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A
Liturgical Arts Guild was formed at St. Alban's in
Wichita, Kansas consisting of 6 members. They met in
January 2004 to unify their efforts to create and
promote The Arts in the Episcopal Church.
One of the first projects challenging them was the
upcoming Easter Season. Their space, like a big blank
canvas, begged for an enhancement of the worship area. A
suggestion was made that they go to several web sites
(including ECVA) along with other sources to stimulate
their idea planning.
It seemed that a work in fiber would lend itself best to
the sea of white walls and also be a good place to start
for their first project together. Different people took
on different tasks such as the design and building of a
pulley system to raise and lower a large steel hoop
designed and built by a member of the group. Volunteers
from the Arts and Crafts Committee cut and sewed the
fabric lengths together, helped place it on the walls by
climbing very tall ladders, and attached the fabric
lengths with push pins. Work was under the direction of
Connie Volkman our resident artist.
Suggestions for anyone contemplating a structure of this
nature would be to choose your creative team with people
that know fabric and its limitations, plus a team leader
that knows the elements of design, color, and can work
with three-dimensional form.
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Addition for Pentecost
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Detail |
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The fabric used was tricot and the colors were
coordinated to blend in with the vestments and altar
cloths that were hand woven by our retired priest Fr.
Sam Criss. The colors used were a pale yellow, a pale
turquoise blue, and a vibrant red violet. There were 8
people involved in the hanging of the installation and
it took only a surprising 3 hours to hang the project.
(How many deep breaths did Connie take every time the
hoop was raised and lowered? None, she just held her
breath.)
It was a beautiful bright and sunny morning and the
fabric was a wonderful interplay of light, form, color
and movement. It seemed to be a reminder of the earthly
and the holy. The rising of the colors of the fabrics to
the heavens told us that we are no longer bound by
death.
One parish member said that when she saw the work on
Easter morning it was as if the space was saying that
the "Lord has Risen, Alleluia!"
Additional work was added to the Easter
installation for Pentecost Sunday. Connie Volkman and
her son Derek Miller cut out several white doves that
she had designed on poster board and brushed them with
acrylic varnish plus a very fine powdered multicolored
glitter. A crystal bead was then added with 3" of
microfilament fishing line to the beak of each dove.
From the Tail of each dove was added various lengths of
the microfilament to attach to the cross bars of the
"hoop". Depending on the placement of the doves, the
filament was cut in some places and a red or purple
flame was added with additional beads or another dove.
These pieces were all free hanging so that when the
air-conditioner would run, the circulating air would
move the doves and tongues of fire. There was also the
addition of several red vellum flames to catch the light
that streams in from the stained-glass window above at
precisely 10:15 a.m. during the service. Not wanting to
detract from the Easter installation, this piece was
confined entirely to the center opening of the "hoop"
that held the long lengths of fabric.
Connie based her entire design on color, light and
movement. She installed the project herself except for
the last 2 hours when her husband came to her rescue to
finish the creative neck stretching exercise with
another ladder.
The Liturgical Arts Guild is seeking
to form an ECVA
chapter and will be meeting with other artists of
Episcopal churches in the Wichita area.
Fr. Jim Mitchell and Connie Volkman
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