Last year I visited the Indianapolis Museum of Art where "Angel of the Resurrection," a Tiffany stained glass window, hangs as part of its permanent collection. Captivated, I snapped several pictures, including closeups of the inscription. Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. (Ephesians 5:14, KJV). … [Read more...]
Curiosity Journal: January 4, 2012
Each Wednesday I’ve been recording a Curiosity Journal to recap the previous week using these tag words: reading, playing, learning, reacting and writing. Now I'm simplifying, to see if I like a slimmed-down version. ::: Reading From Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing, by my friend and colleague L.L. Barkat, Chapter 2: "Let the unrestrained rain of … [Read more...]
Art Can Awaken
We show up at the art museum without any real plan. Two of us brought cameras; one of the kids packed a sketch pad and pencils; our eldest stuffed gadgets into her pockets to listen to music, text friends and check Facebook; and my husband and our son carried nothing, free to consider the artwork unencumbered and undistracted. We wander through the European gallery, … [Read more...]
Learning to See
In our fast-paced world, our days speeding past in a blur, we're in danger of losing the ability to truly see.I don't want to lose that skill, that gift.Or if I have temporarily lost it because I have instead trained my eye on the time or the speedometer or the packed pages of my daily planner, I want to regain it.In spite of having physical eyes that function quite well, … [Read more...]
Yann Martel on Life of Pi, Interpretation, Stillness, and Art
A couple of years ago, urged by a friend, I read Life of Pi, by Yann Martel.It left me fascinated, and a little confused. I guess I'm not so good with obscure stuff. So I was quite interested that the Festival of Faith & Writing brought him to speak. Would he explain the book for the slow-of-brain?The evening began with an amusing glitch. Martel was introduced by a … [Read more...]
The Blessing of Boredom
"I'm bored," a child whines. Oh, no! Quick, pull out the paints or Playdough—heaven forbid the child actually sits with nothing to do. In our entertainment-obsessed society, we almost panic at the thought of having nothing to do, at being bored. The world seems to want to fill every spare moment with productivity or fun. But is boredom such a bad thing? Could boredom … [Read more...]
The Best Way to See Art: With Kids
We went to the art museum to see an exhibit of Roman art that was in our fair city on loan from the Louvre. En route, I had the kids take turns reading short chapters about ancient Rome from a kids' history book. I wanted them to have some historical context for the sculptures, busts, and reliefs they were about to view, so they took turns reading about … [Read more...]
