Major progress and major news!

Last week I brought my wrapping cloth-in-progress to the Cathedral to share with the congregation and hopefully drum up some more fabric contributions. I've been working on it in 20 foot sections since March, and have 3 sections complete and joined. Of course, this means that the piece is now longer than the length of my house and I cannot view it in its entirety at home. It was a great pleasure to roll it out along the bench ledge that runs the length of the Cathedral. I couldn't believe how long it was!

 Above is a view from the dark beginning end, and below a view from the light pastel end which will be the middle section. I'm very happy that my original estimate of needing about 120 feet altogether was correct, as the 60 feet here parallels the length of our gathering when we circle around the font. It's growing from darkness into light and from grief into life.

There's been a lot of grief around lately- I've been hearing from all sides of friends who have lost loved ones. It seems a strange thing to be making art about, but it feels very right to me to be making this piece about grief, transition, and joy. Seeing my cloth stretched out like this makes it look like a path to follow. My constant prayer is that I be led down the path that will make the best use of my skills and talents.

On the same day I brought this piece to the Cathedral, I had some wonderful news about my future path... I've been hired as a K-5 Art Teacher for a charter school in South Philadelphia for the coming school year! This has been long awaited, and I'm still feeling how incredible it is that the pieces of my life are fitting together so beautifully. I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next year, and I hope I can remember the joy I feel now when I'm in my art room with 22 voices, with 22 questions, and 22 curious and willful minds at a time, and nearly 500 children will pass through my doors each week. Please hold me and my students and my family in the light this coming year as we all get used to new things.