Festival of the Arts at church

Today was the first Sunday of our annual two-week Festival of the Arts at my church. Over the years, the church has highlighted a wide range of artists. One year it was a photographer who traveled around Minnesota taking stunning photographs of the little country churches we have in this state, one year it was a fabric artist, a member of our church, who designs and creates intricate banners from felt that look like stained glass windows.

This year, the committee decided to honor all the members of our creation who create art, so they invited everyone to submit their work for the two week gallery held in our downstairs fellowship hall. There were hand made quilts, wood working projects, metal sculpture, charcoal sketches, acrylic paintings, photographs, necklaces, and more. A whole range of ages were represented, from cartoonists in their early teens to quilters in their 60s and 70s. It was fun: we wandered from one end of the hall to the other exclaiming, "Look at that! I never knew he could do that!

Instead of a sermon, we had a presentation by members of the local chapter of the Swedish Nyckelharpa Association, and Swedish folk dancers. "What's a nyckelharpa?" you ask, as well you should. It's a very strange instrument I'd never heard of before. It sounds like a very resonant violin." Informative, and along with the folk dancers, great fun. Next week, the festival will conclude with a special choir concert.

We admire great art that has been produced by artists in past ages for the glory of God. I wish that more churches were as far-sighted as mine, remembering that artists working today need encouragement, too, and holding events regularly to celebrate their work.

Cheers,
Peg

May Day Parade and Festival

Today, we went to the annual May Day parade, sponsored by the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater. (Here's my report from last year explaining the Festival in full, and click here to see more, including a quick little slide show.)

The parade was fun. I loved the drumming, the birds, the strange costumes and floats. I particularly enjoyed the library cart precision drill team.

But what moved me the most, what actually drove me to tears, were the two big puppets made in honor of our lost heroes, Paul and Sheila Wellstone, fifteen feet tall. There they were, Paul and Sheila, in the May Day Parade as usual, but this time larger than life, fifteen feet tall, now elevated to the mystic, iconic status like the other puppets HOTB has made and displayed year after year: Water, Sky, Earth, Air. The strength of my grief really surprised me, and it took quite a while before I could get the tears to stop flowing.

Oh, how I miss them.

The weather was windy and cold, and it was beginning to rain, so we skipped the Tree of Life ceremony at Powderhorn park and came home. I ran out to the garden store and spent the rest of my birthday checks on flowers and vegetables as Rob and the girls cleaned the house.

A good day.

Note, afterwards: here's the write up on the parade in the Star Tribune.