The Work of Our Hands Newsletter / Fall 2007

Giving Voice, Discovering Gifts and Building Community Through Art

Quote of the Day: I hate flowers and paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move.”

Georgia O’Keeffe

Our Office Address: 3098 St. Anne’s Lane, Atlanta, GA 30327. Our phone number --404-216-4041

Art and Messiness

I began thinking about this when we were invited to do some art demonstrations at a church conference. I wanted to know whether there would be space at the conference center where we could be messy—because artists almost always make a mess. The potter’s wheel throws off clay and water in all directions. The potter’s hands and clothes are covered with clay. The wood turner leaves shavings all over the shop floor and himself. The painter not only covers the canvas with acrylics or oil but also herself. It is a mess. Artists are not fastidious about neatness nor particularly orderly people. As I was taking my evening walk late one night, I looked up into the starry sky and it dawned on me that maybe all those stars strewn throughout the cosmos are something like the clay thrown from off the potter’s wheel or the shavings from the lathe. Earth, our “fragile island home,” which we know is not the center of the universe, is also part of what has been spun off from the Creator’s hand. Is God messy too?

There are those who find messiness intolerable and are frightened by disorder. Creativity has often been squeezed out of people by insisting that they color inside the lines. The urge for order is a positive one, but it also has some sinister dimensions. Following World War I when Bolshevism was on the rise, and there was a worldwide depression and Germany was humiliated by the Versailles Treaty, W.B. Yeats wrote, “Things fall a part, the center cannot hold. Mere anarchy is loosed on the earth” Fascism and National Socialism arose because they promised order. It is said that the one thing Mussolini accomplishes was to make the trains run on time. I remember visiting Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp. There I saw the bullet pock-marked wall where thousands were shot and the ovens where the bodies were burnt, but I also saw signs all over about diligence, order and cleanliness and keeping beds made. A missing button on a jacket or a spot on the floor could result in severe punishment. And, yes, there were flower gardens.

The artistic endeavor, by its very nature creates disorder. It deconstructs in order to reconstruct. The Hindu god Shiva is the destroyer of the world. But Shiva also represents the shedding of old habits and clearing the way so that a new creation can emerge. In ancient mythology the Phoenix rises from the ashes. This might have some relevance for us in the light of the Tsunami and Katrina. Of course, the phoenix is also a symbol of the resurrection. The artist takes apart and re-orders and makes a new creation. We now know from modern physics that the universe is not nearly so orderly as Newton thought. The universe is often unpredictable and chaotic, but physics has also discovered that at a very deep level there is a profound order, not yet fully discerned. But one cannot get at that deeper order by denying the reality of chaos, for out of it comes a new creation. Robert Herrick, a 17th century poet, wrote “Delight in Disorder.” He says,

A sweet disorder in the dress

Kindles in clothes a wantonness.

And concludes:

A careless shoestring, in whose tie

I see a wild civility:

Do more bewitch me than when art

Is too precise in every part

St. Joseph’s Craft Center at Mikell

The Pods: There are five pods, twenty by thirty feet each. The large bay doors offer easy access for loading and unloading and ventilation. All are heated and there is water in the pottery studio.. Three of the studios are equipped and dedicated for woodturning, pottery and weaving. The other two are for painting and stained glass but may be used for other crafts. The wood turning studio had eight lathes, a band saw, a grinding wheel, bowl gouges and other equipment. The pottery room has three potter’s wheels, a slab roller and two kilns which will be in a separate firing room.. The room for weaving includs six weaving looms, sewing machines and frames for rug hooking. There will be equipment for stained glass making, and supplies for other crafts. One of the pods is for office space, Bathrooms are at the end of the building.

The Space: The building will be used by summer camp programs, parish weekend groups, the Folk School and other special art events. Artist groups in the community will use the building for classes, demonstrations and group meetings.

A New Dimension: St. Jospeh’s Center adds a new dimension and variety to the facilities at Mikell Conference Center. The space allows for “creative messiness,” and will be for young and old, rich and poor, the people of the Diocese of Atlanta and the wider community.

The Cost: The building cost over $170,000, and we continue to welcome contributions for this facility and the scholarship fund that has been established. All contributions are tax deductible and should be sent to theWork of Our Hands, 3098 St. Anne’s Lane, Atlanta, GA 30327 and designated “Art Building.”

Plan Now for Folk School VIII at Mikell Conference Center, March 7-9 2008.

We expect over a hundred and twenty participants to try their hand at creativity. They will have an opportunity to work with an experienced artist in one of thirteen areas including painting, photography, basket making, creative writing, quilting, pottery, weaving, wood turning, stained glass, rug hooking, open hearth cooking, wood working, scroll saw creations, photography and tile making.. New offerings are added each year. Skill level of participants range from beginner to expert. All teach one another. Participants will also have the opportunity to hear and respond to a presentation on art and spirituality. There will be time for participants to enjoy the outdoors, to work at their craft, and reflect on and share the work they have done over the weekend. There is community time, singing, contra dancing with the Sweetwater Jam Band, and, as always, great food. There is a “show and tell” on the last day of the weekend, and all be amazed at what can be created in such a short time.

left: Dick Haining turns.

\UPDATE ON THE ART CENTERS WE SPONSOR

The Community Art Project works with small groups of children during the Emmaus House Summer Camp. There are offerings in wood turning, woodworking, pottery, computer graphics and other crafts. There is also an after school program, a program with the Senior Citizens group, and an evening A.A. group and an after school program.. .

Volunteers to help with the various programs are most welcome—one does not need a lot of “artistic” talent. Woodworking, woodturning, craft projects and ceramics are on Saturday. The seniors l work in painting and pottery on Fridays. The A. A. group at Emmaus House is also involved in these art projects. Call Charlotte Cameron at 404-403-1344 if interested in helping.

The Holy Comforter Friendship House Art Program continues to meet at Woodland Hills Baptist Church. There are offerings in wood turning, woodworking with the scroll saw, pottery and creaming, painting and weaving. The Friendship House community has art shows all over the southeast—from Florida to North Carolina

ART IN THE CITY

There will be a “Walk to Emmaus House” in October. The youth of the Diocese of Atlanta and Emmaus House are sponsoring this event. The proceeds will go to support Emmaus House ministries. At the conclusion of the walk there will be an open house and art demonstrations at Ford Hall.

Art, Folk Art and Crafts

Here are some dictionary definitions:

“Art: Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium. “

“Folk Art: Art originating among the common people of a nation or region and usually reflecting their traditional culture, especially everyday or festive items produced or decorated by unschooled artists.”

“Craft: Skill in doing or making something, as in the arts; proficiency. An occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or skilled artistry. To make by hand.”

“The Arts and Crafts Movement began in the last half of the 19th century to revitalize handicrafts during an era of increasing mass production. English designer William Morris led the movement, founding a firm in 1861 that attacked the sterility and ugliness of machine made products by promoting handmade textiles, books, wallpaper, and furniture. Around him grew a circle of other artisans devoted to his ideals. Glasgow, Scotland, became a center of the movement in the 1890’s. The movement was the principal forerunner of the art noveau style and was one of the dominant sources of 20th century modernism.”

Non-Profit Status

The Work of Our Hands is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. We exist to support two art centers in the inner city serving poor children, adults and seniors, and mentally challenged adults, and to encourage creativity We also sponsor seminars and week-end conferences where the spiritual dimensions of art can be explored. Our overhead is extremely small, so almost 100% of all gifts go directly to our target programs.

Any gifts, large or small are tax deductible and will be welcomed.

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