Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Buy More Art: music, poetry and activities for Advent from Steve Bell, Malcolm Guite and The Ambrosium



Introducing Buy More Art, a subtly-titled weekly collection of art and art events I'm recommending to the world. A close runner up name for the new series:  Love your Artist Neighbor, Buy More Art! (borrowing language from Lauren Winner's advice for art patrons in this book)

After writing 101 Monday Mixtape posts, I'm throwing a farewell party and welcoming in the new guy. You'll notice the mixtape lives on in spirit.  We're just hanging up the jersey on the metaphor.

In case you're wondering, a couple of things I consider when I'm putting together my collection:
  • Is this an emerging artist who could use a shout-out?
  • Is this an emerging artist I've met, friend of a friend, reminds me of someone I know?
  • Do I enjoy the painting/print/tunes/exhibit/piece/pages so much I want to own it for myself?
  • Does this artist have a risk-taking story I'm cheering?
  • Does this work feature the banjo? Move it straight to the top of the list.
{ This post is meant to be shared; help a starving artist and pass it on! If you'd like to receive This Sacramental Life in your inbox, enter your email address here }

The season of Advent begins this coming Saturday, December 1.  With that in mind I'm sharing a mini-collection of artful resources for you to enjoy in this beautiful waiting time.

-- 1 --

Keening for the Dawn: Christmastide
                                                                           

Have I mentioned how much I love it when artists collaborate?  Last week I shared with you the poetry inspired album The Necessary Dark from Ordinary Neighbors.  This week I'm excited to share an album of new music inspired by new sonnets inspired by old liturgy: Keening for the Dawn features Steve Bell's music inspired by the Chestertonian, quite hobbity lyrical troubadour Malcolm Guite.
“This is no mere jingly Christmas album, but a deep and beautiful recovery of the season of advent, of the darkness and longing that come before, and give their depth, to joy.”Malcolm Guite, author of Faith, Hope and Poetry / Ashgate Press, Cambridge, UK
Read the story behind the advent of this Advent adventure (aka, in which Guite uses the words "glib, bland, and frankly a bit naff" to describe most Christian contemporary music):  Keening for the Dawn - and adventure with Steve Bell

Read Guite's Advent sonnets that started the whole adventure in the first place:  Oh come, Oh Come! Some Advent Reflections

Read the album's first review from Kevin Belmonte:
an excerpt:  Some gifts mark the seasons, and are, in themselves, things we return to gladly—gratefully.
Such a gift comes this year in Keening for the Dawn, the new release from one of Canada’s finest singer-songwriters: Steve Bell. For more than twenty years, his rich tenor voice has sounded in tandem with the fluent phrasings of a skilled guitarist. They have garnered Juno Awards that stand testimony to the respect of his peers.
Listen to the title track from the album, Keening for the Dawn

Listen to song samples and read lyrics here

Purchase album here

-- 2 --
Sounding the Seasons: Poetry for the Christian year by Malcolm Guite                                                              

For an entire liturgical year's worth of Malcolm Guite's sonnets, Canterbury Press releases on December 5 Guite's Sounding the Seasons: Poetry for the Christian Year.
‘Each of Malcolm Guite’s sonnets is like a Celtic knot, with threads of devotion and theology cunningly woven into shining emblems of truth and beauty. Whether spoken aloud or read silently, these poems speak to mind and soul.’  
-- Luci Shawpoet and author of Harvesting Fog and Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination and Spirit
listen to ‘O Emmanuel’ on Audioboo



O come, O come, and be our God-with-us
O long-sought With-ness for a world without,
O secret seed, O hidden spring of light.
Come to us Wisdom, come unspoken Name
Come Root, and Key, and King, and holy Flame,
O quickened little wick so tightly curled,
Be folded with us into time and place,
Unfold for us the mystery of grace
And make a womb of all this wounded world.
O heart of heaven beating in the earth,
O tiny hope within our hopelessness
Come to be born, to bear us to our birth,
To touch a dying world with new-made hands
And make these rags of time our swaddling bands.

-- 3 --
Christian Activity Advent Calendar from The Ambrosium



                                                                                         


True confession: I (almost literally) drooled at first sight of this new offering listed in The Ambrosium's shop.  I have quite a little wish list going there.  Still Phaedra Taylor's advent calendar design went straight to the top of the list.

Now I'm watching my mailbox every day, saving just the right spot in my house to hang the lovely reminders of Advent beauty. (By the way, Mom and Grandma -- if you're reading -- this is what you got me for Christmas!)

Buy the Advent calendar here (note: this week's orders will arrive to your home by December 5, check the shop site for shipping updates or send a note to Phaedra through her Etsy page.)

For an inspiring rationale for the season of Advent, read David Taylor's post on the subject: An Advent Calendar: alternate narrative, subersive time


While you're in the shop browse the lovely collection of vintage Christmas cards.  (also on my wish list...)

- add your art --

Now it's your turn!  What art are you making, selling, buying?  Tell us about it in the  comments below.  If you've written your own post, share the link.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"The God who impoverished himself is also the God of abundance, and somehow, perhaps at times nonsensically, Christians are called to live out of an ethic not of scarcity but of abundance—an abundance that extends both to the homeless neighbor and to the artist neighbor. . . "  -- Lauren Winner, from her chapter THE ART PATRON: Someone Who Can't Draw a Straight Line Tries to Defend her Art-Buying Habit  in For the Beauty of the Church

Pin It

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving party in a post



                                                                                                  Source: newsdesk.si.edu via Tamara on Pinterest


I'm throwing you a Thanksgiving party-in-a-post!  One hour of feast & family songs to play while you're kneading, slicing and dicing.  You'll probably notice the playlist is pretty personal right about the middle where it gets kind of sad and wistful for far-away home.

These are good days for mulling cider, listening to jazz, lighting fires and choosing contentment, yes?  Dear friends, know I am thankful for you.

Enjoy!
listen





                                                                                                       Source: foodiefancy.com via Tamara on Pinterest





The Wild Geese

(thanks to Graceful for inspiring me to share this poem this week)


Pin It

Monday, November 19, 2012

Buy More Art: new album releases from Raising Jane and Ordinary Neighbors, You Are Awesome: 21 Crafts to Make You Happy by Abbey Hendrickson



Introducing Buy More Art, a subtly-titled weekly collection of art and art events I'm recommending to the world. A close runner up name for the new series:  Love your Artist Neighbor, Buy More Art! (borrowing language from Lauren Winner's advice for art patrons in this book)

After writing 101 Monday Mixtape posts, I'm throwing a farewell party and welcoming in the new guy. You'll notice the mixtape lives on in spirit.  We're just hanging up the jersey on the metaphor.

In case you're wondering, a couple of things I consider when I'm putting together my collection:
  • Is this an emerging artist who could use a shout-out?
  • Is this an emerging artist I've met, friend of a friend, reminds me of someone I know?
  • Do I enjoy the painting/print/tunes/exhibit/piece/pages so much I want to own it for myself?
  • Does this artist have a risk-taking story I'm cheering?
  • Does this work feature the banjo? Move it straight to the top of the list.
{ This post is meant to be shared; help a starving artist and pass it on! If you'd like to receive This Sacramental Life in your inbox, enter your email address here }


-- 1 --




If you like exceptional, vocally driven Folk & Celtic music, you'll be glad you met Raising Jane.  We've enjoyed hearing the group perform live a couple of times since moving to Austin, most recently Saturday night for the With Light Intention release party at Foodheads.  Nothing better than a crisp night in Austin with beer from band member Adam Blumenshein's brewery (Strange Land Brewery), Foodheads' savory turkey noodle soup, good friends and flying fiddles.  

By the way, if you happen to be on my Christmas list and love Celtic music you should hold off buying this album for yourself (wink).


Sample track for your enjoyment.

Raising Jane website

Raising Jane on Facebook

With Light Intention at CD Baby

With Light Intention at Amazon.com

CD release party at Foodheads, Austin --
we're grateful for our friendship with Mark and Terri Fisher!
-- 2 --




via Cicada Books: Abbey Hendrickson writes a blog called Aesthetic Outburst documenting her life in an old farmhouse in rural New York. In between DIY disasters, childcare catastrophes and cultural consumption, Abbey makes some fantastic and funky craft projects, which she sells through her Etsy shop. You Are Awesome is a collection of 21 clearly explained step-by-step craft ideas by Abbey Hendrickson. They range from a cross-stitched screendoor to a laptop toy made from a cardboard box. The projects are deceptively simple to make, but have a contemporary freshness that will appeal to seasoned crafters and novices alike. Each one captures the warmth and humour that Abbey herself radiates and which makes her blog so popular. There is nothing more rewarding than making things yourself. Things to live with and things to give to people you love. Let’s revel in the joy of handmade. Crafting is awesome!

You Are Awesome: 21 Crafts to Make You Happy by Abbey Hendrickson, illustrated by Fiona Biddington and published by Cicada Books.

You Are Awesome at Amazon.com

Abbey Hendrickson at her blog: Aesthetic Outburst & on Pinterest

Book review at Poppytalk

It wasn't until after I was a long-time Aesthetic Outburst blog fan that I discovered Abbey Hendrickson and her family live in Owego, NY -- as in one town away from our previous home in Endicott.  I think I figured it out when she created a relief fund for the devastated little town after the 2011 flood.  Then I realized her parents live a half a mile away from my parents' former house after she promoted their annual barn sale. Gosh, I wish I'd known Abbey when we lived less than 1,700 miles apart.

No matter where you live I recommend her new book.  And for any of you near Rochester, NY next weekend, check out details for Abbey's book signing at second storie indie market 2012.



-- 3 --

The Necessary Dark from Ordinary Neighbors







via bandcamp page:  The songs began as simple folk tunes, many of which are based on Susanna's poetry and short fiction. The music slowly morphed into ambient soundscapes in the studio with the help of Dustin Ragland (Utopian Accident ) and DM Stith (Asthmatic Kitty Records, Revival Hour). The result is a mountain of noises and beats that create a space chock-full of feeling.



Another great album hot off the presses!  I've never met Joshua Banner or Susanna Childress but I've followed his blog and her poetry for several years now.  I'm excited to dig into this collaboration of lyric and tune.  


-- bonus --

What I See When I Run botanical prints
Last Dance
Francis Ooi





I'm in love with this concept and with these prints.  I put together a collage of November-ish leaves but that's just a tiny selection of the variety of flora and fauna listed on the site.  Check them all out.  Looks like you need to order quickly (by 11/20) if you want any for Christmas gifts.



-- add your art --

Now it's your turn!  What art are you making, selling, buying?  Tell us about it in the  comments below.  If you've written your own post, share the link.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"The God who impoverished himself is also the God of abundance, and somehow, perhaps at times nonsensically, Christians are called to live out of an ethic not of scarcity but of abundance—an abundance that extends both to the homeless neighbor and to the artist neighbor. . . "  -- Lauren Winner, from her chapter THE ART PATRON: Someone Who Can't Draw a Straight Line Tries to Defend her Art-Buying Habit  in For the Beauty of the Church

Pin It

Saturday, November 17, 2012

7 Quick Takes: Thanksgiving links! Saturday in November comforts! your suggestions for Writer's Block and more!



--- 1 ---
Less than one week to Thanksgiving!  I love this holiday and now have the added anticipation of my two oldest boys coming home and all six of us being together again.  It's quite shocking to me each time I re-discover the truth about our season of mid-empty-nest.  

Even though we are in a different season of life than the one described in this "how to get ready for Thanksgiving" post from Like Mother, Like Daughter I love "Auntie Leila's" wisdom and humour, don't you? (p.s., if you are a nursing mother responsible for Thanksgiving prep, this is a must read.)

Ask Auntie Leila: No, really, how do you prepare for Thanksgiving?

--- 2 ---
Probably my favorite Thanksgiving post I've written here hails all the way back to November 2008:  All is safely gathered in

I'm quite impressed with myself for managing to combine Van Gogh, Miles Davis, Snoopy and WKRP in Cincinnati all in one post.  See for yourself.

--- 3 ---
It's not quite cool enough yet here in Austin for crackly fires but I did wear a hooded sweatshirt on a lovely Saturday morning walk through our neighborhood.  A few stretches of sidewalk pleased me with piles of crackly brown leaves to crunch under my feet.  The morning felt positively November-ish and homey.  I am so grateful.

I discovered one of these delightful private lending libraries perched outside one of the houses on my way.  Such a neighborly thing to do. (as I look through the Statesman article, I'm realizing this was the exact yard I walked by!)


credit: Carolyn Lindell
Michele Holt shows her library in the Brentwood neighborhood in North Central Austin.
Growing the love of reading: Free libraries pop up in front yards (via Statesman.com)

--- 4 ---
As I mentioned in last week's Quick Takes, I'm pretty certain I've got a severe-ish case of writer's block.  My hope for the long walk this morning was, in part, to clear my head from the week.  My day job is not difficult, rarely stressful, but somehow feels like it's submerging the creative writing part of my brain under water or something.

Suggestions from any of you artist and creative types out there?  How can I keep my thinking/dreaming/pondering mind alive during a week of task-oriented, spreadsheet and serial-number thinking?

--- 5 ---
This week was finally cool enough for me -- the ultimate fair-weather fan -- to attend a highschool football game.  Just in time because it turned out to be the last game of the season. A disappointing play-off loss for McCallum but I didn't sweat one tiny bit and even got to wear a sweater, scarf and hat.  


McCallum Knights vs. Rouse Raiders at Austin's House Park
What a view from this field, eh?  To the right Austin's iconic Frost Bank Tower and downtown, to the left that little red light (just left of the stadium light) is the dome of the Capitol building.  

Awesome.


--- 6 ---
In this week of counting our blessings, I'm adding a few comfort items to the traditional list:  

  • my bathtub which is made just right for a person of my height
  • the drugs Guaifenesin and Pseudoephedrine which, taken religiously, have kept me from being sick this fall
  • Central Market's dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt
  • the aformentioned hooded sweatshirt
  • Miles Davis radio on Pandora
  • my husband's perfectly-mixed mixed drinks and foot rubs
  • our new Ikea mattress (half price in the "scratch 'n dent" section!) and side-sleeper pillows
  • Saturday afternoon naps on the couch and college football 

--- 7 ---
ZZZzzzzzz........



Enjoy a beauty-filled weekend!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!



Pin It

Monday, November 12, 2012

Buy More Art: support Matthew Clark's Bright Came the Word from His Mouth, buy art for Sandy recovery, Songs for Liturgy from Cardiphonia plus bonus "Poem Forest"




Introducing Buy More Art, a subtly-titled weekly collection of art and art events I'm recommending to the world. A close runner up name for the new series:  Love your Artist Neighbor, Buy More Art! (borrowing language from Lauren Winner's advice for art patrons in this book)

After writing 101 Monday Mixtape posts, I'm throwing a farewell party and welcoming in the new guy.  You'll notice the mixtape lives on in spirit.  We're just hanging up the jersey on the metaphor.

In case you're wondering, a couple of things I consider when I'm putting together my collection:
Is this an emerging artist who could use a shout-out?
  • Is this an emerging artist I've met, friend of a friend, reminds me of someone I know?
  • Do I enjoy the painting/print/tunes/exhibit/piece/pages so much I want to own it for myself?
  • Does this artist have a risk-taking story I'm cheering?
  • Does this work feature the banjo? Move it straight to the top of the list.
{ This post is meant to be shared; help a starving artist and pass it on! If you'd like to receive This Sacramental Life in your inbox, enter your email address here }




-- 1 --


Matthew Clark is another artist I owe the privilege of knowing to the Laity Lodge Ministers to Artists retreat.  Specifically to the Saturday-night, post-concert sit-around-the-fire, ale and cigar and conversation on the patio.  I always feel a bit awkward, not knowing how to initiate meaningful conversation without resorting to small talk cliches.  Matthew Clark does not suffer that problem.  He has a gift of gracious, kindhearted openness that made sharing story and meaning feel easy and comfortable.  I feel like I got to know his sweet wife, his home in Memphis, and his music with just one conversation around the outdoor fire.

Now you have the opportunity to get to know Matthew through his music.  Knowing the little bit of Matthew that I do, it comes as no surprise that he'd take a risk on a collaboration, joining his gifts with the ideas of others.  Bright Came the Word from His Mouth is an album of songs inspired by Sandra Richter's book, The Epic of Eden.  Clark's goal for this ambitious project: to "create a cohesive telling of the epic journey of God and his children from the Eden of Genesis, through the long and broken journey of humanity to Christ, all the way to the final restoration of God's original intent - God's people, in God's place, flourishing in unbroken access to God's Presence."

Less than two days remain for the indiegogo campaign to support this project.

Go to the campaign home page for more information.  (Funding levels begin at $5.)  
Listen to a song from the album: Let Go the Floodgates
Visit Matthew Clark's website 


-- 2 --
Artists donating 100% of Proceeds to Sandy Recovery



                                                                               Source: thisiscolossal.com via Tamara on Pinterest



New York based artist Sebastian Errazuriz is offering this thoughtfully designed cotton shirt titled I Still Love NY through Grey Area. Photo courtesy Jordan Doner.




-- 3 --
Songs for Liturgy: A Cardiphonia Compilation album







                       

Cardiphonia provides another rich treasure of music from the church, for the church.  Twenty-two worship leaders from across the United States offer different perspectives for liturgical music. 

   " ...these short songs do a wonderful job at helping to remind us that the Gospel proclamation is an ever evolving and flowing narrative where neither Word, nor prayer, nor song, nor table has the last say…but in all of them together is Christ made full.
So we offer up this collection of incomplete songs as a testimony that Christ is died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.  It’s a fitting song to sing as we prepare for the advent season.  The full song of salvation hasn’t sounded yet."
Download the album at Bandcamp. While this album is a free gift to the Church, for the first 30 days "name your own price" donations for downloads go to to support Sandy recovery efforts in NY/NJ. 

Visit Cardiphonia for free download of the entire songbook for this album.

-- bonus -- 
Poem Forest: An audiovisual tour of New York Botanical Gardens, November 2011

                                                                       Source: blog.bmwguggenheimlab.org via Tamara on Pinterest

                                                                   
“Waterfalls, with a sound/ Like rain”
—Ch’u Ch’uang I

"Poem Forest took place November 2011 at the New York Botanical Garden, which was celebrating the renovation of its 50-acre old-growth forest. The Garden, in conjunction with the Poetry Society of America, asked me to do something poetry-related on site. This commission excited me because I wanted to pull poetry from libraries, magazines, books, etc., and put it in the world....

So I “installed” 15 lines pulled from 2,500 years of poetry along a trail through the old-growth forest. Visitors spoke each line (printed on a handout) at specific locations (marked by small orange signs) to which the lines corresponded conceptually or physically....

Urban planners, artists, and citizens around the world must open poetic space within increasingly cramped, increasingly bottom-line-driven cities. Our political animalness gets claustrophobic. We require the commons to encounter each other and the physical landscape."
Here’s a 72-second audio piece that features Poem Forest participants reading their favorite lines. 



-- add your art --
Now it's your turn!  What art are you making, selling, buying?  Tell us about it in the Comments below.  If you've written your own post, share the link.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"The God who impoverished himself is also the God of abundance, and somehow, perhaps at times nonsensically, Christians are called to live out of an ethic not of scarcity but of abundance—an abundance that extends both to the homeless neighbor and to the artist neighbor. . . "  -- Lauren Winner, from her chapter THE ART PATRON: Someone Who Can't Draw a Straight Line Tries to Defend her Art-Buying Habit  in For the Beauty of the Church
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...