Episode Details

We are delighted to begin a new series of "Arts Wednesdays" for the friends and patrons of the Seminary.  (Please take a listen to the audio for an introduction to this work!)

Each week we hope to bring you different artwork, artists and reflections on these in order to connect to the being of Christ as the "creator" and how he continues his creative work in us. 

And the exciting news is that these reflections will often be written and shared by you, our friends and patrons!  We are reaching out to individuals who we think have something they could share in this way and are so looking forward to sharing their work with you.

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Today, I wish to draw your attention to an incredible organization that is working young African American men and boys in after-school programs and summer programs emphasizing artistic practice.  They call themselves, "Life Pieces to Masterpieces". 

I met the co-founder of the program, Mary Brown, back in D.C. in my ecumenical work with our youth group at the congregation there.  I heard her describe the mission of their work in a profound way.  Its whole goal is to awaken the sense in their young men that they are artists - artists of their lives. In fact, each one of them is called an 'apprentice' when they join the program.  Through the discipline of the arts they hope to build this muscle of creative agency to turn whatever may be happening in life into something true and beautiful.

In addition to the artistic work, they introduce them to spiritual disciplines, such as meditation.  You can see an image of their guiding principles:

A major part of the artistic practice they employ is the combination of collage, where you gather pieces together that you yourself did not make, and painting, the part you add to bring all the separate 'pieces' together.  Another way they do this is through 'quilting' technique.  Here are two moving pieces created by their 'apprentices' using these techniques that they posted on their website:

This theme of the lion is taken up in a beautiful piece that shows a transition from the night and the moon into the day and the sun:

It was so striking to meet the work of this group back then (around 2009).  Having just done trash collection with our youth along the Anacostia river, we came into the facilities of this organization quite burdened by the lack of hope that was expressed in what we found.  When we cam into the rooms of this organization, met the people and saw the artwork, we felt we had encountered a star shining hope into the night.

We hope that this short introduction to the work of "Life Pieces to Masterpieces" gives you a small sense of this hopeful light and that you will visit their site for yourselves.

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