Birthdays and Art Around the Corner

Sunday night the Lillywhite and Borrowman gangs got together to celebrate Koen's #5!   It was a good time with a good crowd.  It was hard to see Koen opening his gifts with the crush of kids surrounding him!  Happy birthday Koen!  We love you!

The next thing was the Stake Activity Day - a Mother Daughter Art Walk.  It was difficult in that there ended up being lots of conflicts with city events in the same area, but in the end it came off very well and we had a good turn out.  I so enjoyed learning about the Art Around the Corner program and about the how and why of many of the pieces of art displayed in the down town area.  It was a treat.  Paul served as one of the guides and did a fantastic job.  I think he really enjoyed the opportunity.  I'm lucky he is so willing to support me in my church calling.  We had the girls sculpt with play dough and/or do leaf rubbings while we gathered and then had a light lunch.  During the lunch Amber Rich (part of the art council) gave a short presentation about the Art Around the Corner program and about the bronze making process.  After that we divided into two groups to do the walking tour.  We had a good turn out - about 50 people.  Our focus was on the Talent area of the Faith in God booklet.  After we were done we had rainbow cookies which we used to discuss with the girls that gifts and talents come in a rainbow of colors.  We encouraged them to enjoy seeking to discover, develop and share their own colors so "that all might be profited thereby."  D&C 46:11)  The girls/moms/leaders seemed to really enjoy the whole activity.  Yea!  I'm so glad it is over!  Now on to Priesthood Preview.

New Dancing Moon, Austere, Brigham Young with his "daughters", Puffed up Prince and Princess, lunch bunch, girls in each group gathered around Harvest Joy and Amber Rich.

Ben Hammond  - Fall and Winter Vessel - This piece has a sister sculpture – it is another vessel that depicts two women as Spring and Summer.   The reliefs of trees along the top show how a tree changes with the season.  I looked up the Spring and Summer Vessel and it is beautiful too.  

Nathan Johansen - Thorns, Bees and Rhinos – is a whimsical depiction of the childhood practice of putting a rose thorn on your nose and pretending to be something else – maybe a bee, maybe a rhino.  The artist used drawings of bees and rhinos from four generations of his family members to etch on this sculpture.  (Notice that each green part is the profile of a nose and mouth.)

I didn't really like this one until I found out what it was about.  Then I could relate and enjoy it for that reason even if it doesn't seem beautiful to me.

Dan Hill - Before Dan opened his studio he used to sculpt in his driveway when the weather was nice. One summer he was working on a pair of life-size pieces depicting two brothers, ages 5 and 7, playing tag. Beginning with construction of the armatures using wood, threaded rod, wire and foam, two young Polynesian twin girls who lived up the street became curious about what the old dude was doing in his driveway. They would come down and watch the sculptures emerge from across the street, killing time by taking turns shimmying up the street pole to get a better view. As the “Tag Boys” sculpture progressed, the girls became bolder, moving in for a closer look, and eventually, striking up a friendship with my mom and dad as they visited daily, intrigued by the creation taking place. When the “Tag Boys” were complete and sent to the foundry, Dan didn't look far for his next inspiration. The girls, with their parents blessing, were willing models, taking turns climbing the street pole, and watching as their efforts were captured in clay. 

Franz Johansen - Veil Series:  Mother and Child

This piece comes from a series by the artist portraying the religious idea of the veil that hangs between our present mortality and the afterlife to come; this piece portrays the resurrection. The inspiration was the artist’s pioneer ancestor who lost her child crossing the plains to Utah.  The artist is paying homage to a Latter-day prophesy which states parents who lose a young child will have the opportunity to raise that child following the first resurrection.  The cloth on these figures represents their burial dressings.

Learning about this sculpture brought me an appreciation of it on a whole different level and it ended up being may favorite of the 18+ pieces we visited.  (We checked out a few others along the route that are in the city's permanent collection.)

While we were hanging out waiting to get started, who should show up - Brenden and family.  He was proud to show us his soccer trophy and report on his end of the game goal!  Yea Brenden!  Such a cute kid!  

Last fun of the week was getting together to celebrate for Tasia's #9.  It's always fun to get the gang all in one place...noisy, but fun!  Happy birthday Tasia!  We love you!  (We even had Aunt Sheryl here all the way from Texas!)