benje_daneman_featured.jpg Loading Video . . . Benje Daneman here with my second update as a 2015 Resident Artist for Spark & Echo Arts… as I mentioned in my last update, my project this year is writing a full length jazz suite based around the concept of Light in scripture. This yearlong endeavor is extremely interesting as I’m able to see long term how the project is being formed and changing over time. Even after only five months it’s evolved and morphed from what I thought it’d be to something slightly different! Find the complete progression of the work linked below. John 3:19-21 John 1:1-5 John 1:14 John 12:34-36 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 Artist in Residence 2015 | Benje Daneman 2 By Benje Daneman Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2015 Live Music, Jazz Suite Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link June 8, 2015 Benje Daneman here with my second update as a 2015 Resident Artist for Spark & Echo Arts… as I mentioned in my last update, my project this year is writing a full length jazz suite based around the concept of Light in scripture. This yearlong endeavor is extremely interesting as I’m able to see long term how the project is being formed and changing over time. Even after only five months it’s evolved and morphed from what I thought it’d be to something slightly different! A few updates… This is a great time for an update as one of my bands, SearchParty, met for the first to do an initial reading session of my music for this commission. I was able to bring four parts of the suite to the guys and they played them beautifully. Check out the video to hear the clips! I was hoping to stay only in the Book of John, but it seems as though as I’ve been finding my way out of that book and into the book of Thessalonians … and potentially one in Job still in the works. So far four songs have come to fruition… they are: “(Our Fear of) Exposure” – John 3:19-21 “Light in the Darkness” – John 1:1-5, 14 “Just a Little While Longer” – John 12:34-36 “Children of the Light” – 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 My most recent band, SearchParty, is taking this music on and our debut performance in NYC will be at Saint Peter’s Church (619 Lexington Avenue (& 54th St.) at 5pm on August 9th at their Sunday Jazz Vespers series. We’d love to see you there as we’ll be unveiling pieces some of the suite for the first time to the public there. My hope is to debut the full suite in a live recording performance in early November here in New York City. I’m in the works of securing the venue and should know very soon. Please stay tuned and we’ll let you know more info as soon as we can! I envision this being a pretty special night and would truly love you being a part of it. It’s pretty exciting seeing how the scripture has been speaking to me as I’m composing over the past few months. I find it to be my meditation/prayer time where I can dig deep into the context of the text and see how it shines a light in my own life. I can’t wait to see where the next steps bring me and this composition! Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection About Benje Daneman A sought after musician for his personal approach, creative musicality and strong versatility, Daneman got his start professionally in 2007 on a national tour with with Doc Severinsen’s Big Band. Since then he has performed with the world renowned Jose Limon Dance Ensemble, recorded for the Grammy nominated album “Elevation” (HMI Big Band) and has appeared as both a leader and sideman at prestigious venues across the country including The Kennedy Center, Baryshnikov Arts Center, FONT (Festival of New Trumpet) Music Festival and The Iridium. As a composer/arranger, he has received commissions from the United States Air Force Band (in Europe), Dr. Steve Zegree, Spark and Echo Arts and Lutheran Music Missions. His 2015 Artist in Residence for Spark and Echo Arts, is the catalyst for one of his newest projects called Search Party which approaches faith topics through original music, with a band including some of the top musicians on the jazz scene today, including Ike Sturm, Jon Cowherd, Jaimeo Brown and Ashley Daneman. Another new project of Daneman’s, Life Stories, calls upon his deep interest and history in musical storytelling by musically creating a personal and unique experience for the audience by aurally recreating true stories of people places and events. Daneman’s 2013 EP release Estelle’s Farewell Gift features all original compositions featuring Jeremy Siskind, Ashley Daneman and Andrew Rathbun and has been described as “Simple songs that open doors to complex reactions” (David Sumner, Bird Is The Worm). A Teaching Artist for the New York Pops, Daneman is a passionate educator and has led clinics and workshops throughout the country at such institutions as McNally Smith College, Western Michigan University, Concordia University and for the Michigan State Band and Orchestra Association. He is also the co-director of the Jazz & Creative Institute (http://www.jcinstitute.org), which has a mission to inspire artistic development and cultivate creative entrepreneurship for all levels of creative musicians. Benje has attended and holds degrees from Western Michigan University, The Henry Mancini Institute (Los Angeles, CA), and Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY). Benje lives in New York City with his wife, jazz singer-songwriter, Ashley Daneman and daughters, Rivi and Elise. Website Benje Daneman About the Artist Artist in Residence 2015 | Benje Daneman 1 Artist in Residence 2015 | Benje Daneman 3 To Lay Down One's Life Artist in Residence 2015: Benje Daneman Benje Daneman Other Works By Follow the development of Benje's project by reading this in addition to his first , third and final posts as a 2015 Artist in Residence. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

! Loading Video . . . This beautiful work was created by dancer Christine Suarez in collaboration with Gillian McGinty in response to Lamentations 5:15 and the theme of "Dancing." Lamentations 5:15 The joy of our heart has ceased; Our dance has turned into mourning. By Christine Suarez Credits: Collaborator: Gillian McGinty Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem – Academy and Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner Curated by: Elizabeth Dishman 2013 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This work is linked to Christine's explorations in her last project MOTHER. MOTHER. was inspired by the birth of her son and death of her nephew. In it, she dug into joy and grief. She found through this process, a deep sense of loss - a loss of a part of herself, her identity. A truly bittersweet experience. Christine and Gillian began working together with the intention to share their body practice with one another. Sharing weekly space and time together dovetailed naturally into investigating mourning. We began by experimenting how mourning looks/manifests/feels in different body parts. Ultimately we chose the hands. Our hands can reach out and pull away. They can comfort and connect us with one another while also push away and scold. We moved, reflected and lamented on the joy in our hearts ceasing with the intention to be open to the point where mourning can become potentially ecstatic. We wondered how can a dance of mourning become transcendent. How do we let go? Each new project evidences Christine's faith in the collaborative process and her belief that its generosity creates an intimate, shared space with the viewer. She has come to believe that the creative process is transformative experience - creating a community that did not exist before. She enters the process with curiosity and rigor. Her goal is to merge innovative movement, honest storytelling, academic scholarship and community activism. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Christine Suarez is a Los Angeles-based choreographer, performer and educator. Born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in Baton Rouge Louisiana, Christine made her first works of choreography to the Grease soundtrack. Since then she has created eleven evening-length dance-theater works, numerous site-specific and community events and close to a dozen dances for the theater and film, along with teaching, creating and performing at school sites all over the U.S. While living in New York City from 1994-2006, her work was presented at various venues including Danspace Project, P.S. 122, HERE, Joyce SoHo and Dixon Place. In 1998 she founded SuarezDanceTheater, a not-for-profit, ensemble of dancers, actors and musicians. SuarezDanceTheater examines the unexpected – creating dance-theater in unexpected places with unexpected people about unexpected subjects. Christine and company were Artists in Residence at Tribeca Performing Arts Center from 2003-2006. Her work has toured nationally and internationally to over 20 cities. Her work happens in theaters, houses, parks, Churches, galleries, sidewalks and beaches. She collaborates with multi-generational performers along with parents, children, veterans, high school students and teen mothers. Since relocating to Los Angeles, she has been invigorated by making dances in unexpected places. Wet Spots (2008) was a site-specific performance about female orgasm that she created in collaboration with a multi-generational cast of women. The Los Angeles Times called it “ingeniously crafted…poignant…hilarious.” She has organized community dance participatory performances in parks, beaches and classrooms in partnership with city governments, community based organizations and schools. She has also been touring Wet Spots: Solo to Tallinn, Estonia, Movement Research at Judson Church (New York City), The Garage (San Francisco), Emory University (Atlanta, GA), The A.W.A.R.D. Show! (REDCAT). Most recently she premiered her new evening length work MOTHER . at the Motion Pacific at the Santa Cruz Fringe Festival and Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, CA. As an educator, Christine has worked at public schools all over the New York City and Los Angeles area. She has been a guest teacher/choreographer at California State University San Marcos, California State University Los Angeles, Emory University, Indiana University, Southeastern University of Louisiana and Louisiana State University. She holds an MFA in choreography from UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures Department and a BA in Theater and English Literature from Emory University. She is a government contractor co-creating a dance program for Veterans at The School for Better Living, a psycho-social research initiative a the West Los Angeles VA Hospital. She also works as a teaching artist with the HeArt Project. She has been awarded grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Puffin Foundation, Meet the Composer, the Association for Hispanic Arts, JP Morgan Chase Regrant, the Field and the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center. She is honored to be a Hispanic Scholarship Fund/Cheech Marin Endowed Scholarship Scholar and recipient of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund McNamara Family Creative Arts Projects Grant. (Photo by CedarBough Saeji) www.suarezdance.org Website Christine Suarez About the Artist Artist in Residence 2015: Christine Suarez Part 2 Artist in Residence 2015: Christine Suarez Part 3 Artist in Residence 2015: Christine Suarez Part 1 Artist in Residence 2015: Christine Suarez Christine Suarez Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Dave Czupryna Usheringinofthewheel Web Loading Video . . . New York artist David Czupryna interprets the vivid account of the prophet Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 1 with "The Ushering in of the Wheel." Ezekiel 1:1-28 The Ushering in of the Wheel By David Czupryna Credits: Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Charis Carmichael Braun 2011 29 x 12 inches Water soluble colored pencil heightened with white pastel on wood Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This is a reinterpreted version of Ezekiel's Wheel that I had been toying with. I liked the idea of the wheel within a wheel design, but instead of having the literal visual interpretation of the passage, I decided to go in a different direction and combined the wheels into one object. The passage calls for the rims of the "wheel within a wheel's" to be studded with eyes; instead, I added screaming cherub faces without pupils. I imagine the sight of such an object to be rather disturbing and unnerving as well as awe inspiring (besides, "disturbing" is what I do best). The putti surrounding the wheel are a procession of heavenly beings heralding its arrival. Some are wearing smiling skull masks (death), while others are without (life). This further adds to the idea of benevolence or malice being left to interpretation or even speculation. I like the idea of there being no absolutes, the idea of everything having aspects of both "good" and "evil" of benevolence and malevolence; it all depends on how one looks at it which makes it so. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection David Czupryna is a New York City-based artist and graduate of the New York Academy of Art. Website David Czupryna About the Artist David Czupryna 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 band Lowland Hum created The Father for Spark and Echo Arts in response to the theme of "poverty" and 1 John 1:5, 2:4-11. 1 John 1:5 1 John 2:4-11 The Father By Lowland Hum Credits: Written and recorded by Lowland Hum Artist Location: Charlottesville, Virginia Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2014 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link "The Father" was written on a day off during our first cross country tour. As we read through the scripture in 1 John, a few ideas struck and inspired us. The passage dramatically draws attention to the disparity between our identity as children of God and the way we treat one another. The subject that we were assigned by Spark and Echo was "poverty" and as we read the scripture we recognized our own poverty in a profound way. How can you say you love the father if you hate your brother who is made in His image? It is so easy for us to take a self-protective stance, putting others down, even if its just in our minds, to escape our own darkness and inadequacy. The story of this song is written in hopes of drawing attention to the lack inherent in our love for one another, especially in our families. At the end of the song, we hope to refocus on the freeing and glorious character of God, our only way toward wholeness. In the contrary way of Jesus, we aim to tear our eyes from our inadequacy and to dwell on His goodness and overabundance. In this act we are on the path toward healing, change and we are given the strength to love. In our poverty, He is rich. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lowland Hum is wife and husband team Lauren and Daniel Goans. Together they invite their listeners to share in the space of vulnerable intimacy they have formed over years of steady collaboration. In the live setting, the duo offers an immersive experience of thoughtful songcraft interspersed with audience interaction and extemporaneous songs about the day's happenings. Their recordings take listeners on a journey through relatable, imagistic poetry exploring themes of memory, longing, confession and identity, and drawing attention to often unnoticed resonances of the everyday. Daniel and Lauren are a prolific, two-person creative factory basing their operation in Charlottesville, Virginia. They write, arrange and produce all of their own music, and have honed a cohesive design aesthetic to match the hushed simplicity of their sound. The duo's beginning starts with Daniel, a songwriter, performer and producer from North Carolina. Daniel and Lauren’s creative worlds first collided one hot, Greensboro summer in 2010 when Daniel asked Lauren to design the album art for a solo record he was working on. Having once heard Lauren singing to herself at a party, he eventually coaxed her into singing some harmonies on that same album. This was Lauren's first experience with recording. Previously, her performance experience consisted of her middle and high school chorus classes, which, in her own words, provided her with a strong connection to melody and harmony in a context that was well-suited to her shy disposition. Initially, Lauren performed with Daniel, singing harmonies on songs he had written, but within a year or so, the two began cowriting and arranging virtually all of the material together. Lowland Hum formed officially in 2012, a few months after the two were married and their collaboration deepened. In the years following the release of their critically acclaimed debut Native Air (2013), the duo has tirelessly toured the country, spending more time on the road than at home. In 2014 they followed up their debut with Four Sisters , a conceptual EP and video series, and then, in 2015, they released their eponymous sophomore full-length album, garnering a slew of praise, including an NPR First Listen. Lowland Hum has performed in diverse settings all over the country ranging from folk festivals, art museums and theaters to living rooms and gardens. During their time off the road, Daniel produces albums for other bands. Lauren's background in visual art asserts itself in the duo's collaboration significantly. She has created all of the band's artwork and design as well as several transportable installation pieces that served as additions to the band’s live performances. She is also responsible for an impressive collection of music videos often using found footage from public domain archives. Over the years, Lauren has designed five editions of handmade lyric books that the duo passes out to audiences so they can read along and interact more deeply with the lyrical content of their songs if they so choose. Lowland Hum's songs have been described as poetic and evocative, and their arrangements minimal, hushed and dynamic. They continue to attract a growing body of listeners around the world. Daniel and Lauren spent the summer of 2016 creating their third full-length album in a friend's attic. The album, Thin , came out on February 10, 2017, and is their "deepest collaboration to date" according to the band. They completed a nationwide headline tour, sharing the stage with the likes of Josh Ritter, Jesca Hoop and Penny and Sparrow along the way. After playing a handful of festivals this summer, the band will embark on a nationwide tour supporting Penny and Sparrow in the fall followed directly by a five week European tour. www.lowlandhum.com Website Lowland Hum About the Artist Lowland Hum Other Works By The Father by Lowland Hum 1 John 1:5, 2:4, 2:9-11 Jackie came home He doesn’t look us in the eyes He said he needs a pillow, and only for a while. Says luck is hard to find these days Especially when you got a bad name He’s covering his face And hiding his darkness in the barn. How can I say That I know the Father When I hate my brother For things he doesn’t do Gloria counting down the years The world has gone and left her While she’s cleaning up the dinner Wonders what her life could be Inherited the homestead She hates it but she won’t change a thing so there’re smiles on the faces of all of her siblings and her nieces and nephews will run where she ran They’ll all blow in like Christmas and then leave the house empty Again How can I say That I know the Father When I hate my sister For what she doesn’t have Our Father is light No shadows at all Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Comedian Paul Schissler explores the unseen side of the comedian's life in response to Ecclesiastes 4:13-16. Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 A Comedian's Bedtime Story By Paul Schissler Credits: Written and Read by Paul Schissler Curated by: Michael Markham 2017 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link There’s a side to comedy that the audience doesn’t see. A side that’s not filled with laughter. So often people question what it’s like being a comedian -– how hard it is, what’s the motivation, what’s the goal? You work obsessively on something that results in mostly failures, setbacks and self-doubts. It’s incredibly lucky to “make it” in comedy, and often feels futile. Like chasing the wind. This bedtime story is an honest look at the roller coaster feelings inside a comedian -– hope, determination, joy, self-doubt, hopelessness. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Paul Schissler is a NYC comedian and co-founder of Comedywire.com . Paul’s been part of the NY Comedy Festival and seen on The Steve Harvey. Website Paul Schissler About the Artist Paul Schissler Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art A troubled young boy was looking for joy and so he laughed. When he laughed at mean comments and poked fun of himself-- he escaped the heartache, the teasing, the toils. View Full Written Work A Comedian's Bedtime Story By Paul Schissler A troubled young boy was looking for joy and so he laughed. When he laughed at mean comments and poked fun of himself-- he escaped the heartache, the teasing, the toils. He was in charge. The pain he had, created laughter. Laughter had conquered his pain. This young boy loved the thrill of making others laugh. It made them feel good and so for him too. A win-win. When there was conflict, he delivered a joke. Upon seeing tears, he would do a funny dance. Anger? He huffed and puffed and made funny faces. Humor was his sword. The more laughter he made, the more they wanted to be around him. Laughter was contagious for all. "Give us more laughter, do your faces and dance," he heard more and more. And that 's what he did. He grabbed a microphone and stood in front of a light, that way eve more could experience him and delight. They told their friends and their friends told theirs. Soon a great big audience was laughing, all just for him. The troubled young boy had become a man of great jokes‚ repeated and loved by people, filling their hearts. Bigger stages, brighter lights, illuminated his laughs; it attracted more people and inspired others to take part. One unhappy girl, in the crowd that was laughing, found joy in these jokes. She saw visions of grandeur and wanted a stage of her own-- bright lights and a microphone. Then all of the happiness, praise and laughs, would be all her own to have when she wants. She wrote her own jokes, and it made others happy. "Tell us some more," people cheered after her shows. Her laughter was new, her jokes were exciting, and people were tired of watching the old troubled man night after night. "We like the new laughs and the way she makes us feel. She will be our new laugh giver who gives us a thrill." The man of great jokes stepped off of his stage; he believed in his laughter no more and was filled only with rage. Though older now, the troubled young boy was still inside. He had never escaped, he was always just along for the ride. "What was the point if only to be forgotten? Chasing the laughter but now it 's all gone." The troubled old man took his place in the crowd. He smiled outside but had no joy in his heart. The people around him were laughing as one. Down by his side a boy grabbed his arm. "Mister, one day all these laughs will be mine, I 'll have a stage, lights and a microphone to make me shine." Close Loading Video . . . A troubled young boy was looking for joy and so he laughed. When he laughed at mean comments and poked fun of himself-- he escaped the heartache, the teasing, the toils. Download Full Written Work

sing_nick_stokes_photo.jpg Loading Video . . . Sing is a short play written by playwright Nick Stokes in response to Psalm 22, verses 14-18. This work was premiered by Spark and Echo Arts on July 15, 2011, in New York City as part of evening sponsored by the Center for Faith and Work entitled “Artist and Beauty: Illuminating the Word.” Psalms 22:1-18 Sing By Nick Stokes Credits: Playwright by Nick Stokes Actors: Michael Markham, Emily Clare Zempel Director: Ryan Whinnem Movement by Deborah Wolfson Composer: Jonathon Roberts Musicians: Jonathon Roberts, piano/voice; Chris Nolte, bass; Anthony Taddeo, drums Artist Location: Tacoma, Washington Curated by: Emily 2011 Short play Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This passage tapped into my surreal vein, or what I call surreal, which is more what people mean by surreal than what the art world classifies as Surreal. So, surreal. My first impressions of the passage were paranoia, claustrophobia, persecution, despair, exhibition, voyeurism, display. On display, surrounded, people staring, casting lots…this performing or feeling like you’re performing…this personal stage fright and existential stage fright…this being crucified led to the quasi-metatheatrical twist. Who has forsaken she? Is She forsaken? Is He? Where’s the power? What do we demand of that power? What are the audience’s expectations? Who are we performing for, and what for? What does She need to sing? Why sing? The play plays with notions of freedom, perpetuity, entrapment, progress, and (old school) how to live right – how to sing? And…is the world what you encounter or create or fake? Put on a happy face. Sing. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Nick Stokes is a playwright and author living outside Seattle who sometimes packs mules in the wilderness of Montana. Website Nick Stokes About the Artist Rebuild Nick Stokes Other Works By Read the Script Download the Score Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Deeper Into Infinite Love April Bang Deeper Into Infinite Love, Detail 1 Deeper Into Infinite Love, Detail 2 Loading Video . . . The incredible amount of detail in this stunning piece by artist April Bang flows from her meditation on the infinite love spoken of in Ephesians 3:14-21. Ephesians 3:14-21 Deeper into Infinite Love By April Bang Credits: Work Documented by Michael Markham Curated by: Michael Markham 2018 36 x 42 inches Acrylic on Canvas Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Ephesians 3:14-21 is a passage of scripture that is close to my heart and one that I frequently go to and meditate on. As I painted this piece, I was drawn to read and reflect on the passage with various English translations of the Bible to gain a deeper understanding of its meaning and see what new insights would emerge with the same verses expressed in different ways. As I explored the passage in this way, I realized that it is a prayer as well as an encounter with mystery. According to the different translations of the Bible, Ephesians 3:14-21 is: “A prayer for the Ephesians” (NIV); “Prayer for the Readers” (NRSV); “Prayer for Spiritual Strength” (ESV); “Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth” (NLT); and “Appreciation of the Mystery” (NKJV). This prayer expressed in The Message exhorts us to the glorious inner strength of having Christ in our hearts and experiencing the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love, of God who can do far more than what we could expect, imagine, or ask by His power at work within us, His spirit working within deeply and gently. Here in these verses, as expressed in different ways, a particular kind of love—a love that extends beyond knowledge, a love that exceeds our expectations and even imagination, a love that regenerates and transforms—seems to be the focus. And as we kneel down to pray, perhaps it is this kind of love that remains the mystery for us to appreciate as well as come to know, in ever-increasing breadth and length and height and depth. Though we may never come to understand it completely, we will nevertheless be able to “know” this love that surpasses the limits of our knowledge and cognition and takes us into the depths of an experiential and relational reality that allows us to be rooted and grounded in love and filled with all the fullness of God, not just alone in intimate, personal devotion and contemplation, but in community with “all the saints” that transcends the walls of our own church and extends across geography, culture, sociodemographic affiliation, doctrine, denomination, and any other factor that may differentiate us from others. I listened to the song “On and On” by Housefires on repeat as I painted and meditated on the passage. This song seems to express the prayer and mystery conveyed in the verses so beautifully: “Deeper than any ocean… Higher than any mountain / Your love goes on / And on and on and on.” The music and lyrics guided my colors and brush strokes, layer by layer, day by day, while I reflected on love that goes on and on… love that is infinite… love that draws us to God’s presence and keeps us there. How wide, how long, how high, how deep is this love that surpasses knowledge, fills with fullness, and strengthens with power? What does it mean to have such a love abiding and working in our hearts? I am starting to think more deeply about love, faith, and fullness these days. The passage states that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith and immediately talks about love that surpasses knowledge and fills us with the fullness of God. As I have been reflecting on this passage, I am learning and discovering that this love, however close to us, comes, not of ourselves, but of God; of the Spirit of God “entering into our soul” with love as Jonathan Edwards says in his sermon entitled “ Love, the Sum of all Virtue ”. And it is the Spirit of God that strengthens our inner being, transforms our hearts, and gives power to love with the love of Christ; a love that has no limits; a love where there is fullness of joy and freedom; a love that we can know even as it is infinite! My life and professional experiences to date have primarily centered on the theme of personal transformation and systemic change. I paint, draw, write, and create from a place of spiritual contemplation, exploration, and experiential discovery in pursuit of growth, wholeness, restoration, and transformation, which seems to never end. Transformation within us can foster transformation around us in our relationships, our communities, and our societies, which in turn, transform us again. The cycle seems to be continuous. The words of Ephesians 3:14-21 have been, and continue to be, transformative for me. God’s power is at work within us. God’s love is infinite as it is also accessible to us. And God can do abundantly more than what we ask or think. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection April H. Bang is an artist, leadership educator, researcher, and practitioner specializing in adaptive leadership, transformative learning and adult development, systemic change, and collaborative capacity building. She is an advanced doctoral student in the Adult Learning and Leadership program of the Organization and Leadership Department at Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to her doctoral studies, she taught leadership to undergraduate students at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea and conducted workshops for students and professionals in Asia. In addition, she has diverse and extensive experience as a practitioner working across the fields of human rights, criminal justice reform, international rule of law development, and economic policy, including work at the Vera Institute of Justice, International Justice Mission, Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Session on Human Rights Commissions and Criminal Justice, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. As a developing artist, April has an on-going curiosity to examine and demonstrate how art could foster individual and collective transformation. She has started to exhibit her visual artwork in galleries and has co-curated a community art installation in Harlem. She is passionate about art, leadership education, community growth and social impact, and her experiential and scholarly research on the restorative and transformative power of the arts in conflict resolution led to an article in the Journal of Transformative Education. Most recently, she completed the Gotham Fellowship, a leadership development program of Redeemer's Center for Faith and Work (CFW), which has inspired her to explore the integration of art, leadership, and theology. She holds an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, an Ed.M. in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia University, and a BA in economics from Smith College. Website April Bang About the Artist April Bang Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Multidisciplinary artist Lauren Ferebee created this theatrical film in response to Psalm 107:23-32. Psalms 107:23-32 Wonders of the Deep By Lauren Ferebee Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2015 Short Film Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I set out in creating this piece to make a theatrical film – since I am primarily a theatre artist, I wanted to retain elements of the theatrical, but wanted to create a response to this verse that could be fully experienced by anyone who interacted with the work via the website. In reading my section of Psalm 107, I was struck by two major elements: the importance of water and travel in the merchants who go out on this journey to another shore, and the way that God chooses to show his might: by bringing them to their knees and then guiding them to safer shores. The first image I had was a woman in red, standing in the middle of a river with a suitcase, uncertain of where her journey will take her. The second image was an origami boat. These two images became central to the visual narrative of the piece. I think what emerged out of that, on a personal and artistic level, was the theme of uncertainty. When we set out on journeys, we have a false sense of knowing where they are going, how they will turn out. What this psalm teaches is that none of us know what may happen on that journey, or how the experience of the journey will affect us, or whether, at the end of it, we will look back on the journey and regret it. All we know is that the pieces (some might say wreckage) of the lives we have made for ourselves inevitably finds its way through with us, and ultimately, we must discover what we will keep, what we will give away and what will follow us no matter how much we try to leave it behind. 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 2 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 3 while in a foreign land Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Lauren Ferebee Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

andrew-schmidt_revelation-16-1-17.jpg Andrew-Schmidt_Revelation-16-1-17_Detail-1.jpg Andrew-Schmidt_Revelation-16-1-17_Detail-2-588x391.jpg Andrew-Schmidt_Revelation-16-1-17_Detail-3-588.jpeg Andrew-Schmidt_Revelation-16-1-17_Detail-4-588x391.jpg Loading Video . . . Artist Andrew Schmidt uses graphite, marker, pen, and ink to explore God's wrath in response to the theme of "Destruction" and Revelation 16:1-17. Revelation 16:1-17 Revelation 16:1-17 By Andrew Schmidt Credits: Artist Location: Michigan Curated by: Evelyn Lewis 2014 15 x 19 inches Graphite, Marker, Pen and Ink on Paper Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I chose this passage from Revelation because I wanted to illustrate the Wrath of God in a more modern approach. The style of the piece is my take on old natural science illustrations and alchemy diagrams of the Heavens. The geometric shape in the center represents God as a continuous form that has seven points or aspects; these then become the vials that contain God's Wrath. The individual Wrath's themselves reminded me of many modern problems we face today such as disease, pollutions, drought, and wild fires. These are all pressing global concerns that are foreshadowed in the Bible on the path to Armageddon. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Andrew Schmidt (b. 1989) is an artist from Ferndale, Michigan. He received his MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art (2014) and BFA in Sculpture + Extended Media from Virginia Commonwealth University (2012). He has shown in Detroit, MI, Philadelphia, PA, and New York City. Website Andrew Schmidt About the Artist Andrew Schmidt Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

steve-forster_prophecy.jpg Loading Video . . . This surprising work by artist Steve Forster responds to 1 Corinthians 13:8-12. 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 Prophecy By Steve Forster Credits: Curated by: Charis J. Carmichael Braun 2013 28 x 56 inches Oil on Linen Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." 1 Corinthians 13:8 Empty space, blank unpainted canvas, is a profound reversal of chaos. More effective than erasure, it is as if the history never happened. An age passes away and becomes undone. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Steve Forster received a BFA in Painting from the University of North Florida and an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art (NYAA), following two years of study at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. Forster utilizes the variety in his artistic training to his advantage, making paintings that are definitively contemporary and simultaneously aware of context informed by art history. A love of paint and craft combines with a flair for the theatrical to create paintings that move the viewer while still leaving unanswered questions. Forster works in New York as a painter and painting instructor at NYAA and at the Long Island Academy of Fine Art. Website Steve Forster About the Artist Steve Forster Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This quirky one-act play by playwright Adam Szymkowicz, performed in this audio recording by a talented group of actors, responds to the book of Titus as a whole. Titus 3:15 Titus 1:15-2:8 Titus 3:1-3:7 Titus 1:1-4 Berbert By Adam Szymkowicz Credits: Playwright by Adam Szymkowicz CAST: T by Anna O’Donoghue CAST: Angie by Nandita Shenoy CAST: Paul by Robert Manning, Jr. CAST: Berbert by Michael Markham Curated by: Michael Markham 2018 One Act Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link In my play, I reset Titus in a corporate setting-- Instead of setting up churches in Crete, "T" is tasked with hiring a new staff at an unnamed office. To me, Titus is about figuring out how to build human organizations correctly and I thought that was apt as in offices all over the country people are aligning mission statements and figuring out best practices. But we are human, and we do not always succeed in the ways we want, as "T" shows us. And it's also possible to fail when you lead with love. But we try all the same to do good, don't we? Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ADAM SZYMKOWICZ ’s plays have been produced throughout the U.S., and in Canada, England, Wales, The Isle of Man, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Greece, Mexico, Turkey, Switzerland, South Korea, Thailand, Sweden, Austria, Slovenia and Lithuania. His work has been presented or developed at such places as Portland Center Stage, MCC Theater, Ars Nova, South Coast Rep, Playwrights Horizons, LCT3, LAByrinth Theater Company, The Lark, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Primary Stages and The New Group, among others. Published plays include Deflowering Waldo, Pretty Theft, Food For Fish, Hearts Like Fists, Incendiary, Clown Bar, The Why Overhead, Adventures of Super Margaret, 7 Ways To Say I Love You, Rare Birds, Marian Or The True Tale of Robin Hood, Kodachrome, Mercy, The Book Store, Old Fashioned Cold Fusion, The Parking Lot, The Night Children, Clown Bar 2, The Wooden Heart, Stockholm Syndrome, 100 Things I Never Said To You, 100 Love Letters I Never Sent and Nerve . His plays are published by Dramatists Play Service, Concord/Samuel French, Playscripts, Broadway Play Publishing, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, Stage Partners and Original Works Publishing, and are featured in numerous Smith and Kraus and Applause books. His monologue book, Small Explosions comes out from Applause in 2023. He was the premiere Resident Playwright at The Chance Theater in Anaheim, CA and the first playwright to participate in Bloomington Playwrights Projects' Square One Series. He has been to The Orchard Project and to JAW at Portland Center Stage, served twice as Playwright in Residence at the William Inge Center, and took part in The Dramatists Guild Fund's Traveling Masters program. Szymkowicz received a grant from the CT Commission on Culture & Tourism, and has been commissioned by South Coast Rep, Rising Phoenix Rep, Texas State University, The NOLA Project, Single Carrot Theater, and Flux Theater Ensemble. Adam received a Playwright's Diploma from The Juilliard School's Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program and an MFA from Columbia University where he was the Dean's Fellow. Szymkowicz is a two-time Lecomte du Nouy Prize winner, a member of the Dramatists Guild, Writer's Guild of America, and was a member of Primary Stages' Dorothy Strelsin New American Writer's Group, the MCC Playwright's Coalition and of the first Ars Nova Play Group. He has interviewed 1000 playwrights on his blog . Szymkowicz is the Literary Manager at The Juilliard School, supporting the playwriting program there. For more, go to www.adamszymkowicz.com . Website Adam Szymkowicz About the Artist Adam Szymkowicz Other Works By Read the script here: Berbert CAST MEMBERS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: Anna O’Donoghue is an actor, writer, and literary manager based in New York City. She has appeared on, off, and off-off-Broadway, and has worked regionally in Maine, Massachusetts, Minneapolis, Missouri, Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School. Nandita Shenoy is an actor-writer living in New York. Previous Adam Szymkowicz plays that she has acted in are Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood produced by Flux Theatre Ensemble and Mercy at the New Jersey Repertory Theater. When not acting in plays by Adam, she writes plays and occasionally stars in them, like her Off-Broadway play, Washer/Dryer, produced by Ma-Yi Theater Company. Nandita holds a BA in English literature from Yale University. AEA/SAG-AFTRA www.nanditashenoy.com Robert Manning, Jr. is a graduate of the University of Washington’s MFA Professional Acting Training Program. Working on Broadway and Off; working in television and film; Rob is honored to lend his voice to this wonderful project. 2008 NAACP Theatre Award Nomination - Best Lead Actor. 2010 NAACP Best Supporting nomination. 2012 NAACP Best Ensemble win. He would like to thank his parents and his lovely family for their continued love and support. For more information on Robert, please visit robertmanningjr.com . Michael Markham — NY Credits: "The Spectacular Demise of Platonov"; "christopher marlowe’s chloroform dreams"; "Mother Courage and Her Children" and "Macbeth" at The Public. Film & TV: Law & Order; The Decades of Mason Carroll; Black Card (HBO); When Things Fall Apart; Home Office; Fumes; Lies. Owner - KiteMonkey Productions. Training: The Juilliard School. SAG-AFTRA, AEA: www.MichaelMarkhamOnline.com Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Emily Rose Hazel's work responds to the incorporates her experiences in Ghana with the theme of "Fools" in response to the passages of Proverbs 1:8–9; 10:14, 21; 17:12, 28; 19:13; 29:20 and Ecclesiastes 10:12 as she builds a poetry collection responding to every theme from the year as a 2013 Spark+Echo Artist in Residence. Proverbs 10:14 Proverbs 1:8-9 Proverbs 10:21 Proverbs 17:12 Proverbs 17:28 Proverbs 19:13 Proverbs 29:20 Ecclesiastes 10:12 Circling the Waist of Wisdom By Emily Ruth Hazel Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2013 2013 Poetry/Spoken Word Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Throughout the book of Proverbs, the foolish and the wise are defined by their contrast with each other—so writing about foolishness naturally led me to explore the tandem theme of wisdom. Proverbs are also an essential part of the rich oral tradition of African cultures. As the meanings almost always hinge on metaphors, proverbs lend themselves to poetic play and reinterpretation. As I learned from African friends in college—both in the United States and in Ghana and South Africa—there is a sense of humor that translates through many African proverbs as well. (One of my personal favorites is, “A leopard is chasing us, and you are asking me, ‘Is it a male or a female?’”) I was interested in creating a poem in which biblical and African proverbs could be in conversation with each other. Framing the poem partly around my own experiences as an American traveling in Ghana, I incorporated eight biblical proverbs, five common African proverbs, and eleven specifically Ghanaian proverbs—a bicultural exploration that deepened my appreciation for the universality of wisdom. Notes on the Poem (Specific to Ghanaian Culture) Asantehene: the highest traditional ruler of the Asante people of Ghana Baobab: African tree with an extremely wide trunk—a symbol of wisdom Batik: commonly worn fabric, dyed using a wax-resist method to create patterns Cedis: Ghanaian currency Harmattan: dry season during which the wind blows dust from the desert Kente: traditional hand-woven cloth featuring bright colors and designs Legon: suburb of Accra, the capital city of Ghana Tro-tro: mode of public transportation—a van that operates similar to a bus Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Emily Ruth Hazel is a poet, writer, and cross-pollinator who is passionate about diversifying the audience for poetry and giving voice to people who have been marginalized. Selected as the Honorary Poet for the 25th Annual Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading in Providence, Rhode Island, she presented a commissioned tribute to the Poet Laureate of Harlem in February of 2020. She is a two-time recipient of national Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prizes and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for a residency at The Hambidge Center in 2014. Her chapbook, Body & Soul (Finishing Line Press, 2005) , was a New Women’s Voices finalist. Emily’s work has appeared in numerous anthologies, magazines, literary journals, and digital projects, including Kinfolks: A Journal of Black Expression and Magnolia: A Journal of Women’s Socially Engaged Literature. Her poetry has also been featured on music albums, in a hair salon art installation, and in a science museum exhibition. Emily has written more than twenty commissioned works for organizations, arts productions, social justice projects, and private clients. Currently, she is developing several poetry book manuscripts and writing lyrics for an original musical inspired by the life of the extraordinary singer and Civil Rights icon Marian Anderson. A graduate of Oberlin College’s Creative Writing Program and a former New Yorker, she is now based in the Los Angeles area. EmilyRuthHazel.com Instagram: @EmilyRuthHazel Facebook.com/EmilyRuthHazel Website Emily Ruth Hazel About the Artist Artist in Residence 2013, Emily Ruth Hazel Word of Mouth In the Wake of the Storm Give Me a Name Homecoming Runaway Give Us This Day Undressing Prayer Emily Ruth Hazel Other Works By Explore the other works composed throughout the year in Emily's poetry collection, created as a 2013 Artist in Residence . Explore her works created throughout the year: “In the Wake of the Storm” LIGHT AND DARKNESS (JANUARY 21, 2013) “Circling the Waist of Wisdom” FOOLS (APRIL 26, 2013) “Homecoming” DANCING (JUNE 27, 2013) “Runaway” LIES (AUGUST 8, 2013) “Give Us This Day” HARVEST (NOVEMBER 14, 2013) “Undressing Prayer” MEMORY (JANUARY 6, 2013) Artists in Residence Spark+Echo Artists in Residence spend a year developing and creating a major work in response to Scripture. Click on their names to view their projects. Current Artists in Residence Spark+Echo Arts seeks to develop and support communities of artists who engage with and create in response to the Bible. Due to the impacts of COVID-19 and some internal changes, we decided to pause the Artist in Residency for a year so that we could regroup our resources. Our hope is to continue offering this opportunity in 2021. Previous Artists in Residence 2020 Sapient Soul, Marlanda Dekine (Poetry + Spoken Word) 2019 Lancelot Schaubert (Short Story) 2018 Elias Popa (Installation Art) 2017 Aaron Beaumont (Music), Lily Maase (Music) 2016 Ebitenyefa Baralaye (Visual Art), Chris Knight (Film), Lauren Ferebee (Theatre), Stephanie Miracle (Dance) 2015 Benje Daneman (Music), Jason DaSilva (Film), Melissa Beck (Visual Art), Don Nguyen (Theatre), Christine Suarez (Dance), The Spark & Echo Band (Music) 2013 Nicora Gangi (Visual Art), Emily Ruth Hazel (Poetry) Related Information View More Art Make More Art Cozy in a carrel, I held words, studied the chemistry between them, listened to their music, and learned how molten meanings form beneath their layers. View Full Written Work Circling the Waist of Wisdom by Emily Ruth Hazel 1. A New Side of Knowing All through college, I had a steady date with the library. Cozy in a carrel, I held words, studied the chemistry between them, listened to their music, and learned how molten meanings form beneath their layers. Parting the pages of books, entering headfirst into the turbulent waters of the world’s deepest minds, I bartered sleep for knowledge. Wisdom was a separate goal, something I hoped to acquire at an antique shop decades down the road after I had earned my senior discount. I didn’t expect to meet Wisdom in the flesh during a semester away in Ghana. Yet there he was, working in an Internet café I frequented on campus in Legon. A friendly gatekeeper of all the world’s ideas, he sold students access by the minute. If I had pictured Wisdom as a person, he would have had a waist-long beard like cotton batting, the stuff of dreams pulled apart. Instead, he was a young man, clean-cut, smooth as Swiss chocolate. His smile, wide as a banana leaf, always offered a moment of welcome shade. His given name a poet’s dream, I wondered what it must be like for Wisdom to wear that weighty, golden virtue around his neck: a single blunder or a chain of poor decisions could turn his name into an oxymoron, making fools of his parents. When my flash drive died mid-semester, all the words I had carefully strung together scattered like bright beads from a broken string. Bargaining with technology was as pointless as my attempts to whittle down the price of bananas at the market. (How was I to know there are some things one simply doesn’t bargain for?) Wisdom couldn’t replace my lost memory, but he knew where to find what I needed. I handed him hundreds of thousands of cedis— what seemed like my entire college savings— and true to his word, Wisdom traveled by tro-tro, kilometers beyond helpful, to buy me a flash drive that could hold twice as many insights as I had time left to gather. 2. Seasoned with Wisdom In Ghana, I cooked in unfamiliar kitchens, gleaning lessons from friends. I found my way through the maze of narrow aisles at the market in search of rice, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and oil; discovered which peppers never to buy again; learned to wait till the plantains’ skins grew black and trust that the fruit, ready to fry, would be perfectly sweet inside. Ghanaians love to season conversations with proverbs: a joke mixed in with a knowing look, a warning when somebody stirs the pot. They say, Where God boils his yam, that is exactly where the devil roasts his fish. And doesn’t a pinch of wisdom, like cayenne pepper, deliver the kick we need? Doesn’t it, like salt, preserve and bring out the best in us, and sometimes burn? A hard saying is the blunt edge of the knife that spares us from the sharper side of pain, keeps us from befriending wolves in shearling jackets, from tripping at the cliff’s edge and plummeting into the canyon of our appetites, from running barefoot into the briar patch of another romance before the berries are ripe. 3. Gold for the Keeping To get lost is to learn the way. If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. When the desert winds arrive, even the sky is thirsty; no one can prepare for harmattan by drinking a river. They are worth more than rubies, these revelations mined from the mind of an expert guide or hewn from the rough terrain of a reckless life or sifted through the swirling, careful spill of years. How they glitter amidst the ordinary—a vein of insight, flecks of light floating in a muddy stream. While keepers of hard-earned wisdom open their doors to seekers, they never set out all their treasures where anyone can see them from the street. But those who don’t know better display in their front windows every cheap conclusion like a surplus of dollar store trinkets. A simpleton may be mistaken for a sage if he stays silent, but there is more hope for a fool than for the speaker of unmeasured words. The tongue weighs practically nothing, but few have muscle enough to hold it. 4. Among Family A man has to hold his mouth open a long time before a rotisserie chicken flies into it. When a woman is hungry, she says, “Cook something for the children so they can eat.” A nagging spouse is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof. She thinks, If he were wise, he would have fixed it the first time. And he thinks, If she were wise, she would stop asking and do it herself. Through the cracks we catch glimpses of each other, and marriage is like a peanut shell that must be cracked to see what is inside. A wise son brings joy to his parents, a fistful of wildflowers to grace the family table. A foolish child comes running home, hungry for trouble, his legs a pair of scissors puncturing the afternoon ahead of him, a chorus of matches burning a hole in his pocket. On greeting his parents, he thrusts out his fists, demanding that they guess which one holds a surprise. His fingers uncurl to reveal what he has brought them, and both hands are full of disaster. 5. Playing the Fool Act One: Folly wears a jester’s hat and stands before the court, clumsily juggling swords and glass goblets. Intermission: by the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed. Act Two: Folly, in a dunce cap, faces the blackboard, grasping a stub of chalk, dragging out the dusty words, I will not be what I am, I will not be what I am… 6. The Fool’s Apprentice An over-the-counter remedy for foolishness, wisdom’s potency, derived from the root of experience, is easier to swallow packed into the colorful capsule of a metaphor. No one with any sense jumps in with both feet to test the water’s depth. Only fools know everything; a wise driver admits to having blind spots. Pity the fool’s apprentice who pulls out in traffic in front of the master fool gunning it toward rash and stupid schemes. Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to cross a fool hellbent on folly. A fool won’t flirt with wisdom, though wisdom will deign to chase a fool. 7. In Hindsight Wisdom is the often forgotten umbrella. Sometimes I even choose to leave it dangling from a doorknob, ignoring the slim prediction of rain, then cursing my sheer foolishness when the sky bottoms out. I am the keeper of a junkyard of regrets, decisions that have crashed or rusted through— their engines and wheels, whatever healthy organs they had, long since harvested. This is how the rest of us wax wise: by surveying the wreckage, salvaging any usable parts, and selling as scrap metal all that remains, hoping it will be recycled. 8. More Than a Mouthful Wisdom is at home in the company of listeners while the know-it-all lives lonely in a house without a door, trapped within the walls of pride he has built around himself. The counsel of the wise is graciously given and nourishing to many, but starving fools refuse it, their stomachs stuffed with self-importance, no room left for wisdom. Consumed by their own lips, it is the thoughtless who cover their ears and chew the air, mouths full of empty words. Unlike the taste of what we know, if proverbs are not offered as after-dinner mints that melt away immediately, their pastel flavor predictably sweet—can the wisdom of God be contained in a shallow, glass bowl into which we dip a spoon in passing? If God’s words are instead as sticky as Ghanaian toffee, can they be eaten without being chewed? Perhaps they are meant to make our jaws work, quiet us a moment, keep us from filling all the space between us with the sound of our own talking. 9. How Wide Around Wisdom is like a baobab tree spreading its roots and branches, taking hold of both the soil and the sky. The ancient trunk of wisdom is a fortress we stretch to embrace; no one person’s arms can wrap themselves around it. 10. Wearing Wisdom What if God’s thoughts hide from human intellect but reveal themselves to the heart? What if our own wisdom is only in our minds, not sewn into the linings of our lives? What if the threads we wear as we parade past all the spectators are the same line of apparel made by the tailors who fashioned the Emperor’s new clothes? And what if we are also the people in the crowd, each of us shamed into silence, afraid that we ourselves will be exposed, declared unfit for whatever positions we hold? I reimagine the tale as it might be told in Ghana, the Asantehene guaranteed the finest kente cloth by master weavers: the storyteller looks at me, declares, When a naked person promises you cloth, beware. A stitcher of lies will fit you for a gorgeous gown woven out of air. At the market in Accra, I fingered dozens of fabrics, admiring eye-catching patterns, swooning over the vibrant colors. Later came the embarrassment of measurements taken by strangers, then the excitement of seeing my own designs take shape as wearable art. Clothed in the work of their hands, when I saw my reflection, I felt a new kinship with the women around me, reminded how much of what I’ve worn had meaning to somebody else before it became my own. Beneath the batik, close to my skin, a slip of memory: my sister and I at a thrift shop our mother used to take us to in the basement of an old stone church. When I was little, I would weasel my way into the center of each round clothing rack, disappear in a forest of dresses and pants. Tucked in the far corner of the shop, beyond a set of saloon doors, was a tiny fitting room. Though I haven’t been back there in decades, I can see myself now, standing in my stocking feet, ducking down behind the swinging doors. I am trying on the hand-me-down ways of wisdom, slipping them over my head, blindly fumbling for the armholes. There— another transformation. Wearing a proverb I haven’t committed to keeping, again I am made new, and I am everyone before me, all their stories echoing in the glass, the tag’s plastic stem still poking me from somewhere inside as I turn slowly, studying myself from other angles in the mirror of the word. Close Loading Video . . . Cozy in a carrel, I held words, studied the chemistry between them, listened to their music, and learned how molten meanings form beneath their layers. Download Full Written Work