Little Pieces of Kingdom Light
So many wonderful things are happening; I just have to take a moment to share a few! That being said, pardon the tangents and scatteredness, as it is simply the state of my current head space. :)
First of all, Jesus is so real and kind. The constant flowing grace we have known by Him throughout our lives has my attention so much these days. I can't get over it. It's so very encouraging to discover that by trusting that the difficult times are not the end (that there is more to take place in the story of our lives, the story of humanity), how beautiful to see His goodness proved. I know we have much more tragedy and trial yet to experience in our young lives, because that is the condition of our world, but oh, how I pray that this be the theme of my life!—To keep faith, to hold out to the end, for our hope to be realized in our living in the moment where we exist perfectly, beautifully, forever companions with our King who is life Himself. Meanwhile, I'm treasuring the little pieces of Kingdom light we get in advance. How wonderful to receive these sweet nuggets of grace given in the form of restored relationships, opportunities to travel and be bettered by others, the privilege to make work in the field of our passion and ability, the dear growing life who is a physical creation of our love, and all the simple moments of peace, friendship and delight sprinkled throughout the day. (Don't even get me started on changing leaves, autumn pastries or comfy sweaters!)
Since choosing to use our personal businesses to save for our travel, we have been humbled to experience an influx of work. It feels like sweet affirmation that Jesus has truly intended this journey for us! It's also inspiring to recognize our love for the films we make (and me for the things I paint), because we realize that creating is what we want to do for always. Together and individually, making life-giving work and mentoring others to do the same will be a huge priority of ours throughout our lives.
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In addition to the film(s) we anticipate putting together during our time overseas, I also desire to work with groups of children and guide them in their own art-making, presenting the opportunity of art as expression as well as equipping them with the tools. I began dreaming of doing this several months ago, but had no idea exactly how I would approach it. Should I teach color mixing? Drawing? Would the focus really be about mastering technique, or wasn't art-making deeper than that? During a random google search for artist calls here in Denver, I stumbled upon Redline's website and was completely smitten. Redline is a contemporary art non-profit organization that, in my opinion, does everything. Just to mention a bit, they have:
• A beautiful gallery space to exhibit shows
• Resident artists who work on site in an open studio policy where anyone who visits can wander in and see the work in progress
• A studio called "Reach Studio" that exists for artists who are currently homeless or have been homeless, and
• Very high involvement in the surrounding low-income schools/communities through programs (EPIC) that produce student-driven, social justice focused artwork under the guide of the art teacher and a community artist
If that weren't enough, they have a library with so many beautiful art books towering in rows to the ceiling, complete with a Belle-styled ladder. (The first time I visited, I was tempted to roll the ladder along the stacks of books, swinging my arm out in song.)
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Anyways, this is relevant to our trip because Redline happens to have a beautiful curriculum for students that would be perfect for our art focus with children overseas! This fall, I will be observing a first grade class as well as a junior/senior high school class as each group collaborates in Redline's social-justice art program. I am excited about getting to watch such different ages because I anticipate that the age range of children I work with overseas will be that extreme as well. What I love about this program is that it is incredibly student driven. This means that in everything from reflecting on and discovering their main issue of focus (how social injustice/inequality affects their own lives) to translating that idea into an art piece, they will be making the decisions. I am eager to watch how the art teacher (someone who knows the students well) and community artist partner together since most likely I will also be working with an adult who has been in relationship with the kids for each group of children I interact with overseas. It will also be helpful to watch how the teacher and artist balance asking guiding questions to help spur the students forward in their process, with providing lessons in art technique and teaching how elements of art are effective in expression.
Additionally, these projects historically incorporate common materials that are highly accessible to the students for the art building phase. I especially love this because I know resources are limited in the places where we will be going. I cringe at the idea of bringing all my shiny American art supplies just to do a few projects, somehow suggesting that art making is only for the wealthy. Instead, I long to incorporate natural, found and familiar materials of a particular group's environment so they can feel empowered to keep expressing and creating long after we leave them. I truly believe Redline is a wonderful affirmation to me that I am meant to cultivate young artists overseas. I cannot wait to see what each of my little Kenyan, Indian, Haitian and potentially Mexican art groups come up with during my months with them! Meanwhile, I will be learning from this wonderful non-profit and hope to piece together a skeletal plan for the art groups of each of our destinations to present to you soon.
Thank you so much for reading our update and for journeying with us through this preparation season. We continue to place our confidence in Christ, knowing that He is the one who is working the most beautiful and lasting things into being. †
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