Loading Video . . . Spark & Echo explores Psalm 126 this in their song, “How to Be Free.” Psalms 126 How to Be Free By The Spark & Echo Band Credits: Guitar by Alexander Foote Bass by Jay Foote Mixed by Alexander Foot Mastered by Christopher Colbert Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2013 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This song is both a response to Psalm 126 and in honor of Jonathon’s Grandfather, Al Roberts. In this psalm we see the Israelites rejoicing in their return from exile, and their freedom from oppressors after many years. We see the reversal of tears to joy. It reminds us of Al, who taught the people he knew how to be free. His joy and sense of play were contagious, and it was hard to wear a frown when he was around. The sounds that eventually take over this song reflect that playful quality. We like to see this song as a large party, from its height around midnight, to the last dwindling revelers at 4am. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection The Spark & Echo Band is a family outfit of songwriting-storytellers led by husband and wife duo Jonathon Roberts and Emily Clare Zempel. Their music brings forgotten poetry and wild stories from the Bible to life: visions of sparkling wheels in the sky, hunger and thirst, and legends of love as strong as death weave with memorable melodies and captivating rhythms. Drawing from a classical background, influenced by the pianism of Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds, and emulating Paul Simon’s narratival techniques, Spark & Echo sings epic tales of love and adventure. The duo has collaborated on three full lengths albums (Spark&Echo, Inheritance, Cities Project), one video album (In the Clocktower), in addition to many theatrical collaborations, this very nonprofit, and two children. They live in beautiful Beacon, New York, with all of the above. Website The Spark & Echo Band About the Artist White Robe What a Day Deep Calls to Deep Yo Sé Do You Love Me? Where Can I Go? Flesh Lifeblood Artist in Residence 2015: Spark & Echo Band Take to Heart The Wheels Frogs Ruined Inheritance The Spark & Echo Band Other Works By Lyrics: When you saved us from our captors We were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were full of laughter, Our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “Oh lord you’ve done great things for them.” You have done great things for us And we are filled with joy. You taught me how to be free, Free as the river in the spring. Now those who sow with tears, Will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, Carrying seed to sow Will return with a harvest Carrying songs of joy. Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Composer and musician Will Healy explores ways in which to survive and overcome oppression through his emotive work reflecting on Ecclesiastes 4:1-2. Ecclesiastes 4:1-2 Ecclesiastes 4:1-2 By Will Healy Credits: Composed and Performed By Will Healy Curated by: Aaron Beaumont 2017 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Given how much has changed over the last 2,000 years, it is always fascinating to read Bible passages that are relevant to the modern world. In Ecclesiastes 4:1-2, Solomon reflects upon sorrow and inequity, and in doing so he reveals a universal truth about being human–we all long for someone to comfort us. To this day, not only is there still the pain and inequality that Solomon is describing, there is also that same desire for someone to alleviate the pain inherent in human existence. Solomon is so pained by this that he praises the dead for being dead. There are certain people and eras that have truly endured the kind of hardship he is describing, and they have often used music to get them through it. The Negro Spirituals of 19th century America are a beautiful example of this–melodies that could serve as a comforter to the oppressed when there were no others to comfort them. In my musical reflection, I start with an imagined Spiritual melody. Because Solomon is addressing the dead and picturing a comforting afterlife for his ancestors, I felt that the music needed an ethereal, somewhat eerie quality. The Spiritual melody is juxtaposed with sweeping, emotive runs as Solomon imagines the dead. As the piece progresses, the melody becomes increasingly distorted, almost unrecognizable. I end with the melody in the highest range of the piano, in dissonant, painful major 7ths. In today’s world, we face many of the same inequalities and sorrows that existed in Biblical times. It is tempting to become nihilistic about them, as Solomon is in this passage. We can look to the shared pains in every era of human existence, however, and learn from the many ways the oppressed faced their oppressors. In many cases that was through artistic expression, especially music. Perhaps through the universal language of music we can reach new understanding between the oppressors and the oppressed, honoring the dead by reflecting upon their words. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Will Healy is a composer and pianist based in New York. Known for his “lushly bluesy” sound and “adroitly blended… textures” (New York Times), he is the artistic director of ShoutHouse, an ensemble of 15 hip-hop, jazz, and classical musicians. After playing trumpet in an Afrobeat band for a few years, he grew interested in collaborating with performers from many corners of the New York music scene. In addition, he is an accomplished pianist specializing in Bach, with a repertoire that includes the complete Goldberg Variations and WTC Book 1. Healy is the recipient of the Richard Rodgers Scholarship at The Juilliard School, where he studies with John Corigliano. He has also studied with Samuel Adler, Steven Stucky, Kevin Puts, Harold Meltzer, Richard Wilson, George Tsontakis, Stephen Hartke, John Harbison, and many others. Recent awards include a 2017 Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an ASCAP Morton Gould Award, the W.K. Rose Fellowship, and prizes in the Juilliard and Kaleidoscope Orchestra Composition Competitions. He was a composition fellow at the Aspen Music Festival in 2013. Healy’s work has appeared at The Apollo Theater, on the NY Philharmonic’s Biennial series,on “New Sounds” with John Schaefer (WNYC) and “Making Music” (WBAI), and the I Care if You Listen Mixtape. His commissions include harpist Nancy Allen, the Great Lakes Chamber Festival, Novus New Music, Kyo Shin-An Arts, Robert Fleitz and Carrie Frey, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. He studied piano for many years with Dennis Malone at the Crestwood Music School. Website Will Healy About the Artist Will Healy Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Poet Judith Kunst brings us this beautiful poem in response to Lamentations 2:13. Lamentations 2:13 See If There Be Any Sorrow Like Unto My Sorrow By Judith Kunst Credits: Curated by: Elizabeth Dishman 2015 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link What entry point could a 21st century Midwestern poet find in an ancient poem attempting to grieve the desecration and dissolution of an entire nation? I wondered if I could find it in the 13th verse of chapter two, where the writer declares his own linguistic lack: loss of metaphor. "To what can I liken you," he says, "that I may comfort you?" Why is the act of setting two unlike things side by side and placing an equal sign between them a comforting act? Without being able to explain why, we instinctively know and practice the comfort of expressing exactly what we feel: Her smile is a boat that can carry me to safety. His look of scorn pierces me like a dagger. I wondered if a poem that used an apophatic structure‚ the rhetorical strategy of describing a thing by describing what it is NOT‚ could help me come closer to apprehending a sorrow so devastating that the quintessentially human act of metaphor-making has been rendered impossible. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Judith Kunst is the author of The Burning Word: A Christian Encounter with Jewish Midrash (Paraclete). Her poetry can be found in The Atlantic, Poetry, Image, Able Muse, Measure, Southern Poetry Review, and other publications. She leads workshops that seek out the intersections of language, scripture, and culture, and she lives with her family at La Lumiere School in northwest Indiana. Website Judith Kunst About the Artist Judith Kunst Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art Because everything has been taken, because everything that might have offered itself or been taken for consolation has already offered itself and been taken View Full Written Work See If There Be Any Sorrow Like Unto My Sorrow by Judith Kunst With what can I compare you, Daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, Virgin Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? – Lamentations 2:13 Because everything has been taken, because everything that might have offered itself or been taken for consolation has already offered itself and been taken, there can be now no consolation of comparison. You are a city but you are not like a city: your buildings are not like buildings, your streets are not like streets, they no longer pave the way for people who no longer act like people. Crying is heard, but I cannot say it is like the crying of lost children, for nothing in it remotely resembles innocence. I cannot say it is like the crying of boiled water in a kettle, for water does not start a fire under itself, nor does water keep boiling when its kettle has been crushed. How I long to say your crying is like that of wild geese, for then I could hear in your sobs some hope of pattern, some syncopation with the rhythms of departure and return. There is not. Any. I write, Your wound is as deep as the sea, and this is such a poorly drawn picture of our tears of our minds thrashing and lost in this enormity of crying that I see: even our language has broken up and been taken away. Close Loading Video . . . Because everything has been taken, because everything that might have offered itself or been taken for consolation has already offered itself and been taken Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Video artist Scott Baye captures the "joy of love" as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians with this playful video piece. 1 Corinthians 13:13 Bubbles By Scott Baye Credits: Video by Scott Baye Music by Jonathon Roberts Video Game by Bubble Bobble Artist Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2005 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This is a scene from the theater piece Project Paul , based on the life and writings of the Apostle Paul, created in collaboration with my brother Jonathon Roberts. This is a playful response to the joy of love, as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians. It was also an opportunity to for Jonathon and I to play Bubble Bobble together. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Scott Baye is a software engineer and video artist living in Green Bay, Wisconsin with his wife Karen and four children. Website Scott Baye About the Artist Scott Baye Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Brandon Mathis Popout Loading Video . . . Artist Brandon Mathis explores the liminal in his created work's response to the theme of “Dancing” from 1 Kings 18:26. 1 Kings 18:26 Untitled (Mathis) By Brandon Mathis Credits: Curated by: Janna Aliese 2013 8.5 x 11 inches Inkjet print, Graphite, Gouache, Colored pencil on Paper Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link The world can be divided into the familiar and unfamiliar. The boundary between the two is fluid and through experience certain elements from one side move to the other. The change from unfamiliar to familiar, and vice versa, is a key component in personal insight. It brings out new understanding. By examining and altering the familiar relationships between imagery, ideas and media I work to alter everyday object or situation to facilitate this shift. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Brandon Mathis is a visual artist living in Queens, NY and is currently an MFA candidate at Hunter College in NYC graduating 2014. He was born in Arkansas and received his BFA from the University of Central Arkansas. Working in sculpture, installation and drawing his work deals with what it means to know and occupy a place, material ingenuity and the role of spirituality in contemporary life. Website Brandon Mathis About the Artist Brandon Mathis Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Poet and songwriter Rebekah Sankey delves into matters of satisfaction and spiritual fulfillment in the form of a seven course poem in response to the theme of "meals" and Psalm 145. Psalms 145 A Prayer (in courses) By Rebekah Sankey Credits: Artist Location: New Jersey Curated by: Vesper Stamper 2014 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link As a poet and singer-songwriter, I have been drawn to the Psalms for obvious reasons. There are so many beautiful translations, but I've always imagined something I don't want to miss is lost in the transfer between languages. I've started turning bits of Psalms into poems focused on the images and connotations of the original Hebrew words and their roots. The experience is spiritually transformative. My personal favorite is the violence surrounding "praise," whose roots include the image of throwing stones or shooting arrows in a particular direction. How reassuring to know the violence I have felt while leading corporate worship is inherent in the action of praise itself. So, when presented the theme of meals, the Psalms, which are satisfying to me, were the table I sat down at. I chose Psalm 145 for its expression of God's deep joy to "satisfy the desire of every living thing" and Creation's response to the provision of "meat in due season." Rather than divide the call and response of the poem into the respective verses of the chapter, I consider the sections of the poem as seven (for perfection's sake) courses of a meal. The italicized stanzas are a heart's response to the paraphrased, image-based versions of verses 10 through 21 on the right alignment. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Rebekah Sankey graduated from The College of New Jersey with a BS in Education and English. She received her MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College, where she served as director for the Sarah Lawrence College Poetry Festival. Currently, Rebekah teaches English, humanities, and Bible courses at Eastern Christian High School in northern New Jersey. Weekly, she leads worship at a variety of churches, houses of prayer, and gatherings. Website Rebekah Sankey About the Artist Rebekah Sankey Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art drone of day unbridled hunger space between food and water we: your celebrated View Full Written Work A Prayer (in courses) by Rebekah Sankey after Psalm 145 1 drone of day unbridled hunger space between food and water we: your celebrated labor, art of your undertaking, your needlework our lips so quick to close over what we put in take-and-keep consumption we cast this confession of praise on you, archery of the kneeling. 2 open to air praise we cannot keep ourselves You're a precious heaviness we bring to light with our mouths, our tongues set your strengths in rows beams of speech a feast we feed each other so men discover them, so we see swelling majesty. 3 Long-time-hidden, unseen- beginning circle: you go around again, again, again; every generation is your home. all crave a place at your table You are, so we lean, braced against the our famine-bodies bowed by souls hunger bore holes through. 4 weight of worry work world we weary of strive but From fountains of faces, hope flows toward you. You give what we consume, feed us a meal we can be made of forever. Loose your mouth hand lead us in on time's axle, monument to your own strength. your own son, own spirit, at the table of your own counsel So satisfied, every appetite alive delights! 5 You are, so every journey is straight, all you make you chose for kindness' sake. You are, so you leave short space between us, we call in confidence meal that makes us more than, means we eat again again Make this satisfaction certain, hear clear as music you can understand this wide cry that can 't find word; save us, make us spacious. 6 You are, so you tend us, a garden, we branch out anywhere you breathe, green delight we shoot toward you. oh to grow, food for friends, lush lives given 7 My mouth's portion is: promise of bright praise, a light setting your light in order. radiance of sun on leaf and limb what leads the living in Even the body bends to bless your Name, that feast we celebrate for time so long the end is hidden, and as long as until then. Close Loading Video . . . drone of day unbridled hunger space between food and water we: your celebrated Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . More Than Rubies is Jonathon Roberts' musical setting of the famous epilogue to the book of Proverbs, known as "The Wife of Noble Character". It was composed for the marriage ceremony of two friends of Spark+Echo Arts. Proverbs 31:10-29 More Than Rubies By Jonathon Roberts Credits: Musicians: Jonathon Roberts (Piano/Vocals), Mike Block (cello), Emily Clare Zempel (Clarinet), Mixed by Alex Foote Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net/prozac1 Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2010 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This composition was written for a wedding celebration between two dear friends. The original text from Proverbs is beautiful. In this setting, the lyrics "we found you" refer to how God moved through the husband to lead him to the wife, that in a way they found her together. Apart from God the man would not have found such a wonderful person. This song is recorded as the final track on the debut album from the Spark+Echo Band. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection J onathon Roberts is a composer and sound designer for games, film, theatre, and ensembles. His style grew out of classical and jazz training, and evolved through quality life adventures: touring the country in an RV with a one person theater piece on the Apostle Paul, living in Brooklyn with an improv music ensemble, performing in a downtown NYC absurdist comedy band, and a long stint writing music for the renowned slot machine company, High 5 Games. He has released four albums including the latest, Cities a song cycle personifying biblical cities. He created the popular podcast/web series ComposerDad Vs. Bible , in which ComposerDad accepts intense compositional challenges from a mysterious Bible while out with his kids. He frequently collaborates on music and theater projects with his wife, actor Emily Clare Zempel. They live in Beacon, NY, with their two boys and a tangled box of electrical cords. www.jonathonroberts.com Website Jonathon Roberts About the Artist Loving Arms I Make Tents The Sower Response There Is Room These are My Sons Consider Me a Partner Weakness The Day Is Almost Here Surrogate Babbler Remember Me Prayer How Beautiful I Am a Fool The Constant Ecclesiastes Cows Blessing Fools for Christ Only a Few Years Will Pass Dear Friend Jonathon Roberts Other Works By View the Piano/Vocal Score More than Rubies Jonathon Roberts Psalm 31:10-31 We found you, We found you More Than Rubies, More Than Rubies It’s still dark out, It’s still bitter and dark But you are still up, Your lamp does not go out at night You consider a field, consider a vineyard I consider your arms and your fingers so, so strong We found you, More Than Rubies We found you, More Than Rubies, More Than Rubies It’s snowing out You have no fear We’re clothed in scarlet, purple and scarlet O fine, fine linen is you We found you, More Than Rubies We found you, More Than Rubies You laugh! What’s to come? You laugh Wisdom on your tongue, you Laugh! You are truly blessed, you are blessed You are truly blessed Many do noble things, but you surpass them all More Than Rubies, More Than Rubies Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Responding to Galatians 4:21-5:1, author and 2019 Artist in Residence Lancelot Schaubert presents the final installation of his four short stories that will ultimately become chapters in the third novel within his White Trash Magic trilogy. Galatians 4:21-5:1 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert By Lancelot Schaubert These stories contain strong language and may not be suitable for all audiences. Credits: Curated by: Spark & Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2019 2019 Fantasy Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link For this final piece , I wanted to show how the common life of these boys starts to radiate out in strange ways towards the fantastic. The four pieces were always intended as a sort of series of intro chapters for the book 3 sequel to the trilogy I started with Bell Hammers , my forthcoming debut novel. I think, in general, I wanted the text to show how you can preserve both the fantastic and the mundane in the same family and through different methods. In this piece, it's clearly showing the good and bad, miraculous and fantastic I myself have witnessed in religious communities of various shapes and sizes. But I also — as the epigraph pointed out — wanted to show some of the danger of magic. Sometimes you play around with the wrong thing, you get real and truly lost and that can be bad or good, depending on your response and to whom you appeal for help. I'm grateful for Jonathan and Rebecca and the whole team at Spark+Echo for making this possible for me. The residency itself not only gave me space to play in this world in an otherwise busy publishing year, it actually helped me consider whether I'd properly seeded the fantastic in my debut novel — I had, as it turned out. And, practically, it gave me the cash to hire a cover designer with whom I am quite proud as you'll see in the Goodreads copy . In fact, while we're here, if you enjoyed any of these pieces, you'll enjoy Bell Hammers, so could you just boogie over there and rate my debut novel 5 stars and add it to your want to read list? That would be a huge help as we finish out this thing. Keep an eye on the world. This Spark+Echo residency is simply a small, small piece of an epic journey. It will be revised — in some ways — beyond recognition, but those of you who have followed along and who buy my stories from the Vale universe will see very soon how it plays a vital role. And you're always welcome to submit your own art and stories and research over at The Showbear Family Circus! We'd love to have you. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lancelot has sold work to The New Haven Review (The Institute Library), The Anglican Theological Review, TOR (MacMillan), McSweeney's, The Poet's Market, Writer's Digest, and many, many similar markets. (His favorite, a rather risqué piece, illuminated bankroll management by prison inmates in the World Series Edition of Poker Pro). Publisher's Weekly called his debut novel BELL HAMMERS "a hoot." He has lectured on these at academic conferences, graduate classes, and nerd conventions in Nashville, Portland, Baltimore, Tarrytown, NYC, Joplin, and elsewhere. The Missouri Tourism Bureau, WRKR, Flying Treasure, 9art, The Brooklyn Film Festival, NYC Indie Film Fest, Spiva Center for the Arts, The Institute of the North in Alaska, and the Chicago Museum of Photography have all worked with him as a film producer and director in various capacities. Website Lancelot Schaubert About the Artist Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 3 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 2 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 1 Posh Girls As Waters Cover Dragonsmaw Daily | 1 Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 Dragonsmaw Daily | 3 Watchtower Stripped to the Bonemeal Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Philadelphia Bloodlines Lancelot Schaubert Other Works By You can read his prior short stories (and chapters within his overarching story) in his first , second and third phases. Related Information View More Art Make More Art That year, we all got really into paintball, you know. Simon’s grandad had lead the O.G. paintball team that won the first world cup. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . That year, we all got really into paintball, you know. Simon’s grandad had lead the O.G. paintball team that won the first world cup. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Fashion photographer Justin T. Shockley's work responds to the theme of "Community" from Romans 5:10. Romans 5:10 Ragamuffin By Justin Shockley Credits: Curated by: Ebitenyefa Baralaye 2012 9.5 x 14 inches Photography, Digital Film Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This particular work is inspired by film, God, faith, and humanity. I am deeply influenced by alternative culture and cult films by directors like George Romero (who incidentally is a Christian) and authors like Anne Rice. The monster genre has long been a great source of the complex view of evil and friendship. On the one hand you have a monster seen in a movie like Frankenstein who is seen as a source of evil but there is something more complex there I think. Even he, despite his atrocities, desires redemption. The monster can find redemption but he needs help. The monster requires salvation in a sense outside himself or he is lost. Just as the moral of the story of Frankenstein goes "there is nothing more humanizing than friendship." This piece reflects my thoughts on God's redemption. We are, in point of fact, enemies of God much like the vampires in Anne Rice's novel. If we are apart from God we are without hope. We must drink and steal life from the universe to sustain ourselves but it does not satisfy our thirst. Much like how the vampire story reflects Anne Rice's walk before she met Christ, this work reflects our need for covenant type friendship with a childlike approach. This is not Postmodern Art. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection My name is Justin T. Shockley and I am a internationally published Fashion photographer and freelancer for the New York Times. I’ve shot everything from fashion/editorial, lookbooks, celebrities, news, and stock. Currently I am photo editor, fashion photographer, and consultant for Glamorous Chic magazine here in New York City. I’ve been shooting 5+ years and am a second generation photographer. On the Web: www.justintshockley.com On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin-T-Shockley-photography/42215716554 Website Justin Shockley About the Artist Justin Shockley Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Love Awakened 4 2011 Cj Cb 19 Loading Video . . . It was a lovely, warm spring night in NYC for "Love Awakened," Spark and Echo's multi-disciplinary arts event held on April 18th, 2011, at 2 Great Jones in the East Village. Jessica Cermak and Joie Bauer performed as lovers in a theatrical performance of one of history's most beautiful love poems, Song of Songs. This piece was directed by Emily Clare Zempel and featured music written by Jonathon Roberts, performed by Roberts, James Hall, and Matthew Talmage. Complimenting the performance was live painting of a mural in response to the text by Linda Serrone Rolon. Song of Solomon 1:1-5:15 Song of Solomon 6:1-8:14 Love Awakened: Song of Songs By Jessica Cermak and Emily Clare Zempel Credits: Adapted by Emily Clare Zempel and Jessica Cermak Actors: Jessica Cermak, Joie Bauer Directed by Emily Clare Zempel Music by Jonathon Roberts Performers: James Hall, trombone; Jonathon Roberts, piano/vocals; Matthew Talmage, percussion; Emily Clare Zempel, vocals Live Painting by Linda Serrone Rolon Presenter: Carey Wallace Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Emily 2011 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This evening was a collaborative experience that we hope can be replicated at other venues starting with the resources on this page. We found the combination of theater, live painting, music, poetry, and audience response time to be an inspiring way for everyone to experience this remarkable text. If you would like to perform this adaptation of Love Awakened, please contact us . Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Fellow New York actors and theater makers Jessica Cermak and Emily Clare Zempel have a deep love for classical text and devised theatre. This passion and partnership brought Love Awakened to life. Website Jessica Cermak and Emily Clare Zempel About the Artist Jessica Cermak and Emily Clare Zempel Other Works By Following the performance was a talk by special guest author, Carey Wallace, author of The Blind Contessa's New Machine. Ms. Wallace spoke on the unique qualities of love letters and what makes Song of Songs timeless. Audience members were then given time to write their own expression of love to someone special in their life. It was an exciting evening exploring this beautiful text together through the arts. This evening was a collaborative experience that we hope can be replicated at other venues starting with the resources on this page. If you would like to perform this adaptation of Love Awakened, please contact us . Read the Script Scores: Better Than Wine • Incidental Music • Solomon's Get Ready Song • Set Me As a Seal More photos from the event Excerpt from the Evening: Songs from the production: Extended footage of the evening: Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Poet Priscilla Wathington explores Lamentations 3:46-54 and the history of Bloody Hill in her new poem, Landmark #427. Lamentations 3:46-54 Landmark #427 By Priscilla Wathington Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Selected from Artist Submissions 2015 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Last summer I drove through Sonoma county with my family, then continued north along miles of twisted redwood thoroughfares, sharply curving highways cut into bleak rock, and were only interrupted by blighted towns with firewood sale pit-stops and empty lots lined with diseased trees. I was struck by a sense of desertion and wanted to find out who had lived there before, and what relationship they had cultivated with the blustery crop of birds, the foggy beaches and teaming river systems. Among other histories, I came upon the story of Bloody Island, an often overlooked chapter of California's past. Once the site of a thriving community, the Pomo (so named by anthropologists) witnessed the plunder of their lands, skies and waters, and the slow starvation of their people by "enemies without cause." On May 15, 1850, following the earlier killings of Officers Stone and Kelsey, a group of U.S. Calvary descended upon Bloody Island. One recorded oral history describes dead children being carried to the water on the ends of bayonets and tossed in, while others were shot as they tried to swim to safety.[1] Today, due to levees and diverted rivers, Bloody Island is a hill surrounded by reclaimed lands with only a plaque to recount its tragic past. [1] Max Radin and William Ralganal Benson, "The Stone and Kelsey 'Massacre' on the Shores of Clear Lake in 1849: The Indian Viewpoint," California Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Sep., 1932). Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Priscilla Wathington is a Palestinian American poet, mother and freelance editor who lives in San Francisco, approximately 120 miles south of Clear Lake. Website Priscilla Wathington About the Artist Priscilla Wathington Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art Hunt me like a winter loon, my throat thin and mottled if the splittail desist your proffered View Full Written Work Landmark #427 By Priscilla Wathington Hunt me like a winter loon, my throat thin and mottled if the splittail desist your proffered mealworm, duck your brusquely copied basket traps, consider me, relatively speaking a poor man’s fry paired with strings of kelp, buckeye nuts and salt. Before your children’s mouths turn to bread, strip my feathers for their musky oils their faint expectation of vagrancy, simultaneous wing molt. Drag me, flightless, the May Clear Lake blooms rose, where I swam headily among the bloodied bands of men who, like me, never cleared the whetted slit of your bayonet. Close Loading Video . . . Hunt me like a winter loon, my throat thin and mottled if the splittail desist your proffered Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This hauntingly beautiful song by indie singer-songwriter Mara Measor explores the importance of experiencing darkness in order to know light in response to Isaiah 60:2. Isaiah 60:2 Weight of the Dark By Mara Measor Credits: Written, Composed, + Performed by Mara Measor Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2020 Indie Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. (Isaiah 60:2, NIV) The idea of a thick darkness covering the peoples fascinates me. It reminds me of the poetry in Genesis 1: "darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." We tend to think of light as good, dark as bad — but I wonder if we are always too quick to apply a positive/negative dichotomy to whatever concept we get our hands on. In the Weight of the Dark, I explore the idea of darkness being necessary to know light. And while darkness can be unpleasant, unwanted, painful; it's an important state to fully feel so that light and lightness can also be fully felt. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mara Measor is half-British and half-Chinese but you wouldn’t guess it when you hear her. After high-school she spent a year working and singing in Ethiopia and now performs as an indie singer-songwriter in NYC. She was featured as “One to Watch” in Audrey Magazine, and her bilingual song “I want to Love You” recorded live on a Hong Kong TV Channel RTHK was shortly selected as a Best of the Year performance in 2012. She has played in NYC venues including Joe’s Pub, the Bitter End, Caffe Vivaldi and the Museum of Chinese in America. She has also sang in Shanghai and South Korea. Mara graduated with an acting degree from NYU Tisch. She has appeared on TV (Blue Bloods, CBS), off-Broadway shows and starred in numerous independent films. She is currently a recording artist at Good Mood Records, where she works in collaboration with Emmy-Award winning producer and composer Jamie Lawrence. Her debut album “Mara” was released August 2013. www.marameasor.com Instagram: instagram.com/marameasor Website Mara Measor About the Artist You Saw Me Mara Measor Other Works By Read: Weight of the Dark lyrics Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work