I always enjoy a time of reflecting at the end of the year and this morning I'm thinking back to some of my favorite moments in the arts:
* hanging and admiring a new painting by good friend Beverly Key (who I featured last year) that fits perfectly in our den and looks as though it's always been there. The painting is an abstract but we see at least three deer hiding amongst trees, brush, and an azalea bush--much like they do in our back yard.
* sitting beside my husband and my parents at Les Miserables and experiencing that incredible music again
* watching many stirring moments in Big River, performed by Theatrical Outfit at the Balzer Theater in Herren's, but especially when Jim is "reading" Huck's palm and sees "considerable joy, considerable sorrow" ahead for them
* watching my daughter's face and hearing her laugh during "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play", also at the Balzer, and seeing her go from actor to actor for autographs afterward
* reading Little Women with her this summer
There are many more but I'm going to stop for now. What were some of your favorite moments with the arts this year? I'd love to hear about them.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
What Christmas Might Have Meant to the Father
A few months ago in early fall I wrote an article about Christmas. My assignment was to explore what the birth of Christ might have meant to God the Father. I approached it at first with trepidation. How could I begin to fathom what giving His only Son to us cost Him? The scripture "His thoughts are higher than our thoughts" kept coming to mind. Humbling though it was, I enjoyed the experience very much. I used Handel's Messiah and the prophecies referenced in that wonderful work as my framework. If you'd like to read the article, click here.
Thank you for reading this blog. Merry Christmas!
Thank you for reading this blog. Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Image's Top Ten Picks for 2008
Today I was planning to provide the link to an article I wrote about Christmas but it's not on the magazine's website yet. I'll send you the link when it's posted.
In the meantime, check out Image Update's Top Ten Picks for 2008. Here's the intro:
With all of the books, films, CDs, and visual art featured in this e-newsletter, we know there's much to choose from each year. Hence our gift to you just in time for Christmas: a list of our top ten picks of 2008. In chronological order of appearance, here are ten of the works we've featured in ImageUpdate this past year that stand out to us (and many of which would make fine gifts). This is an admittedly subjective list—these are personal favorites of ImageUpdate contributors. If you'd like to read the original ImageUpdate feature on any of the works, click on the links provided. We hope you'll enjoy this list and that you will find time to spend in the company of the many gifted writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers we have featured in ImageUpdate this year.
In the meantime, check out Image Update's Top Ten Picks for 2008. Here's the intro:
With all of the books, films, CDs, and visual art featured in this e-newsletter, we know there's much to choose from each year. Hence our gift to you just in time for Christmas: a list of our top ten picks of 2008. In chronological order of appearance, here are ten of the works we've featured in ImageUpdate this past year that stand out to us (and many of which would make fine gifts). This is an admittedly subjective list—these are personal favorites of ImageUpdate contributors. If you'd like to read the original ImageUpdate feature on any of the works, click on the links provided. We hope you'll enjoy this list and that you will find time to spend in the company of the many gifted writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers we have featured in ImageUpdate this year.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Jane Wolford, Part 2:Fay Jones and Thorncrown Chapel
Dr. Jane Paradise Wolford seeks to "enlighten the public about the transformational potential of architecture." She has a Doctorate in Architecture (in History, Theory, and Criticism) as well as a Masters degree in Architectural History from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Wolford wrote architectural articles and conducted market research for more than two decades for a firm that provided market analysis and costing services. She currently researches and writes for The Greenway Group, in addition to other consulting projects. For more than a decade Wolford has spearheaded educational initiatives for advancing architectural education among the public in her active role as a Board Member of The AIA’s educational outreach, the American Architectural Foundation based in Washington D.C. She also serves on a small, select Board to preserve and run the Octagon Museum, the oldest museum in the U.S. dedicated to architecture and design. She's a founding member of the Design Futures Council for DesignIntelligence. Wolford lives in Atlanta and maintains active memberships in many professional organizations related to architecture, preservation, and sustainability. These include lifetime membership in the Society for Architectural Historians (SAH), the Southeast Chapter of Architectural Historian (SESAH), the Construction History Society, Southface, and The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
LeAnne: Who are three architects (past or contemporary) whose work we must know and why?
Jane: The American architect Frank Lloyd Wright because he was probably the most famous American architect. He definitely marched to the beat of his own drummer and defied convention but he was unique in his perspective and extremely talented. After years of conflicted feelings studying his architecture and visiting his buildings I have decided that I am willing to separate the strength of his architecture from the frailty of his humanity (e.g., abandoned his wife with five young children to live with a married woman and her children --- Mrs. Cheney--- but that’s another story) because he was so uniquely talented. Features of his style reflected a comfortable human scale complemented by the warm, rustic features of stone, wood and other natural materials. The architectural features of some of his houses from the early twentieth century (such as low roof lines with overhanging eaves), often reflect a prairie aesthetic characteristic reflecting the long, flat vistas stretching for miles and miles in the Midwest. His most famous residence, Fallingwater, is a breathtaking alliance of architecture and nature --- perched on the edge of a waterfall.
The Swiss architect Le Corbusier ---because his architecture heralded the emerging modern aesthetic in the 1920s and 30s in Europe. His Villa Savoye (1929-1931) expressed the dictums of Modernism --- no ornamentation, white planar surfaces, suspended by pillars, an open plan free to be configured as the occupant desired, and long ribbon windows offering unencumbered views.
The American architect John Carl Warnecke is important because he was an early contextual architect who successfully merged modernism with a respect for the building’s context. As the focus of my doctoral and masters’ research, personal interviews with Warnecke for more than the last decade (by my husband Arol and myself) taught me about contextualism and its relationship with architecture. Designer of hundreds of buildings, a few of his most famous designs are President John Kennedy’s grave with the eternal flame and the Hawaiian State Capital (a modern building with a Polynesian flare). In addition to his architecture, he is also known for his romance with Jackie Kennedy after Jack died.
LeAnne: You and I attend the same church. Because of our church's recent building project, I've become fascinated with the award-winning Thorncrown Chapel, designed by Fay Jones. Can you tell me more about him, his work, and his relationship with mentor Frank Lloyd Wright?
Jane: E. Fay Jones was probably Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous apprentice. He is the other contextualist my husband and I had the pleasure of interviewing extensively and touring his most renowned building with him before he passed away in 2004.
Jones and Wright had an immediate rapport when they met while Jones was a professor. Jones’s entire family visited Wright in his winter workshop, Taliesin West, near Scottsdale, Arizona. Later, Wright invited Jones's entire family to his home and design institute Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Jones returned to both sites numerous times as both friend and apprentice and became a Taliesin Fellow.
A quiet, unassuming intellectual (also a strong Christian) who taught Architecture at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Jones’ most well-known buildings are chapels and residences in his home state (as opposed to ego-driven skyscrapers). Thorncrown Chapel, a small, breathtaking glass chapel nestled in the Ozarks, pays tribute to the beauty of nature created by God. Since it won The American Institute of Architects' coveted Gold Medal in 1990, pilgrims flock to it daily to enjoy its transcendent beauty. Jones' residences express the ultimate tenets of contextualism with nature. They blend gracefully in the Ozarks with their cladding of wood and stone; in this respect they give homage to Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie-style buildings.
When the design for our church was underway Fay Jones was already too ill with advanced Parkinson’s disease to become our church’s architect. However, he did advise John Busby (our architect), my husband (Arol Wolford), and myself about our church design. Ultimately, John Busby did a great job incorporating Jones’s principles, along with his own design expertise, into the finished product of our beautiful sanctuary.
LeAnne: Who are three architects (past or contemporary) whose work we must know and why?
Jane: The American architect Frank Lloyd Wright because he was probably the most famous American architect. He definitely marched to the beat of his own drummer and defied convention but he was unique in his perspective and extremely talented. After years of conflicted feelings studying his architecture and visiting his buildings I have decided that I am willing to separate the strength of his architecture from the frailty of his humanity (e.g., abandoned his wife with five young children to live with a married woman and her children --- Mrs. Cheney--- but that’s another story) because he was so uniquely talented. Features of his style reflected a comfortable human scale complemented by the warm, rustic features of stone, wood and other natural materials. The architectural features of some of his houses from the early twentieth century (such as low roof lines with overhanging eaves), often reflect a prairie aesthetic characteristic reflecting the long, flat vistas stretching for miles and miles in the Midwest. His most famous residence, Fallingwater, is a breathtaking alliance of architecture and nature --- perched on the edge of a waterfall.
The Swiss architect Le Corbusier ---because his architecture heralded the emerging modern aesthetic in the 1920s and 30s in Europe. His Villa Savoye (1929-1931) expressed the dictums of Modernism --- no ornamentation, white planar surfaces, suspended by pillars, an open plan free to be configured as the occupant desired, and long ribbon windows offering unencumbered views.
The American architect John Carl Warnecke is important because he was an early contextual architect who successfully merged modernism with a respect for the building’s context. As the focus of my doctoral and masters’ research, personal interviews with Warnecke for more than the last decade (by my husband Arol and myself) taught me about contextualism and its relationship with architecture. Designer of hundreds of buildings, a few of his most famous designs are President John Kennedy’s grave with the eternal flame and the Hawaiian State Capital (a modern building with a Polynesian flare). In addition to his architecture, he is also known for his romance with Jackie Kennedy after Jack died.
LeAnne: You and I attend the same church. Because of our church's recent building project, I've become fascinated with the award-winning Thorncrown Chapel, designed by Fay Jones. Can you tell me more about him, his work, and his relationship with mentor Frank Lloyd Wright?
Jane: E. Fay Jones was probably Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous apprentice. He is the other contextualist my husband and I had the pleasure of interviewing extensively and touring his most renowned building with him before he passed away in 2004.
Jones and Wright had an immediate rapport when they met while Jones was a professor. Jones’s entire family visited Wright in his winter workshop, Taliesin West, near Scottsdale, Arizona. Later, Wright invited Jones's entire family to his home and design institute Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Jones returned to both sites numerous times as both friend and apprentice and became a Taliesin Fellow.
A quiet, unassuming intellectual (also a strong Christian) who taught Architecture at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Jones’ most well-known buildings are chapels and residences in his home state (as opposed to ego-driven skyscrapers). Thorncrown Chapel, a small, breathtaking glass chapel nestled in the Ozarks, pays tribute to the beauty of nature created by God. Since it won The American Institute of Architects' coveted Gold Medal in 1990, pilgrims flock to it daily to enjoy its transcendent beauty. Jones' residences express the ultimate tenets of contextualism with nature. They blend gracefully in the Ozarks with their cladding of wood and stone; in this respect they give homage to Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie-style buildings.
When the design for our church was underway Fay Jones was already too ill with advanced Parkinson’s disease to become our church’s architect. However, he did advise John Busby (our architect), my husband (Arol Wolford), and myself about our church design. Ultimately, John Busby did a great job incorporating Jones’s principles, along with his own design expertise, into the finished product of our beautiful sanctuary.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Jane Wolford: A Taste of Things to Come
Dr. Jane Paradise Wolford seeks to "enlighten the public about the transformational potential of architecture." She has a Doctorate in Architecture (in History, Theory, and Criticism) from the Georgia Institute of Technology in addition to her Masters degree in Architectural History from Georgia Tech. Wolford wrote architectural articles and conducted market research for more than two decades for a firm that provided market analysis and costing services. She currently researches and writes for The Greenway Group, in addition to other consulting projects. For more than a decade Wolford has spearheaded educational initiatives for advancing architectural education among the public in her active role as a Board Member of The AIA’s educational outreach, the American Architectural Foundation based in Washington D.C. She also serves on a small, select Board to preserve and run the Octagon Museum, the oldest museum in the U.S. dedicated to architecture and design. She's a founding member of the Design Futures Council for DesignIntelligence. Wolford lives in Atlanta and maintains active memberships in many professional organizations related to architecture, preservation, and sustainability. These include lifetime membership in the Society for Architectural Historians (SAH), the Southeast Chapter of Architectural Historian (SESAH), the Construction History Society, Southface, and The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
LeAnne: What drew you back to school to get your degrees in architectural history and architecture?
Jane: With my bachelor’s degree in English, I had been interviewing architects for our construction information publication and found them fascinating. When my older daughter turned 16, I felt I had a little more freedom since she could drive her younger sister the half hour distance to their school so I decided to enroll in Georgia Tech’s masters program in architectural history. I had been trying to study architecture on my own ---- periods, styles, and theory --- but found the undertaking too comprehensive outside of a directed study program.
After I finished that program, and was looking for God’s direction for my next steps, I was invited into Tech’s Ph.D. program. Although the first three years of classes were difficult due to the full-time requirement (in contrast to my master’s which I did part time), the last three years of self-directed research and criticism by committee members was even more grueling. But, ultimately, armed with the doctorate, I finally understand architecture in the multitude of its ramifications.
LM: What can the study of architecture teach us about God? Ourselves?
JW: That is a big question. I think architecture reveals a lot about God’s role as Architect and Builder (Hebrews 11:10). In the Old Testament he gave very specific instructions to Moses (Exodus 26), David (1 Chron. 28:11-19), and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40) about the construction of his places of worship --- from the choice of the builder down to the smallest details ---- design mattered to Him.
God is also concerned with beautiful design in his creation of nature everywhere. Oceans, mountains, trees, plants, flowers, etc. point to God’s wondrous sense of design – and we haven’t even touched upon his marvelous creation of the human body. All his creations (disclaimer --- as he created them) are not only magnificently beautiful, but are awe-inspiring. The colors of vegetation and natural landscape features such as mountains or oceans both complement and contrast each other in color, texture, structure, and a multitude of other qualities. But dissonance and ugliness are not qualities of God’s creations in their pristine state. Only man’s fallen nature interjected these ugly realities into his earthly paradise. Peace, Joy, Harmony, Beauty, and Order were subservient to the promptings of man’s will after the fall. In our imperfect nature beauty can be stumbled upon every now and again --- but it is not the norm. This is what the study of architecture can teach us about ourselves – we crave balance, stability, order and beauty. Good architecture can speak to these needs.
I believe that the focus of my doctoral research offers a possible solution to increased Beauty and Harmony in our world --- contextualism (check out my website for more info). Contextual buildings can forge attractive relationships with their environment --- offering a unifying effect to a previously fragmented environment. My expertise delineates the metrics of contextualism that can help a person design anything to relate more intimately to its surroundings --- whether built or natural --- and forge visual connections, resulting in peace and harmony, with its neighbors. My contention is that there is enough stress in the world without introducing more in our architecture. Like a good book or movie, I don’t believe our buildings should increase our adrenaline --- but offer a balm to our fallen condition and give us a taste of things to come in heaven.
LeAnne: What drew you back to school to get your degrees in architectural history and architecture?
Jane: With my bachelor’s degree in English, I had been interviewing architects for our construction information publication and found them fascinating. When my older daughter turned 16, I felt I had a little more freedom since she could drive her younger sister the half hour distance to their school so I decided to enroll in Georgia Tech’s masters program in architectural history. I had been trying to study architecture on my own ---- periods, styles, and theory --- but found the undertaking too comprehensive outside of a directed study program.
After I finished that program, and was looking for God’s direction for my next steps, I was invited into Tech’s Ph.D. program. Although the first three years of classes were difficult due to the full-time requirement (in contrast to my master’s which I did part time), the last three years of self-directed research and criticism by committee members was even more grueling. But, ultimately, armed with the doctorate, I finally understand architecture in the multitude of its ramifications.
LM: What can the study of architecture teach us about God? Ourselves?
JW: That is a big question. I think architecture reveals a lot about God’s role as Architect and Builder (Hebrews 11:10). In the Old Testament he gave very specific instructions to Moses (Exodus 26), David (1 Chron. 28:11-19), and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40) about the construction of his places of worship --- from the choice of the builder down to the smallest details ---- design mattered to Him.
God is also concerned with beautiful design in his creation of nature everywhere. Oceans, mountains, trees, plants, flowers, etc. point to God’s wondrous sense of design – and we haven’t even touched upon his marvelous creation of the human body. All his creations (disclaimer --- as he created them) are not only magnificently beautiful, but are awe-inspiring. The colors of vegetation and natural landscape features such as mountains or oceans both complement and contrast each other in color, texture, structure, and a multitude of other qualities. But dissonance and ugliness are not qualities of God’s creations in their pristine state. Only man’s fallen nature interjected these ugly realities into his earthly paradise. Peace, Joy, Harmony, Beauty, and Order were subservient to the promptings of man’s will after the fall. In our imperfect nature beauty can be stumbled upon every now and again --- but it is not the norm. This is what the study of architecture can teach us about ourselves – we crave balance, stability, order and beauty. Good architecture can speak to these needs.
I believe that the focus of my doctoral research offers a possible solution to increased Beauty and Harmony in our world --- contextualism (check out my website for more info). Contextual buildings can forge attractive relationships with their environment --- offering a unifying effect to a previously fragmented environment. My expertise delineates the metrics of contextualism that can help a person design anything to relate more intimately to its surroundings --- whether built or natural --- and forge visual connections, resulting in peace and harmony, with its neighbors. My contention is that there is enough stress in the world without introducing more in our architecture. Like a good book or movie, I don’t believe our buildings should increase our adrenaline --- but offer a balm to our fallen condition and give us a taste of things to come in heaven.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Soli Deo Gloria's Listening Room
Soli Deo Gloria is dedicated to enhancing, promoting and preserving the classical sacred music repertoire in the Biblical tradition. An important part of SDG's mission is commissioning new work. Check out Executive Director Chandler Branch's blog for news about this week's premier in Paris of a new musical work for choir, orchestra and soloists by composer Peter Bannister. The title of the work, Et iterum venturus est, comes from the Nicene Creed and translates “And he shall come again.” Et iterum venturus est is inspired by Bible prophesy in both the Old and New Testaments and is epic in its reach into the past and embrace of the future.
I'd also like to call to your attention the treasure trove of music and video interviews with composers commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria in Soli Deo Gloria's Listening Room. Because I love to know what makes artists tick, I am really enjoying the videos. It's well worth your time to check it out.
I'd also like to call to your attention the treasure trove of music and video interviews with composers commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria in Soli Deo Gloria's Listening Room. Because I love to know what makes artists tick, I am really enjoying the videos. It's well worth your time to check it out.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
A Few Words about Art
You know how I love quotes. It's been a while since I've shared any. Here are a few I especially like today:
“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” George Bernard Shaw
"The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces." St. Thomas Aquinas
“There is no vehicle which displays the Glory of God and the Wonder of God as clearly as the arts. Art is the reflection of God’s creativity, an evidence that we are made in His Image.” Martin Luther
“Thy will be done in art as it is in heaven.” Willa Cather
"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." Pablo Picasso
“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” George Bernard Shaw
"The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces." St. Thomas Aquinas
“There is no vehicle which displays the Glory of God and the Wonder of God as clearly as the arts. Art is the reflection of God’s creativity, an evidence that we are made in His Image.” Martin Luther
“Thy will be done in art as it is in heaven.” Willa Cather
"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." Pablo Picasso
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