Closing out this second part of my last post, I shall discuss here the events of Holy Week. Following the Holy Week play “The Death of Jesus Christ” there was still one big event I had to prepare for, a Stations of the Cross art exhibit at MANNA (Many Angels Needed Now and Always). This was planned as a walk-through exhibit to be held in the Sanctuary at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on Good Friday.
Author Archives: Elizabeth Richardson
Building a City in One Day
The last few weeks have been full of activity leading up to Holy Week at common cathedral and MANNA. Holy Week held many opportunities for the community to engage in creative activities, so there was a lot for me to learn. I spent the majority of my time in the last two weeks working with community members on two special projects, one of which I will discuss in this blog post. The second will be detailed in my next blog post.
For the first project, I led community members at common art in painting a large backdrop for a community member’s Easter play, which he wrote at MANNA and enacted with help from Amanda Ludeking. This was such a lovely opportunity to collaborate across the programs and to bring art and drama therapy together for the community. 
Since it was my first time painting pieces for a set, for the sake of time and in order to include more painters, I sketched out the setting of Jerusalem on large white paper ahead of time. Then community members worked together to paint the scene with newly-returned acrylic paints. I worked with the playwright and community members to pick colors for each section of the painting.
Since it was my first time painting pieces for a set, for the sake of time and in order to include more painters, I sketched out the setting of Jerusalem on large white paper ahead of time. Then community members worked together to paint the scene with newly-returned acrylic paints. I worked with the playwright and community members to pick colors for each section of the painting.Big Impact of Small Pieces
Over the last few weeks at common art we have been thoughtfully preparing as we began to increase the number of participants and the art materials we can utilize in the parish hall. This has brought much excitement and joy to the place as we are ready to bring back the beloved acrylic paints!
Spring forward!
Over the last few weeks, the changes in the weather as we usher in spring have felt in line with exciting changes at common art. While there have been some difficult transitions, many of these changes have been welcomed as we continue to evolve common art with current Covid-19 guidance. Community leaders have begun discussing ways that we can safely begin to reintroduce some of the art materials like the beloved acrylic paints or beads into the rotation. Additionally, we are once again evaluating the number of community members allowed in groups at a time and the safe distance between our seating arrangements. It’s been quite exciting to imagine the possibilities and see the collaborative process unfold between common art staff, community leaders, and interns to find creative solutions to keep evolving the programming. Additionally, more community members continue to receive their first and second doses of the vaccine.
Continuing On
Two weeks ago, for the first time, I helped to lead the morning meeting at common art. This was a really exciting opportunity to put my skills to the test and learn more about myself as a facilitator. With the Reverend Mary on vacation, artist-in-residence Allie and I came up with a plan for the morning meeting to address the month’s theme of self-control.
Vaccinations & Anniversaries
Over the past few weeks, I have found myself settling into new routines after the holidays and beginning of the New Year. Yet as we move into February, it has occurred to me that we are at the one-year mark of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how feelings about this anniversary will arise within community members and will show up in their art and their behavior.
2021
- 1 Jan. Orbis Books published When Tears Sing: The Art of Lament in Christian Community by our 11th rector, The Rev. Dr. William Blaine-Wallace.
- 21 Jan. Boston Sun article by Seth Daniel, “Made for This Time: Surprisingly Emmanuel Church Was Engineered for COVID-19”, discussed the efforts of Michael Scanlon and Julian Bullitt to monitor air quality throughout our building, which was designed in the time of tuberculosis.
- March. The Rev. Tamra Tucker and our rector formed two mixed groups of parishioners from common cathedral and Emmanuel to follow The Episcopal Church’s Sacred Ground dialogue series on race and faith.
- July 29. Kevin Neel retired as organist and parish administrator par excellence.
- 26 Sept. We celebrated the retirement of Pat Krol, who had served as Executive Director of Emmanuel Music and greeter since 2006. We funded the cantata and dedicated in her honor these doors, which she held open every Sunday while our choristers and liturgists to processed into the Sanctuary.
- 31 Oct.
Memorial service for The Rev. Dr. David J. Siegenthaler (1926-2020), former priest in charge, was held in our well-ventilated sanctuary. After leaving Emmanuel, Dr. Siegenthaler had served as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Duxbury MA, and then as archivist at the Episcopal Divinity School, where he taught for four decades.
Peaceful Thoughts
Between the holiday season, continued pandemic, and the violent transition of leadership in our country, things have felt quite busy these last few weeks at Common Cathedral and MANNA. These events have created an ebb and flow of tension with the community as folks struggle with continued changes and emotions. As we approached Inauguration Day, many expressed deep concerns about unrest and protests in Boston and the real physical danger of having no place to go when there is violence in the streets, when one lives outside and buildings are locked.
Holidays during the Pandemic
As the holidays have begun to arrive, there has been a sense of excitement for the season coupled with the reality of the increasing severity of the pandemic. In my time at Common Art, I hadn’t yet seen the virus impact community members so directly. Now I have begun to see community members experiencing loss, and relatives of community members being hospitalized. It felt like the virus slowly crept closer and closer to home at Common Art. This has been tough to see as folks worry about their own safety and struggle with grief. As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time with community members hearing and reading stories about their loved ones. Without the ability to see relatives for the holidays, it’s been really lovely to hear about folks’ families or friends and honor those that can’t be with us in the space.
Ask and you shall receive!
One of my favorite things about Common Art is the way that the community members co-construct the space. Community members are involved in each step of the planning and execution of the programs if they choose. They aren’t just participants they are the what makes Common Art run each Wednesday. Continue reading