The FAÇeADE Project’s mission is to understand our community through fine art portraiture. Libby Reed painted people from life while recording their stories. Each portrait requires at least three hours of precious time.
Our congregation at St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church is a melting pot. We have a full spectrum of skin tones, cultures, and languages from all over the United States and the world. We are a strong community that represents our local diversity.
Ash Wednesday 2018 was Valentine’s Day. It was also the day of another school shooting — this time at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. We waited all day to find out if any of our congregation or friends fell victim to the madness. We wondered who might be a victim while receiving the ash cross on our foreheads.
Carmen Shentrup was almost 16. We watched her grow up. She was awesome. We all grieved with her beautiful family. The shock intensified our Lenten rituals. Shortly after that, we lost our rector. Our congregation had been through a lot.
Small group discussions were our therapy. We met in groups to discuss how to move forward. I learned so much by listening to the people I spoke with every week. I never looked past their facades.
IKIGAI is the intersection of your life when you are at your best. That sweet spot when you love what you do, what you are good at doing, what makes you money, and what helps the world. The Japanese philosophy of IKIGAI inspired a list of suggested topics of conversation.
Exhibiting these portraits in a group empowers our community. Most of these people would never consider sitting for a painted portrait. We understand each other better after taking the time to paint and talk. These paintings captured the spirit.
Enjoy the collection of portraits in our Narthex. Use your cell phone to take a photo of the QR code included in the name label to read interviews and gain insights to our conversations.
Painting from life consists of sequential choices made from moment to moment. A professional artist’s model stays entirely still. These subjects moved — laughing, explaining, wondering. I felt honored to catch their spirit. I did reference photos to finish the painting — listening to their voice while capturing their spirit.
Please join us to celebrate this collection on Saturday, April 9, 2022, from 4-7 pm. Enjoy the performance of Camerata di Magdalena, the Baroque string school of Eric Berken.
All the best,
Libby
Elizabeth Elvart Reed
Capturing the Spirit of People and Places
954.471.8001
http://www.elizabethreed.net