Sacred Spaces Craftspeople
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Dennis Stephens
Pipe Organ Builder
Calleo, Virginia
The origins of the pipe organ can be traced back to the Hydraulis in Ancient Greece in the third century BC, in which the wind supply was created with water pressure. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre throughout the keyboard compass. Some of the finest pipe organs have been made in the United States, particularly in the 19th Century, Dennis Stephens keeps this tradition alive and brings 33 years experience as a church organist and 20 years experience as a pipe and reed organ builder and restorationist. He has created the Rappahannock Pipe Organ Company, one of the most sought after pipe and reed organ shops in the country.
Abbas Joudee
Islamic Calligraphy
Stafford, Virginia
Derived from the Aramaic Nabataean alphabets, Arabic writing has existed prior to Islam. However, the stunning calligraphy rendered in Arabic has developed along with the rise of Islam, from the early 7th century onward. As the message of the Qura'an spread, calligraphy's main function has evolved into artistically recording and preserving the new revelation, where calligraphers became committed to beautify, balance, and perfect their product in a way worthy of God's own words. While many religions have made use of figural images to convey their core convictions, Islam has instead used the shapes and sizes of words or letters. The Iraqi cities of Kufa and Baghdad gradually turned into a religious and cultural center, attracting many of the finest scribes of this sacred art form. Abbas Joudee is a true master of this craft, carrying on a long family tradition of Baghdad calligraphers. Joudee became a refugee of the Gulf War, and has since relocated to Stafford, Virginia, where he continues to welcome students from throughout the Middle East.
Judith and Steve Henry Herman
Sukkah Construction
Durham, NC
The Jewish Festival of Sukkot begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur . It is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in the Jewish calendar to one of the most joyous. The word "Sukkot" means "booths," and refers to the temporary dwellings that are lived in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering. In the late 1980s Rabbi Steve Sager of Beth El Synagogue in Durham NC asked Steve Henry to design a simple do-it-yourself sukkah kit for members of the community who wished to have a sukkah but knew nothing about building things. The kit he came up with proved extremely popular with the locals, and soon requests were also coming in from far off places.
David Amoroso
Mexican Ritual Alters
Arlington, VA
David Amoroso and Ernesto Gomez create temporary ritual space - altars used by families and communities to remember loved ones on All Saints Day, November 1st. The Dia de los Muertos is the day when the veil between life and the afterlife thins and communications across the divide are possible. These altars feature personal mementos, carved sugar skulls, ceremonial foods, flowers and candles all ritually placed. This ritual dates to the ancient Aztecs; despite efforts by the Church, it remains an important part of life in many Mexican and Mexican-American families. The alters are also used to honor and celebrate saints and religious icons, such as the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Mama Girl
Paper Sculpture
Painter, VA
Pastor Mary Onley, known as "Mama Girl," is a self-taught artist who was born, reared, and still lives in her hometown of Painter, VA. Her lyrical sculptures, similar to paper maché‚ but without wire or other frame, consist exclusively of newspaper. Onley’s life bears similarities to the acclaimed black painter of the Harlem Renaissance, Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000). Both Lawrence and Onley came from families who labored on farms. Neither could go to school because the money they earned in the fields was crucial to support their families, and both discovered art as way of expressing their spirituality. Mama Girl says, “If the spirit don’t give it to me, I can’t do it.”
Jimmy Price
Brickwork and Traditional Building Arts
Amherst, VA
Lime has been used in building construction for over 6000 years, but this continuity was interrupted with the invention and broad manufacture of Portland Cement over a century ago. Working from his home business not far from the site of his grandfather’s farm in Amherst, Virginia, Jimmy Price is a master of traditional building craft skills once prized and now nearly forgotten. Jimmy’s family-run business Virginia Limeworks showcases walls built by hand with brick produced on site from Virginia clay, using lime-based mortar made from oyster shells harvested in Maryland and Virginia, burned in kilns on the property and painted with lime washes or mineral-based paints. Jimmy and his crew are leading the project to reconstruct historic St. Mary’s City Chapel in Maryland, reproducing the bricks and lime mortar used in the original building, and even the scaffolding made of hand-hewn wood and rope knotting used to build the 1667 structure.
Alfo-Conce
Guatemalan Alfombra
Arlington , VA
Alfombra de arracin (rice carpets) are created in Guatemalan cities and villages during Holy Week. Using dyed sawdust, rice, dried beans and other vegetable materials, teams of artists create a carpet depicting scenes from the passion and other religious images as part of Good Friday activities. Each carpet is a unique creation, carefully developed by the artistic team during the days leading up to holy week. The images and techniques employed are drawn from a repertoire of traditional religious iconography and long-held community practices. The group name – Alfo-Conce – refers to the alfombra makers of Conception, their home village. Ubaldo Sanchez, the principal artist of the group, is 23 years old, lives in Arlington, Virginia and learned the tradition from his older brother and community members before immigrating to the United States at age 14.
Church "Crowns"
From the Collection of the Ingram Family
Richmond, VA
The etiquette of wearing elaborate, colorful hats to church dates back to biblical times, to I Corinthians where Paul calls for women to cover their heads while praying. The tradition has particularly flourished in the African American community. To many, the tradition is about more than just wearing a fancy hat to church, but about walking into God's house feeling your best both inside and out. While the tradition of wearing colorful "crowns" to church remains more popular among the older generations, it has recently experienced a revival among younger women. The collection displayed here are from the family of Richmond gospel legend Maggie Ingram and her family.