For You Are Carbon, And to Carbon You Shall Return The following are works of handmade paper from a summer intensive I took in the summer of 2023. The class brought together my desire to care for the earth and create as an artist. “Relationship”… this is the word that remains with me as I reluctantly welcome the last day of class. Ever since I learned about the damaging effects many conventional painting materials have on planet earth, I could not wash away the feelings of guilt and sadness whenever making art. We began this class by watching short films that are simultaneously disturbing and illuminating about the positionality of humans as just one among the intricate web of organisms within the natural order. Humans have massive implications to destroy and/or restore, even in our art-making. And, whether we embrace it or not, we live “in relationship with” the world around us. My collection of artwork tried to explore this theme of “relationship” within the natural world. Familiar patterns emerged from the microscopic organisms observed on a petri dish to the milky way expanding across the cosmic universe. We are all connected. Learning and immersing in an art form that is not only “clean” but honors the interconnectedness of humans to the rest of the world has been a true breath of fresh air. I feel that I am just embarking on a journey to discover new tools for my artist box. I am committed in a newly empowered way to create in ways that honors my interconnectedness with the rest of the created world. We all live and die and leave some kind of an imprint in this life. I want my imprint to be one that honors relationship, interconnectedness, and the fullness of life with all creation.
John Howard Yoder
Service of Lament Installation
This installation was created for the public worship service of lament and confession at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, mourning in solidarity with the survivors of sexual abuse perpetuated by John Howard Yoder. Throughout the course of the service, the black fabric strips were gradually removed to symbolize the loosening of all that was bound by Yoder's actions--the victims/survivors, the Mennonite church and its institutions, the fragmented truth(s), and perhaps even Yoder himself. The final form of the installation stands solemnly against the wooden relief on the wall that recites Jesus' prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," reminding the viewer that undoing the harm of sexualized violence by church leaders is part and parcel with the work of bringing God's Kingdom on earth as in heaven.
