ARTSPEAK: Restore Follow-Up

My wife Amy and I have been attending Highrock NorthShore regularly since the fall of 2012. We’ve lived in Salem for several years and we’re interested in both the visual and performing arts. So, when we first heard about ArtSpeak a few months ago at our Creative Arts Connection Group we knew we wanted to be involved. In preparation, we attended a planning meeting for the show and created pieces to donate.

 

My art piece was a mobile made of wooden spheres painted to look like the Earth in three stages of death, regrowth and restoration.















Amy’s piece was a cross-stitch embroidery sampler based on a design from the early 1800’s featuring a design which included 2 doves, bluebirds, and a basket of flowers.
We also helped with the load-in on Thursday night, and display set up on Friday.

This past Friday night was the main opening event for our Artspeak weekend, and I would say it was a great success. Starting after 6 pm dozens of art lovers from Highrock and the local area arrived. It was gratifying to see so many people enjoying and interacting with the art pieces we had helped create and set up.

For the first part of the evening, we adjourned to the upstairs of the Old Town Hall to hear more about iSanctuary, and to hear reflections from Pastors Brynn and Aaron, hear original songs, a poem, and even two rap songs that supported the theme of the art on display. The theme of the donated artworks was Restore, and was meant to express an unearthing and restoration of beauty, dignity and humanity in all its various forms. If you’re not aware, iSancutary is an organization committed to helping women who have been rescued from the sex-trafficking industry regain their sense of self through learning a useful trade and equipping them to support themselves through creating jewelry and stationary crafts.

Afterwards, we moved back downstairs to enjoy refreshments and to start the silent auction bidding. Over the next hour people looked at artwork, networked, ate cookies, hummus and cheese and drank sparkling lemonade from Trader Joe’s, all while checking in at the bidding table every few moments to see how their bids were performing.

Amy and I decided to bid on two pieces we especially liked. It was exciting to see if you would get the piece you hoped for or not. As the hour progressed, we found ourselves in a small bidding war over a painting titled “Evening Marsh” by Ben Ober, and took out our bid for the second piece we liked so we could focus on this one piece. It’s a lovely piece, and we anticipated that at least one other person might like it as well. However, our dollar limit was a little higher than our competitor’s and we won the bid. We are now the proud owners of an original work by Ben Ober, and are looking forward to giving it a home in our Salem condo.

Besides acquiring a new painting to put in our home, I also gained a new appreciation for how the arts can be used to bring justice and healing to our broken world. Before this event I’ve never used my creative abilities in a way that will so directly impact the lives of others in need. I was greatly encouraged by the enthusiastic turnout and reception of the event, and I believe that God is working and will continue to work in our lives and the lives of those we hope to touch through this and similar events.

Over the course of the evening we showcased 41 pieces of art and raised $3,000 dollars through the silent art auction and through selling jewelry created by iSanctuary artists.   Everyone deserves a big hand for helping to make this donation to iSanctuary possible.

What I've Been Up To

Since I haven't posted since June, those of you who follow my blog may be wondering what I have been up to. I have been working on several projects including; starting a new business partnership, collateral for the Salem Theatre Company, and a logo design for a nonprofit in Lynn, MA, however, I have been too busy to post about them, because I have been very busy working for History Alive!

The author in costume at Pioneer Village

History Alive! is a public outreach program run by the Institute for Public History, a department of Gordon College, a Christian College located in Wenham, MA. They have a mandate to bring history to the public in a way that is accurate, informative and entertaining. Currently History Alive! leases and manages two properties owned by the City of Salem;
Pioneer Village, a 3-acre recreation of 1630 Salem located at Forest River Park, and the Old Town Hall, located in Derby Square in downtown Salem.

The Old Town Hall is an early 19th-century building that once housed the town's government. It now houses the Salem Museum, a chronological overview of the history of Salem, from it's founding in 1630, to the Great Fire of 1914. Upstairs is performance space for Cry Innocent: The People vs. Bridget Bishop, an interactive recreation of the trial of Bridget Bishop, the first woman brought to trial for witchcraft in the Witch Trials of 1692.

Pioneer Village is a full-scale replica of early Salem that was built in 1930 for the 300th anniversary of the founding of Salem.
I work as both an historical interpreter and tour guide at Pioneer Village, and as a museum guide at the Old Town Hall. Working at the village requires that I dress in 17th-century Puritan clothing (linen shift, wool breeches and doublet, hose, and shoes) and explain the history, structures, food, tools, beliefs and manners of the early Puritans. I enjoy this work both because of my love for history, as well as the ability to work outdoors and interact with people of all ages from all over the world.
The Village is open to the public until the end of October, then closes for the winter, re-opening in the spring.

Filming The True 1692 at Pioneer Village

In addition to being open to the public, Pioneer Village has also served as a location for the filming of several productions including a National Geographic documentary, The PBS series We Shall Remain,
and most recently, The True 1692, a 35-minute film about the Salem Witch Trials. I was recruited along with many other local actors, including, History Alive! and Cry innocent alum.

Chambers of the Cursed cast

I am also rehearsing for a Halloween show called Chambers of the Cursed.
"Walk the dark halls of the Old Town Hall and hear the voices of Salem’s past–cursed and clamoring to be heard. Live actors and interactive media immerse you in tales of murder and betrayal, telling the story of a city still defined by its dark history."
This show is being performed at the Old Town Hall Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, the last two weekends of October.
I will be back to my regular schedule of design posts by November.