I had the great honor and blessing of attending the
Contemporary Religious Artists Association (CRAA) Art Show in Kansas City, Kansas on July 12th and was so profoundly moved by all that I experienced and learned there that I feel my life will never be the same. The theme of the show was
"God's Love Portrayed in Art", and truly, it's impossible to simply view religious art that portrays God's love without finding that your entire heart and soul are expanded to love Him ever more deeply and to enjoy His love for you ever more fully.
My dear friend and art mentor
Christi Jentz, had encouraged me to enter some of my poetry in the show and I was so pleased to find that all three of my entries had been accepted. So Christi and I traveled to Kansas City by car, a nine-hour drive, for the opening reception of the show, and then she arranged for me to travel home by airplane, my first-ever flight, while she remained in Kansas to attend some of the art classes that are taught by world-renown artists such as
David Clayton and Dr. Caroline Farey from the
School of the Annunciation at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, England.
I experienced so much beauty and joy in my short weekend stay that I will have to divide all that I want to share into several posts. I found every single person that I met in the Archdiocese of Kansas City to be extremely warm and welcoming which put this simple wife and mother well at ease on my very first experience away from my home state without my family.
Elizabeth Zeller, the founder and director of the
CRAA as well as the organizer of the art show, was especially kind and welcoming. The show was held at the
Savior Pastoral Center which is home to the Archdiocesan offices. Upon our arrival, Christi gave me a tour of the building and once I discovered the intimate chapel on the lower floor it quickly became a favorite place for me to sneak away in the early morning hours for some time alone with God.
The work of the artists in the show was extremely high-caliber. Everything was beautiful! I truly felt like a fish-out-of-water at this event. My favorite pieces are pictured.
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| The Art Show as it was being set up |
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another view of the art show being set up
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| Coronation by Christi Jentz (from a stained glass window at the Basilica of St. Josephat in Milwaukee |
For my contribution to the show, I chose three of my poems that were short enough to be easily framed with a photographic background that would meet the art show requirements of revealing God's love. It was a thrill to see them displayed publicly and to receive words of admiration for them from people who are truly magnificent artists. I not only framed them for the show, but also made them into note cards. Both the framed poems and the note cards are available for sale, so if you would have an interest in making a purchase, please do send me an email and I'll be very happy to send them to you. The 5x7 matted and framed prints are on acid-free photo paper with the words of the poem on acid-free vellum. The cards are 4x6 on acid-free card stock with the poem on a vellum overlay attached with a ribbon. They are blank inside for your own message.
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