Dear Samuel,
I coordinated an art exhibit that made all well with my soul. On January 25, 2013 I gave a "Gallery Talk". Here is some of what I shared in words and in spirit with my students and special friend Travis Tamerius. It was Travis who reminded me that artists are like prophets and serve as the antenna for the human race. With a spiritual antenna up, artists are sometimes prophetic and express that which is seen from the eyes of the soul, and sometimes art can be like a Holy Spirit blowing through our souls! Artists sometimes see the invisible, believe the unbelievable and receive the impossible. Today I speak as an artist, teacher, father and friend, anchoring my words in art that is a manifestation of the prophecy of Dr. Martin Luther King. My words are reinforced by the memory of a friend,(the late Jane Bierdman Fike). Jane shared the ideals of Dr. King and the art exhibit in the corridor gallery here at William Woods University is a tribute to both Dr.King and Mrs. Fike. If they could be here with us, I believe it would make them very happy to celebrate with us today as we focus first on the art by children at the Fulton Head Start Center. We smile and feel hopeful when we look at the canvases created by these children. We see their art and must reflect how Dr. King’s dream came true. When we see the art of these children, we should also agree that we still have much to accomplish as we establish the full measure of Dr. King’s Dream. Today I want to focus on who Dr. Martin Luther King was: I believe it is most important to remember him as a Christian minister. The transformation of a better society that he dreamed of was by faith! By faith he lived his life without fear of death in order our lives might have a brighter future. I remember Jane Fike coming to me a number of years ago and requesting of me and William Woods art students, an art exhibit, designed to make the community reflect upon social reform. Her wish came true and we honor the wish again today one year after her death. I believe this present exhibit and my comments serve as another reminder of challenges our society faces in 2013. Jane became a student of art and one of her works of art is in this exhibit. Also I have included her funeral bulletin in this exhibit. This bulletin was also planned and created by Jane. Because of her faith she, like Dr. Martin Luther King saw the invisible, believed the unbelievable and received the impossible. She like Dr. King, lived with her spiritual antenna up! She inspired me to coordinate this exhibit and to invite others to celebrate the dignity we desire for all human beings! I want to conclude this gallery talk today by hearing Dr. King’s speech from our own voices. On the back on my faith based painting I have attached a copy of his famous “ I have a Dream Speech” I would ask for volunteers among you to read one paragraph and then pass the copy to another reader until we read aloud his famous I Have a Dream speech. Finally as each of you reflect upon your faith and how it strengthens you and empowers you, I want to share a story from thousands of years ago about a woman’s faith that was quite an example for us today.
Click link below to read more about "The Art of Caring"
http://williamwoods.edu/media_relations/flip_book/the_hoot/feb_2013/index.html#/18/
I coordinated an art exhibit that made all well with my soul. On January 25, 2013 I gave a "Gallery Talk". Here is some of what I shared in words and in spirit with my students and special friend Travis Tamerius. It was Travis who reminded me that artists are like prophets and serve as the antenna for the human race. With a spiritual antenna up, artists are sometimes prophetic and express that which is seen from the eyes of the soul, and sometimes art can be like a Holy Spirit blowing through our souls! Artists sometimes see the invisible, believe the unbelievable and receive the impossible. Today I speak as an artist, teacher, father and friend, anchoring my words in art that is a manifestation of the prophecy of Dr. Martin Luther King. My words are reinforced by the memory of a friend,(the late Jane Bierdman Fike). Jane shared the ideals of Dr. King and the art exhibit in the corridor gallery here at William Woods University is a tribute to both Dr.King and Mrs. Fike. If they could be here with us, I believe it would make them very happy to celebrate with us today as we focus first on the art by children at the Fulton Head Start Center. We smile and feel hopeful when we look at the canvases created by these children. We see their art and must reflect how Dr. King’s dream came true. When we see the art of these children, we should also agree that we still have much to accomplish as we establish the full measure of Dr. King’s Dream. Today I want to focus on who Dr. Martin Luther King was: I believe it is most important to remember him as a Christian minister. The transformation of a better society that he dreamed of was by faith! By faith he lived his life without fear of death in order our lives might have a brighter future. I remember Jane Fike coming to me a number of years ago and requesting of me and William Woods art students, an art exhibit, designed to make the community reflect upon social reform. Her wish came true and we honor the wish again today one year after her death. I believe this present exhibit and my comments serve as another reminder of challenges our society faces in 2013. Jane became a student of art and one of her works of art is in this exhibit. Also I have included her funeral bulletin in this exhibit. This bulletin was also planned and created by Jane. Because of her faith she, like Dr. Martin Luther King saw the invisible, believed the unbelievable and received the impossible. She like Dr. King, lived with her spiritual antenna up! She inspired me to coordinate this exhibit and to invite others to celebrate the dignity we desire for all human beings! I want to conclude this gallery talk today by hearing Dr. King’s speech from our own voices. On the back on my faith based painting I have attached a copy of his famous “ I have a Dream Speech” I would ask for volunteers among you to read one paragraph and then pass the copy to another reader until we read aloud his famous I Have a Dream speech. Finally as each of you reflect upon your faith and how it strengthens you and empowers you, I want to share a story from thousands of years ago about a woman’s faith that was quite an example for us today.
Click link below to read more about "The Art of Caring"
http://williamwoods.edu/media_relations/flip_book/the_hoot/feb_2013/index.html#/18/