggy sweat suit and clean white Nike Air’s and speaks about life. The kids are a mix of Indian and white, native, and northern, and the people who gave them breath fill his field of vision, mothers and fathers, and they are strong and good, he thinks, and he feels thankful for them, for his own family, for the VP, and for basketball. He tells the kids he believes in them, and he places his hand over his chest and tells them God resides in the strength of their fathers, in the joy of their mothers, and in the end he says, “Don’t stop dreaming your dreams.” He removes his sweats and walks onto the court in a white t-shirt and baggy silk shorts bordered green and gold. He lines up the kids under the basket on one end and the dunk show begins. He throws himself alley oop lob passes from half-court. He tosses the ball high and it bounces off the hardwood and lofts itself to a point far above the rim. He runs and flies and meets the ball in the sky. He rises up and hammers home one-handed tomahawks and two-handed shoulder blades, a flurry of reverses, windmills, and 360s. “Clap out the beat!” he says and the people clap in unison to a deep drum rhythm as he puts backspin on the ball and watches it return to him before he lofts another lob from half court, rounds the turn, launches, and soars on a sideways lean with his back to the rim. In mid-air he snatches the ball in his hands, touches it to his heels, and when he smashes it behind his head he hears a bang louder than a gunshot. A sound like a shout from the barrel of a cannon. The rim breaks free and the backboard shatters. He lands in a rain of glass, and everyone goes silent. Shards of glass fan at his feet, and out from him in an arc that reaches to the top of the key, and wider still and more dispersed passed the half court line. He sees the rim on the hardwood floor, displaced like the shed horn of an animal. He turns to the kids packed along the baseline, their eyes wide and mouths open. Finally, one of the kids stands and starts clapping, then the kid shouts and lifts his hands and the others stand then and applaud loudly and the whole gym gives an unforeseen but extended cheer as the kids gather around Everett. They touch his hands and his arms. They pick up pieces of shattered glass to take home. He shows them the bruises the rim has made on his wrists, and he smiles directly into their eyes. 10 IN SEPTEMBER he returns to the team. He gets 22 minutes a game his junior year. He weighs in at 225 and hauls rebounds like a freight train. He runs faster, jumps higher, and grows stronger. He gets time, goes after every loose ball, turns the momentum of the game. “He’s a beast,” the head coach whispers, secretly in awe, and the boy’s numbers ascend. The coaching staff again promises him a full ride. The team takes another step, battles for a top four position in the league and ends up third. They lose their first two games in the league tournament but win two games in the National Invitational Tournament, the NIT, losing to Seton Hall one game before the semis and Madison Square Garden. He meets with the coaches post season. “No scholarship,” they tell him again. He puts his head in his hands. The words pierce him like bullets; they circle his head like barbed wire. “We don’t have any scholarships left,” the head man says, “we gave the last one to the big man from Germany. You know how much we need a big man.” That weekend the young man goes home. Face flushed and heart pounding he tells the VP. They return together to meet with the coaches. 11 THE HEAD coach begins and his words are smooth but they sound brittle and foolish in the air. “We’ve been more than fair here,” he says but already the VP has had enough. The VP stands. “Shut your mouth,” he orders the coach, “I’ll do the talking here.” He slams his hands on the table and leans across the open span until they are eye to eye. “You are a liar,” he says, “and a two faced liar at that. This boy is like a son to me, and to the whole town he comes from. You need to treat him right.” The VP’s face is red, the tendons in his neck like taut wire. He turns and looks at Everett and his face softens and returns to itself. He draws himself back and sits down again. He stares at the coach. “You need to be a better man than this,” he says. “This is beneath you and your program. Treat him right. He’ll give his all for you.” The coach’s head is down now. He looks up into the face of the boy. The boy stares hard back and does not waver. “We will treat him right,” the coach says. 12 AND THE COACH treats the boy right. The boy signs a scholarship and enters his senior year ready. He is elected team captain. He starts every game, averages 11.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals. He is named conference Defensive Player of the year and the team advances to the championship game of the league tournament winning 92-87 in double overtime as the fans swarm the court and the players and coaches dance. The VP meets him near the center circle, and they embrace and cry together as the streamers rain down on their heads. After the nets are cut down, the team gathers in the locker room, where the head coach holds one of the nets out to Everett and says, “To our captain,” and he places it around his neck and the team shouts, and the point guard punches Everett’s chest and says “For playing die-hard ball,” and the first assistant yells out, “For leading us here!” Everett bows his head and the team bumps his shoulders and he embraces his teammates and they go all the way to March Madness where they ride a wave of momentum to the Sweet 16 before they are finally knocked off in Indianapolis by eventual champion North Carolina. 13 WHEN THE BOY returns home, he goes to the high school early and asks the VP to breakfast. The VP gladly accepts and they walk in the dark to a bright-windowed diner two blocks north. Midway through the meal the boy takes the net out of his backpack, reaches out his hands and places the net like a necklace over the older man’s head. “For all you’ve given me,” he says. “It was nothing,” the VP says, and his voice cracks, “and thank you.” 14 WHEN BREAKFAST is done they stand and the VP grips Everett’s arms. “Let’s go show your father,” he says, and in the dim light they go to the grave where the boy listens as the VP tells the story and thanks Everett’s father, and tells the father his strength runs like mighty horses in the boy. When they walk together from that place the ground is soft beneath their feet. Down a slight slope the grass rolls, deep green and glistening. A remnant of darkness still holds the land as they walk among granite forms uplifted from the earth, crosses over apexes of stone, marble angels whose arched wings and raised swords beckon dawn. In the distance the trunks of great trees pattern the land, their limbs reaching steadily upward, and when Everett Highwalker looks he finds the trees alive with light, the sun a bloom of fire in the sky. Close Loading Video . . . THE HALLS are set with grey-white tile that shines a dull light, the walls built of hard red brick tall and straight. As the boy walks, the other students look at him funny. Everett Highwalker is a freshman in high school. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . “The Capture” and “The Escape,” written by Nicolas Destino, respond to Jeremiah 13:20 and the painting, “From the North” in further correspondence with Spark+Echo Art’s “Sheep” theme. Jeremiah 13:20 The Capture, The Escape By Nicolas Destino Credits: Curated by: Seth Hiler 2012 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link “The Capture” and “The Escape,” written by Nicolas Destino, respond to Jeremiah 13:20 and the painting, “From the North” in further correspondence with Spark+Echo Art’s “Sheep” theme. “Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?” (Jeremiah 13:20, KJV) Like the missing flock from Jeremiah’s passage, Nicolas notes that in his writing he “invests in the constellation of objects within a landscape, [so] that which is missing from the story is often more tangible than what’s explicitly narrated.” Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Nicolas Destino ’s work has appeared in The American Poetry Journal , Bellevue Literary Review, Broadsided Press, 322 Review, Barge Journal, As It Ought To Be, Assaracus, Verse Daily, and others. He is author of the double chapbook, “ Of Kingdoms & Kangaroo ,” First Intensity Press, and his first full length poetry collection, “Heartwrecks,” is forthcoming through Sibling Rivalry Press, in February 2013. He works as a part-time English professor in New York and New Jersey. Website Nicolas Destino About the Artist Nicolas Destino Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art The Capture If you're counting on the arrival of soft creatures, some miracle, forget it. They won't come. View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . The Capture If you're counting on the arrival of soft creatures, some miracle, forget it. They won't come. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Cellist Mike Block found inspiration in the passages of Proverbs 10:18; 14:29; 17:28; Ecclesiastes 7:9; 10:14; Matthew 5:22; James 1:19-20 and the theme of Fools to write the song, "Surplus of Words." Matthew 5:22 Proverbs 14:29 Ecclesiastes 10:14 Ecclesiastes 7:9 James 1:19-20 Proverbs 17:28 Proverbs 10:18 Surplus of Words By Mike Block Credits: Written, Composed, Vox, Cello by Mike Block Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2013 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I tried to write a song with characters who are both partly-wise and partly-foolish. The singer's character is following many Biblical directions to avoid folly, except for being "quick to anger", and calling someone else a "fool." The character being accused as a fool is definitely a liar, although he wisely doesn't say too much. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection HAILED BY YO-YO MA as the “ideal musician of the 21st Century,” Mike Block is a pioneering multi-style cellist, composer, and educator living in Boston. While still studying at the Juilliard School, Mike joined Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, and shortly thereafter also joined Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz Trio, which he played in for over three years. Mike has also toured extensively with Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings and The Knights orchestra. HIS MOST RECENT ALBUM of original songs, Brick by Brick, features music he wrote and recorded while missing nine teeth, as the result of a traffic accident. In 2011, Mike released Naive Melody, an instrumental folk album with The Triborough Trio, and in 2009 and 2010, released two albums of original music with The Mike Block Band: Words R Words (songs), and After the Factory Closes (instrumental). MIKE HAS PERFORMED on “Late Night with Conan O’Brian”, “Regis and Kelly”, NBC’s 30 Rock, NPR’s “St. Paul Sunday Morning”, WNYC’s “Soundcheck”, APM’s “Performance Today”, WNBC 4’s Chuck Scarborough Show, VH1, The Disney Channel, and the CBS “Early Show”. Mike regularly subbed as on-stage cellist in the Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway Musical, “Next to Normal”, and he also worked with the director of the 2012 film, “A Late Quartet”, as a Music Consultant. Mike was the subject of a 2011 feature article in the Wall Street Journal for his Artistic Directorship of the GALA BROOKLYN Music Festival, and was reviewed by the NY times as having “vital, rich-hued solo playing”. MIKE RECEIVED THE 2004 JIM HALL PRIZE FOR UNDERGRADUATE ACHIEVEMENT at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied cello with Richard Aaron. Mike also earned a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Darret Adkins and Joel Krosnick. These days, Mike proudly uses a cello from the Wayne Burak Shop, as well as D’Addario strings, and a David Gage Realist Pick-up. www.mikeblock.net/ Website Mike Block About the Artist Mike Block Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Multi-disciplinary artist Dominique Gibson reflects on her personal connection to 1 Thessalonians 5:24 as she plays with meanings for the word "call" in this spoken word piece. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 The Call By Dominique Gibson Credits: Curated by: Davelyn Hill 2022 Spoken Word Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I learned 1 Thessalonians 5:24 when I was in an after-school program called Good News Club at my elementary school. This was the first scripture I learned, and it stuck with me. I went through many struggles during my youth that left me in a dark mental state. I wondered where God was during that time and hated that I couldn't hear Him like others could. Years later I learned the true meaning of this passage as I lived it out. The day before my graduation from USC Upstate I felt a wave of warmth within my body and received clarification of the meaning of this scripture passage. I heard God tell me that even when I'm not faithful to Him, He is always faithful to me. He has gotten me to this point in my life where I am able to celebrate my many accomplishments. He showed me that all the trials and tribulations weren't for nothing. They were just a part of the process that I had to go through to see my true potential in this world, and that my purpose is greater than my failures. In writing this poem I wanted to show the faithfulness of God in contrast with the inconsistency of humans. The metaphor of the phone helped me put the verse in modern terms to aid in understanding and yet the truth spoken remains the same. I wanted to use both free form poetry and narrative poetry to create a dynamic spoken word piece. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Dominique Gibson is a native to Spartanburg, SC where she got her start in the arts with her church and school. She is a musician, actress, dancer, and writer. She found her writing potential as a fellow with Writers Well Fellowship . She started developing her writing skills through workshops and retreats. She was able to co-facilitate Reading for Transformation for Children through Speaking Down Barriers . She has also performed spoken word poetry for their Evening of Transformation event. She studied psychology and child advocacy studies at The University of South Carolina Upstate. During her time at USC Upstate she did an internship with the Boys and Girls Club where she was able to help young girls use writing to express their emotions in healthy ways. She graduated from USC Upstate with a bachelor’s in psychology and a minor in child advocacy studies. She is now serving her community by co-facilitating in an after-school program at Spartanburg Preparatory School with Speaking Down Barriers . She continues to perform at community events and works part time. She has plans to continue her education to earn a master's degree. Website Dominique Gibson About the Artist Dominique Gibson Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art He called I silenced the ringing phone He called Sent to voicemail View Full Written Work The Call by Dominique Gibson He called I silenced the ringing phone He called Sent to voicemail “Your call has been forwarded…” He called My phone was on silent I answered, too late Hang up Over and over, He called But I couldn’t talk to Him My untrained ears were never on His frequency And my eyes couldn’t find clarity through my tears You’re not good enough screamed loudly in my mind Pushed me to self-hatred and self-harm Yet He never gave up trying to contact me He reminded me of His love through emails Posted photos of His forgiveness on Instagram And sent text messages asking me to come home Even when I hit do not disturb He stayed consistent in His actions He knew I would answer one day His call And I did “Hey God. I’m sorry I’m just now answering. I thought I could walk this life without you, but I was wrong. The world around me seemed so beautiful but became ugly quickly. Those closest me gave empty promises of an easier life. Easy paths aren’t always the right ones. With every decline of your calls, you continued to find a way to communicate with me. You found a way to comfort me through music. You helped me align with my purpose. You remained faithful, even when I chose everyone and myself before you. Why?” He answered. “Dominique, despite you choosing the world and yourself over me, I stayed true to the word I spoke to you. I called you to a path of greatness. A path that will not be easy, but worth it; I will remain faithful to being with you through each step. Guiding you. Comforting you. Healing you. Loving you. Even if you decide to walk a path other than this one, I will be there calling you until you come back.” Close Loading Video . . . He called I silenced the ringing phone He called Sent to voicemail Download Full Written Work

bernd-klug_babil-iraq-hr.jpg Loading Video . . . Austrian musician and sound artist, Bernd Klug offers an interactive art piece in response to Genesis 11:1-9. Genesis 11:1-9 Confusion of Tongues By Bernd Klug Credits: Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2016 Sound Installation Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This piece is based on the story of the Tower of Babel, from Genesis 11:1–9, in which the confusion of tongues frustrated the construction of this spectacularly high edifice, scattering its people over the world. I aimed to decode this text (and the passages leading up to it, describing Noah’s settling and ancestry) through different internet-based, real time translation programs in order to investigate the seemingly open and direct worldwide information exchange of modern communication. I also wanted to juxtapose the ongoing conflict among various interpretations of Bible texts with the cultural ignorance which has long plagued religious movements (as in the Middle East, where Babel and most of the Old Testament were located and which remains a similarly diverse and problematic area in recent inter-religious/cultural dialogues between East and West). Although I am a native born Austrian, I wrote this piece from an English-speaking perspective, the “native language” for our western internet realm. I used the New International Translation, commonly used in the US, and recorded a speech translation into each language, and then tried to re-translate it in real time with this software back to English. Each of the audio files is a recording of this process, using languages which relate to the place (Arabic), the historical translations of the story (Greek, Latin, and Hebrew), my own mother tongue (German), and the world’s most common languages (Chinese, Spanish and Hindi). This decision was also based on the narrow possibilities free translation programs provide and is in no way meant to be judgmental or prioritizing already established power dynamics, but rather to point to the limited accessibility of global understanding and the dangers of cultural appropriation. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Bernd Klug – sound art / double bass (US/AT) http://klug.klingt.org Bernd Klug is an Austrian born, Brooklyn-based sound artist and double bassist. In sound installations and solo concerts, his music encounters our everyday circumstances as found forms and questions our perceptions of sound and social space. His installations make use of acoustic phenomena like feedback, room frequencies and electromagnetic waves and explore strings, wood, metal and other materials as audiovisual components. Recently Klug has shown his works in solo exhibitions at Harvestworks (NYC 2013), Art Now at Monmouth University (NJ, 2014, ce.ins_0006) and the Austrian Cultural Forum NYC (2015) as well as collaborations with Daniel Lercher at mo.ë (Vienna 2014) and ‘Bearing’ with Johanna Tiedtke at Galerie Freihausgasse (Villach, AT April 2015) and group shows, such as, Groundswell 2015 (Olana, NY) and Klangmanifeste (Vienna 2012). His solo double bass work (cupreous donkey and the CD ‘Cold Commodities’ Innova 902) focuses on the world inside and around the double bass: the bow, the body, and room frequencies lay the groundwork for a radical reduction of both the composerperformer’s role and the traditional musical narrative. He has played solo concerts at CTSwaM Fridman Gallery, Share Issue Project Room, Biegungen Ausland (Berlin), CoCART - Tarun (PL), CNMAT (Berkeley) and Radiokulturhaus and the Porgy and Bess in Vienna. As an improviser and bassist, he has collaborated with Burkhard Stangl, Keiko Uenishi, Shelley Hirsch, Radu Malfatti, Franz Hautzinger, Butch Morris, Bernhard Lang, John Butcher, Gust Burns, Danielle Dahl, Mimu Merz, Daniel Lercher, Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø, Laurie Amat, Brendan Landis, Lucio Menegon, Kjetil Hanssen, ctrl, OENCZkekvist and Ritornell. His most recent bands include the experimental techno noise band T-Shit (w/ Bernhard Hammer and Sixtus Preiss) and the dramatic chamber duo Rash (with Meaghan Burke, cello). His compositional cycle “sine tempore” is a series of works experimenting with sound designs in non-dramatic contexts. Together with New Yorker cellist Meaghan Burke, he is an organizer of the Transit Festival, which provides a platform for connecting experimental music with different musical genres, audiences, places and countries. Bernd Klug is a Wave Farm Artist In Residence 2015 and was recently awarded the award for interdisciplinary arts 2015 from the Carinthian government, AT and the “New Austrian Sound of Music” prize for 201415. His compositions received commissions by New Music USA and the BKA (Austrian Federal Chancellery). He was granted an educational scholarship at Harvestworks (NYC) in 201213, and received the BM:UKK Startstipendium (federal Austrian grant for artists) in 2011. He graduated from Bard College’s MFA program (Music/Sound) in 2015 and holds a BA in bass performance (popular, contemporary, and classical music and music education) from the Vienna University for Music and Performing Arts. Website Bernd Klug About the Artist Bernd Klug Other Works By There are two ways to listen to this piece: A) In private, on a computer. Click play on the language you feel most unfamiliar with, start another track as soon as you understand a word and so on. (Don’t stop the different tracks or play them separately, they are supposed to overlay each other.) B) As a public performance for 8 people with smartphones. At a public space or Christian church, do not announce the piece at the moment before the performance. Each person chooses one language (so that all of them are chosen) Load the homepage. Spread out so that you can just still hear each other Arabic starts Each subsequent person else hits play as soon as you hear a familiar word CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

creation_redemption_carmichael-braun.jpg Loading Video . . . New York artist Charis J. Carmichael Braun juxtaposes biblical concepts of Creation and Redemption in her vivid illumination. Isaiah 44:24 Deuteronomy 4:32 Isaiah 43:1 Creation/Redemption By Charis Carmichael Braun Credits: Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2010 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This work is a conceptual color study for a series of larger works visualizing Christian doctrines. The series seeks to juxtapose concepts that, from a quasi-Lutheran point of view, encourage the combination of ideas that seem or can be construed to be antithetical, such as “life” and “death.” Based on the concepts of Creation and Redemption , this image is the first in the series. This work was created for and shown in the Solus Christus Juried Art Exhibition (April 2010) at the dedication of the Chapel of the Christ at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. Other images developed in this context may include: Decay/Resurrection Judgment/Eternal Life Passion/Ascension Incarnation/Paradise Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Charis J. Carmichael Braun grew up in New Ulm, MN . After a year as an exchange student in Switzerland (Gruezi, mittenand!) , she earned her BA from Bethany Lutheran College and her MFA from the New York Academy of Art. She received a Juror's Award for her work in Representational Art in the 21st Century , University of Hawaii at Hilo, HI in 2015 and was chosen as a Sing For Hope Piano Artist in 2016. She has been published in PoetsArtists, The Huffington Post , and LINEA: The Artist's Voice . As an arts administrator , she has focused on communications and publicity, having worked for the Edward Hopper House in Nyack, NY; The League Residency at Vyt (Art Students League of New York), and the New York Academy of Art. She has managed two galleries in New York City, and has served on the boards of two greater New York City not-for-profits: as a founding member of Spark and Echo Arts , and as President of the Alumni Association of the New York Academy of Art. With her husband Andrew Braun, a woodworker, Charis lives and works in the Hudson Valley, New York. Website Charis Carmichael Braun About the Artist Charis Carmichael Braun Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . The photo and video included in this blog post are the beginning of a major part of creating this multimedia book of hours, a part I’m calling 365 Contemplations. The book of hours is intended to be a deeply personal book, tailored to the concerns of an individual. While I have my own concerns, I’m interested in creating a more interactive project that both reflects my own musings and creations and those of the larger community I inhabit. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Proverbs 8:6-11 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 2 By Lauren Ferebee Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2016 2016 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link June 20, 2016 In Proverbs 8, Wisdom says: Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it. (vv. 1-5) Part One: The Practical Aspect In Which I Update You On Progress (And Reflect on Answers) The photo and video included in this blog post are the beginning of a major part of creating this multimedia book of hours, a part I’m calling 365 Contemplations. The book of hours is intended to be a deeply personal book, tailored to the concerns of an individual. While I have my own concerns, I’m interested in creating a more interactive project that both reflects my own musings and creations and those of the larger community I inhabit. To that end, over the last few weeks I’ve begun inviting friends, colleagues, and strangers to email me with a concern that they are experiencing in their lives (if you have one, please reach out to me at laurenbeth.ferebee@gmail.com) and I am committing to creating a handmade artistic contemplation and mailing it to them. For me, in addition to creating the online performative components of this project, I’m keenly aware that the books of hours are artifacts of faith. I wanted to create things that can be held, looked at, felt, experienced on a tangible level. In asking people to trust me with their concerns and in offering them a response, I’m putting myself in the proverbial place of wisdom in Proverbs 8, and taking an active role in examining the questions I put forth in my first blog entry. I often find myself wanting to be the seeker of wisdom (and that is certainly a role I am taking in this project), and yet I also find that I desire to “know what I know.” What insights, common sense, successes belong to me? What wisdom do I already have within me? This update also includes a video of me fashioning this first contemplation. For me, creating it was, in itself, a contemplative act. I felt keenly aware of the length of time it took to make this piece and the uncomfortability at the imperfect act of making it, particularly while filming the process. It was an exercise in patience. I look forward to updating you in the fall with more contemplations and plans for a performance or theatrical experience that will tie these pieces together (I won’t reveal too much about my thoughts on that front right now, they are too raw.) Part Two: The Personal Aspect In Which I Share (some of) My Non-Linear Thoughts in the Interest of Vulnerability March 20, 2016 Reading: A Book of Hours , Thomas Merton time as a sacrament time as an artistic medium in itself hours, days, seasons becoming a point of nothing “compassionate time” – moments of potentiality how to use and create moments of potentiality for others? Sunday – we are charged to repair, to heal, to build the world what is it we can find to love in one another? dawn, day, dusk, dark the question is: how to become worthy again 1. to complete step by step the small & everyday tasks of living that signal to others & to your mind the prevailing sense of all rightness laundry cooking taking out the trash writing schedule out making coffee cleaning sorting receipts filing nails showering & maybe shaving legs/armpits taking pills 2. to indulge your profound anxiety & sadness and feed it treats until you no longer know that it is there sweets reading meditation movies music watching/listening to anything that sounds friendly 3. to indulge your profound anxiety & sadness by letting it run the show do not do anything imagine other people speaking to you the way you speak to yourself do nothing or hurt those peole speaking to you into speaking to you the way you speak to yourself be satisfied by their agreement 4. make sure it externally appears that you are happy & successful 5. behave successfully and find small ways to self destruct tear at your cuticles pick at your scabs keep acting like you don’t know anything forget to do daily things until you are too sad & self-defeated to do anything these are all the ways that I have tried and failed to become wise. so this is how I come to you . May 5, 2016 Reading: Poets on the Psalms , ed. Lynn Domina implicit in the act of contemplation is moving beyond oneself into the experience of others’ suffering. “The present moment is so painful that the only way we can bear to inhabit it is to visit it in a work of art.” – Poets on the Psalms I have lived most of my life believing that eventually everyone will discover what is wrong with me. the holiness of mud May 15, 2016 consciousness – an idea When we are at some young point in our lives we become entirely, fully conscious of who we are & as we grow older our consciousness slowly dies. It is this kind of surrender that propels us toward death (thanatos) . the question is how to maintain consciousness. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lauren Ferebee is a Texan native and a multidisciplinary artist whose primary mediums are playwriting and installation/video art. Most recently, her play The Reckless Season was selected for Stage West’s Southwest Playwriting Competition Festival of New Works, and her alternative screwball comedy Sexual Geography was a finalist for the Reva Shiner Comedy Award at the Bloomington Playwrights’ Project. In 2014, she was a juried fellow at Saltonstall Arts Colony, a semifinalist for the Shakespeare’s Sister fellowship and the first theatre-artist-in-residence at HUB-BUB in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where in addition to writing, she did community-based theatre work. Her most recent work includes Sexual Geography (developed at HUB-BUB), The Reckless Season (The Spartanburg Little Theatre/HUB-BUB), Somewhere Safer (FringeNYC 2013, Inkwell finalist), and Blood Quantum (At Hand Theatre & WET Productions). Three of her short plays, jericho, jericho , Bob Baker’s End of the World and The Pirate King are published online at indietheaternow.com , where Somewhere Safer is also published as part of the 2013 Fringe Collection. She is a member of playwriting collective Lather, Rinse, Repeat, and studied playwriting, screenwriting and television writing at Primary Stages/ESPA. Lauren also has regional and NYC credits as an actress on stage and in film, and from 2007-2010 was co-artistic director of a site-specific classical theatre company, Rebellious Subjects Theatre. She especially enjoys acting in and teaching Shakespeare and working on new plays. She holds a BFA in drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Website Lauren Ferebee About the Artist Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 1 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 3 while in a foreign land Wonders of the Deep Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Lauren Ferebee Other Works By Follow the previous development of Lauren's 2016 Artist in Residence project by reading her first , third and final post. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Lancelot Schaubert recontextualized Luke 15 in this short story so that modern readers might more immediately understand the implications of this well-known tale. Luke 15:3-7 Posh Girls By Lancelot Schaubert Credits: Illumination Representation Image by Lancelot Shaubert with Ai on Midjourney Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2022 Short Story Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Wanted to repurpose this classic tale so that it would be more identifiable to New Yorkers. I don't know that I succeeded, but it certainly felt true when I wrote it on vacation in Cape Cod with some friends. It's based off some tourists I met there. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lancelot has sold work to The New Haven Review (The Institute Library), The Anglican Theological Review, TOR (MacMillan), McSweeney's, The Poet's Market, Writer's Digest, and many, many similar markets. (His favorite, a rather risqué piece, illuminated bankroll management by prison inmates in the World Series Edition of Poker Pro). Publisher's Weekly called his debut novel BELL HAMMERS "a hoot." He has lectured on these at academic conferences, graduate classes, and nerd conventions in Nashville, Portland, Baltimore, Tarrytown, NYC, Joplin, and elsewhere. The Missouri Tourism Bureau, WRKR, Flying Treasure, 9art, The Brooklyn Film Festival, NYC Indie Film Fest, Spiva Center for the Arts, The Institute of the North in Alaska, and the Chicago Museum of Photography have all worked with him as a film producer and director in various capacities. Website Lancelot Schaubert About the Artist Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 3 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 2 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 1 As Waters Cover Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert Dragonsmaw Daily | 1 Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 Dragonsmaw Daily | 3 Watchtower Stripped to the Bonemeal Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Philadelphia Bloodlines Lancelot Schaubert Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art A wealthy NYC heiress had two daughters — Rosario and Evangeline — around the time she retired from running POSH View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . A wealthy NYC heiress had two daughters — Rosario and Evangeline — around the time she retired from running POSH Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Satirist Shelly Williams brings us an unexpected response to Philemon 1:4-7. Philemon 1:4-7 Trend Watch By Shelly Williams Credits: Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2015 Satire Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link In these verses, Paul is reminding Philemon of his identity, who he loves, who loves him, and how he is being prayed for. As the letter continues, Paul will be pointing back to these accepted realities in order to encourage Philemon to expand his circle of love and acceptance. The audio pieces I create with the Cheney Cutler character play around with the absurdities of daily life. In this case, I decided to run with this concept: Celebrate who you are and what's around you as you move boldly into the future. Background sounds used in this piece were recorded in New York City and Spokane, WA. The additional sound of frying food was provided by Zabuhailo with the Creative Commons License . Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Shelly Williams was raised in Washington state and studied art at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA. After graduating in 2005, she moved to Minneapolis where she worked for a grassroots social service agency and joined the artist cooperative at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. She returned to the Northwest several years later, joining the Saranac Artist Cooperative. Shelly loves to playfully interpret and misinterpret her surroundings. Her artistic practice incorporates walking, chronicling community interactions, writing, and photography. Her current project involves making audio recordings as the Cheney Cutler character, who delivers the news and other absurdities. Shelly lives, works and records in New York City. Website Shelly Williams About the Artist Shelly Williams Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Ruth Forman brings us her beautiful poem in response to the theme of "Harvest" from Psalm 1:3. Psalms 1:3 Her Work as Worship By Ruth Forman 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 In the teachings of my faith, the Baha’i Faith, work done in the spirit of service is considered worship to God. Psalms 1:3 instantly reminded me of one of Baha’u’llah’s Hidden Words: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” -Psalms 1:3 “O MY SERVANTS! Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give forth goodly and wondrous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom. Thus it is incumbent on every one to engage in crafts and professions, for therein lies the secret of wealth, O men of understanding! For results depend upon means, and the grace of God shall be all-sufficient unto you. Trees that yield no fruit have been and will ever be for the fire.” -Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, No. P80 This poem is both a prayer and a meditation/reflection. A prayer for my life work to feed and sustain others. It is also a reflection that for women around the world, so much of our work naturally sustains others. If work in the spirit of service is worship, may our souls also be fed. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Ruth Forman is the author of three award-winning books: poetry collections We Are the Young Magicians (Beacon, 1993) and Renaissance, (Beacon, 1997) and children’s book, Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon (Children’s Book Press, 2007). She is the recipient of the Barnard New Women Poets Prize, The Pen Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award, The Durfee Artist Fellowship, the National Council of Teachers of English Notable Book Award, and recognition by The American Library Association. She provides writing workshops at schools and universities across the country and abroad, and has presented in forums such as the United Nations, the PBS series The United States of Poetry and National Public Radio. Ruth is a former teacher of creative writing with the University of Southern California and June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and an eleven-year faculty member with the VONA-Voices writing program. Also an MFA graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, she frequently collaborates on film, music, dance, theatre, art and media projects. Her latest collection is Prayers Like Shoes (2009) on Whit Press. When not writing and teaching, she practices a passion for martial arts: classical Yang family style tai chi chuan, tai chi sword, bo staff and karate. Ms. Forman currently lives in Washington, D C. ruthforman.com Photo by Christine Bennett . Website Ruth Forman About the Artist Ruth Forman Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art Whatsoever she doeth shall be full quenching ripe View Full Written Work "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." - Psalms 1:3 Her Work as Worship Whatsoever she doeth shall be full quenching ripe as if God harvested Himself this work planted this thought cultivated these hands her work always sustenance for someone and an offering may her soul also be fed. -Ruth Forman Close Loading Video . . . Whatsoever she doeth shall be full quenching ripe Download Full Written Work

Jason Da Silva 7652 900X600 Loading Video . . . Portrait photographer Annie Levy unifies her experiences photographing filmmaker Jason DaSilva with a powerful verse in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Jason DaSilva portrait By Annie Levy Credits: Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Jonathon + Emily 2011 Photography Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link When Annie Levy photographed Jason DaSilva, he spoke of a short film, When I Walk, that he had just completed for the Tribeca Film Festival. He shared with her that after working as a filmmaker for ten years, he made the decision to focus the lens on his own experience with having primary-progressive MS. When I Walk is about his journey as a 30-year-old film director living with a complex disease amidst complex circumstances. His personal narrative is the anchor point in a film that weaves together interviews, incidents in the life of a young filmmaker and current information about multiple sclerosis. Annie then created a portrait of Jason through her lens. When thinking about making Jason’s portrait, Annie connects her experience to a passage in Deuteronomy (30:19-20): “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. She says, “I have read this passage of Scripture so many times that I had almost missed the irony that when actually told that there is a CHOICE of life and death, God has to exhort: choose LIFE. In some strange way I almost imagine Him standing behind me, the chooser, not raising His voice but rather in that same whisper that Elijah heard, saying moment by moment, choose life… so that you and your children may LIVE.” Learn more about Jason's work at www.wheniwalk.com . Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Annie Levy is a creative director and writer/photographer who conceives, creates and exhibits projects, telling stories to transform the way we see things. As a result of her work and enthusiasm about her subjects, she is frequently asked to speak at conferences and present to groups, using her projects to discuss such topics as Visual Messaging, Health Care Design, Images and Aging, as well as concepts related to overall project development and design. Included in her speaking engagements/presentations are the New York Times Company Foundation's program for journalists at the International Longevity Center, the Cleveland Clinic Patient Empathy & Innovation Summit, John A. Hartford Communications Conferences, and the American Society on Aging's National Conference. She has been the keynote speaker for Center for Health Design's Environments and Aging Conference, lectured at Sarah Lawrence College in the Health Care Advocacy Department and has conducted a Grand Rounds presentation at Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, NYC. Annie spoke at the Cleveland Clinic Patient Empathy and Innovation Summit as well as at the Joint Commission Ambulatory Care Conference in 2015. Most recently, in November 2016, she spoke at Google's Ignite Healthcare. She has her BFA from NYU Film School. Website Annie Levy About the Artist Annie Levy Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work