Advent Commission - Stretching/Growing Pains!

Ever have that feeling that it's time to move on from the old to something new and not know exactly what that is?  This year has been all about that feeling in the life of Judy Connor Jones. In March I began a process of taking a look at what I have done for 27 years with the business of Judy Connor Jones and pondering (more like searching) where I am going next. It's a daunting task to move from the familiar to the unknown and yet all the while knowing something new needs to happen. I've been working through Jane Dunnewold's on-line Creative Strength Training class which has given me the freedom to play, explore, and process the next step. It also has given me the encouragement to step out and create new work in new areas. One of those areas is Ecclesiastical Installations. I've dabbled in this off and on for around 10 years.

This Advent season I had the chance to create work for First Congregational Church in Madison, CT.  This was the first time I have ever been approached to do this type of work on a commission basis in a church where I am not a member or attend. This was HUGE! They were actually going to pay me! So early in the year when I was contacted and asked if I would create 2 panels with a contemporary looking star on them for Advent, I said "Yes. I can do that!" OK! Excited? YES! Did I know how I was going to achieve this? NO! But I was excited to begin the process of discovering how it was going to happen.

In July I took a trip to Madison to check out the sanctuary and where these panels were going to be hung. They were going to be installed in the front of the sanctuary and would be 4 feet wide by 15 feet long. Yikes! All of a sudden the enormity of the project hit me! How was I going to do this? Where was I going to do this?  How was I going to get the right prospective on the size of the star?

I wandered around the church and took lots of photos from all angles of the space where they would hang. I took photos from the front, sides, and back of the sanctuary to see how they might be viewed. Then I went home to figure out how this was going to happen!

The easy job was ordering supplies, fabric and paint. The hard part was finding a space to create the work. After some thought and measuring my studio space, I moved my looms and a few other equipment pieces to the side so I would have enough space to work in my studio. This proved to be more valuable than I thought. Naively I thought I would just prepare the fabric, lay it out on a table and paint the star! Presto done! Maybe two days to paint the stars, 2 days to prepare my studio, 2 days drying/curing time and another day to do finishes, hanging devices and instructions, along with other incidental work that needed to be done to complete the project. Boy, was I wrong!  It wasn't quite that easy.

 

I started making drawings from my photos, setting up the studio, and washing and ironing 30 feet of fabric on October 21. the project was completed on November15.  Granted I didn't work every waking hour but it took that long to work out all the steps I needed to go through to create the work. I was thinking and re-thinking each step. For instance, after the first panel was done it became a challenge to figure out how to create the second so it looked similar to the first. Since these were hand painted they couldn't possibly be exactly the same. I made that happen by using a carbon pencil, tracing the first star, then transferring the carbon markings to the second panel. It worked!!

                                                          

The greatest challenge was creating the star proportionally to the 4' x 15' dimensions of the panel and proportionally to the sanctuary size. Keep in mind that the largest panel I have ever done in a church was 2.5 feet x 11 feet. This project was double that size. And there were two of them! Also keep in mind that I am only 5 feet 3.5 inches tall! With the work flat on a very long extended table and having to walk around the table to paint across 4 feet of fabric, I soon discovered that it was hard to see the full prospective of how things were looking and if everything was going straight. I needed to figure out a way to see the full prospective. So periodically I moved the panels to view them draped down my studio steps.  This was the largest space in my house that could give me a better look at where I needed to extend, add, and/or in some cases, straighten rays.

Once both panels were painted, the dowels were prepared for hanging the work. Installation directions were written and off to Madison they went. I held my breath and hoped that everything would look good when installed.

Last weekend, the second weekend in Advent, my husband and I traveled back to Madison to see the panels in their new home. My wish was that they would inspire and in some way bring new light to the congregation's experiences during the Advent season. From the response I received when worshiping there last weekend, I would say my wish was fulfilled.

I'd like to close this blog post with a quote from the minister of the First Congregational Church, The Reverend Todd Vetter. I love the idea that the Star is reaching down touch and meet each of us.

"The Star has become synonymous with the Advent and Christmas seasons. We know the story of the Wise Men following it from the East, in search of a king newly born and carrying the promise of God with him. The light of the Star symbolizes more as well. The rays on the banner serve as a sign and reminder this season that God's light reaches down to meet us where we are and as we are, and to dwell among as Immanuel, God-with-us, God-forgive-us, and God-in-us.

Despite all the turmoil in the world today, May this Star be your Light this Holiday Season.

  

Weaving an Advent Art Journey - Week 2

What does weaving have to do with an Advent art journey? If you missed the answer to this and week one, I encourage you to check out the previous post, http://studiojottings.blogspot.com/2014/12/weaving-advent-art-journey.html .  This will give you some background info for this week's post.

Week Two in our Advent theme at Pilgrim Church was "Prepare the Way for Peace". We thought about ways we see signs of preparing the way for peace in our lives and the world.  Pretty current topic as we are bombarded everyday in the news with non-peaceful happenings around us. Are there things happening that are working toward Peace? Do we see signs of it in our lives? What ways are we working for Peace?  These are important and valid questions to reflect on. In thinking about these questions we are also preparing the way for the Christ Child.

Our thoughts were written on "paper straw" and then added to the manger as a symbol of the comfort and peace we both seek and find in this season of Advent.

As our journey continues, after coffee hour, we worked on getting the next elements ready.  Here's a few pictures of preparing the cloth which will be used on Sunday, December 14 as we think about "Preparing the Way for Joy".

Each week in Advent we will add to the installation as we think about preparing the way for Joy, and Love. The completion of the installation will be Christmas Eve.  Keep checking back to my blog and follow along on your own journey of preparation. Better yet, if you live near Duxbury, MA come join us! http://pilgrimchurchofduxbury.org

Weaving an Advent Art Journey

What does weaving have to do with an Advent art journey?  As an artist and a person of faith, I believe that a God who created humans in his/her image would also give each and everyone of us the ability to create.  I know what you're thinking, "I don't have a creative bone in my body! What is she talking about!" Too often I hear this from people as they admire my woven work or quickly respond to my suggestion that they might be creative also. However, I believe that everyone has this ability.  You may not be able to do what I do, but somewhere in the depths of your being there is a creative spot.  It just needs to be brought out.  That's where community comes in.

One very important community for me is within the church.  Several years ago as I sat in worship I thought about how art is used in churches. It seemed to be all visual, if there even was any art, and the design and implementation was relegated to the "Artists".  That bothered me and I began to think how art could be more than just something we look at while sitting in the pews.  So I developed what I call "Participatory Art in Worship".  At the church where I was a member at the time, the minister, music director, and myself formed a worship team. Together we led the worship attendees through a new creative involvement. It would be too lengthy to go into details in this post of the many installations we led but you can read more about them if you click on the side label Ecclesiastical Installations.  Here is one link but there are several others, http://studiojottings.blogspot.com/2010/03/ecclesiastical-installation.html. From these posts you can get an idea of how this art form developed over several years.

So that leads me to today and the work we are doing at Pilgrim Church in Duxbury, MA.  Advent is a time of preparation. Over the four weeks of Advent to help us prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child we are using participatory art as a way to "Prepare the Way for Hope, Peace, Joy and Love" in our lives and the world. We are weaving (get the connection?!) a journey through word, thought, music, and art.

The first Sunday in Advent was Sunday, November 30.  The theme for our Advent Journey is "Prepare the Way of the Lord".  During the service, we reflected on where we see signs of HOPE as we prepare the way for hope in our lives and the world. In preparation of the Christ Child's arrival we are building a manger as the centerpiece of our installation. Each person in worship was asked to write their reflective word or phrase on a paper log which later we added to the manger.  The children during the Children's Time brought  driftwood (since Duxbury is an ocean town) as a symbol of building the manger.

After worship during the coffee hour our paper logs were added to the manger frame.  These written reflective thoughts are prayers which are offered as part of the manger. All were welcome to help attach the logs and the driftwood to the manger frame.

Each week in Advent we will add to the installation as we think about preparing the way for Peace, Joy, and Love. The completion of the installation will be Christmas Eve. I'll share pictures of the process and each week's installation.  Keep checking back to my blog and follow along on your own journey of preparation. Better yet, if you live near Duxbury, MA come join us! http://pilgrimchurchofduxbury.org

Inspiration and Stretching!

I came across a website recently that talked about inspiration and how it showed up in designer and artist's work. It was mostly pictures so you could definitely see the inspiration and how it manifested in the work.  It could be color, drape, patterned, texture, or any other element that drew the artist in. Here's the site if you want to take a look, http://www.dazeddigital.com/blog/article/15837/1/the-rage-in-eden#.UT8MA8c_t-Q.facebook.

I've mentioned before how artist's work or designer's work has inspired me. Barnet Newman, abstract artist, influenced my "zip scarves" ( http://studiojottings.blogspot.com/2009/11/november-skies.html ),  Christo influenced the Ecclesiastical installations I did with my church
( http://studiojottings.blogspot.com/2010/03/ecclesiastical-installation.html ), and many years ago I won an award at the Philadelphia Guild of Handweaver's Annual Exhibit for yardage that I wove inspired by a Fortuny gown. Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures of the piece to show you.  I was inspired by the colors which used Lavender and Peach together, not a choice I would have made on my own.

"Zip" Scarves by Judy Connor Jones

Lenten Panels at First Baptist Church, Plymouth, MA

The point is, other artist's work not only inspires the work we produce but forces us to stretch and go where we might not have gone.

So what work has inspired you?  How did it stretch you as an artist?  Would love it if you shared your experiences and inspirations in the comment section.

Here's hoping today will bring inspiration to you!

Mandala, hand dyed silk by Judy Connor Jones

An Easter Art Journey

I wanted to share once again the post I wrote last Easter.  It was based on an Easter Art Installation at  First Baptist Church in Plymouth.  It's about journeys.  I share it again with hopes that your life journey will be fulfilling and blessed.
http://studiojottings.blogspot.com/2010/04/alleluia.html

Ecclesiastical Installation

Its now the Christmas season in the liturgical calendar.  During the advent season I worked once again with my church on a participatory art installation.  During the four weeks in Advent a new piece of the installation was added with the last piece installed on Christmas Eve.

Working in a large scale format has been something I have been learning to do over the last couple of years.  It is so totally different from my "women's wearable" work and so challenging that  I am always amazed at how it turns out! I am committed to these ecclesiastical projects being not just observed but participatory.  So in the planning many points of varied participation are built in.  The process goes sort of like this:

Themes for the season, based on biblical passages, are developed by the persons responsible for worship.  Sometimes it is a committee but more times it is my husband who happens to be the minister of First Baptist Church in Plymouth. We usually discuss various ways the theme will be played out in worship, I put on my thinking cap (usually in the shower!), and after much dreaming and envisioning come up with a basic idea.  At that point other people are brought into the planning process and ideas begin to come together. Many times the idea evolves more fully as the piece evolves.  Any artist will tell you, its an ever ongoing process!!!!! 

The theme for this advent was Being/Becoming a People of Hope, Peace, Justice, and Faith.  Each week in advent one of these themes would be the focus of worship. We chose to make banners out of silk which had these words stenciled on them, one word for each week, four banners in all. 

So planning was the first point of participation involving members of the congregation. The second point of involvement  was in the actual making of the piece.  We had a total of 14 people involved at some point in the making and installing of the piece. This involved preparing the banners by sewing hems, making the stencils, and stenciling the words onto the banners.

The installation was another challenge as we decided to install the banners in the round at the front of the pulpit area.  I am so thankful that we have one man in our church who can always figure out how to do this.  I just have to say to him, Mike, this is what we want to do and how can we do it and he comes up with the idea!  I call him my "Install Guy".  "He's The Man" and I couldn't do it without him!!!!!!

So now we have two points of participation or connection.  The third point happens each week as people enter the church and see the addition for that day's worship theme.  We also had an insert in the bulletin each week which asked reflective questions so the worshiper was drawn into the piece in a way other than simply viewing it.

As each person entered the sanctuary they were given a white dove cut out of cardstock. At one point in the worship service they were asked to write on the dove the answer to the following question, where do you see signs of ........ (Hope, Peace, Justice, Faith)?  The doves were collected to be used on Christmas Eve. This was point four of participation.
 

The final installation was on Christmas Eve when all the doves were installed in a descending manner in the center to celebrate the coming of Christ to the World. This created the fifth point of connection as all could view the final installment and celebrate that "Christ has Come"!

Since the Christmas season has just begun in the liturgical calendar the installation will be up for a few weeks.  You can see more pictures on the church's website at http://www.fbc-plymouth.org/. If you live in Plymouth, stop by on a Sunday and you too can experience "this thing which has come to pass". 

 "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory."

Christ has come! Hallelujah!  

Alleluia!

During the six weeks of Lent First Baptist Church in Plymouth has been on a “Journey to Newness.” We have experienced the sign posts of temptation, challenge, reliance, grace, assurance, and boldness along the way. Each of us has traveled our own path and along the way we have encounter others headed for the same destination, the newness that the resurrection brings.

A significant part of our journey to newness has been to let go of the past and yet at the same time use the past to help shape the future. We symbolized that by taking the old purple panels that hung in the sanctuary previous years during Lent and making them into something new. I worked with a small group in the church to create the new art experience within the context of worship. The art piece we created symbolized our starting out on separate paths, which merged as we traveled along the way to the cross and newness.

Now it is Easter. The newness has emerged. The purple has been replaced by white. Our paths are now woven together as we experience the Resurrected Christ. Our many paths have become one. We are one and yet many as we each journey in newness out into the world.

Alleluia! Have a Joyous and Blessed Easter!

Ecclesiastical Installation

I've mentioned before in this blog about working with my church on what I call "Experiential Art Within the Context of Worship". Long title but it best describes one way I feel that art can be expressed in the worship setting. By that I mean all who enter are in some way participants with the art. They are not just observers but are caught up in the art by either making it or being encompassed by it.


The first Lent that my husband and I were at First Baptist Church in Plymouth, we worked with the congregation to experience God's wonderful gift of creativity. We all have it somewhere and in some form. We just need to find it and have it brought forth. My belief is that a God who creates in his/ her own image would surely give humans the ability to create. It can show up in many forms according to the gift of each individual.





The first Lent we dyed 14 silk panels purple and hung them throughout the sanctuary so that no matter where you sat you were a part of the hue of purple, the liturgical color during Lent . So after 4 Lenten seasons we decided that the panels were losing their effectiveness and that something new needed to happen. Since the theme for Lent this year was to be "Journey to Newness" we decided to rip up those panels and make them into something new. So a new journey began.

I worked with a small group to decide what we would do with all this purple fabric. We discussed the journey theme and decided that we were all travelers on different paths headed toward a common destination, the Cross and Resurrection. Symbolically we designed pathways from the torn panels which extend throughout the sanctuary and lead to the cross. This is all hung high in the sanctuary so all who enter are encompassed in the art and can experience it from where they sit. The weekly themes which are talked about in the sermon are added to the end of the paths each week. Those themes are Temptation, Challenges, Reliance, Grace, Assurance, and Boldness.







We are now in the process of working on the next phase of this installation which is to rip up the white panels that had previously hung for Easter and make them into a woven pathway which will extend from the cross out into the sanctuary on Easter morning. The paths will be white, the liturgical color for Easter, and they will be woven together as symbolically we all join the same journey from the Cross out into the world and into newness.





If you are in or near Plymouth, come see and experience the wonderful gift of creativity and be a part of the journey. The church website is http://www.fbc-plymouth.org/.



Blessings for the Journey!

A message of Hope!

I love this time of year! This year we are very blessed to have my son and daughter-in-law here along with my husband's sister. They all live in Florida and we have managed to have 18-20 inches of snow on the ground for a White Christmas. We've enjoyed sharing a cold snowy New England Christmas with them around a warm fire. We will also have our other son and future daughter-in-law here on Christmas Day. We are blessed to have family that can be with us.

For me, Christmas has always been more than just a holiday. It is a time of waiting for Promises to be fulfilled, for Wonder to stop me in my tracks, and for Hope to be reclaimed. For me it is about God's wonderful and abundant love for all humankind. That love was and is being fulfilled in the promise of a baby, the wonder of a night long ago, and the hope for a better world where relationships are not broken, nations work together, the poor are rewarded, and peace reigns.


I've been starting to work more with Ecclesiastical Installations within the church worship service. I have a strong belief that a God who creates would not have created humans in his/her image without giving us creative abilities. I have been working with my own church to bring that creative ability forward in the lives of the members. This Advent season we have collectively been creating a mosaic. Each week during the worship service pieces of the mosaic were added. The final installation will take place tonight at the Christmas Eve service. Stop by First Baptist Church in Plymouth if you want to be a part of this experience.

As a message of hope I want to share the pictures of the progression of the mosaic with you and wish you all the Hope, Peace, and Joy that a living Creator wants all his/her children to have.


What ever you celebrate at this time of year, may you experience the presence of the Creator and the glory of a night long ago.

Happy Easter Everyone