Interfaith CenterThe Interfaith Center- Case Western Reserve University
The Imagery in the Interfaith Center Mural was collected during visioning workshops with the student groups of the Interfaith Center. Through a series of 12 interview sessions it was found that the common themes and imagery that different faith communities wanted to see in the Interfaith Mural were most prominently images of forgiveness, blessing and reconciliation. The ceremonies or practices we all partake in that involve water became the overarching theme that best represented the need for forgiveness, reconciliation and blessing amongst and between our faith communities. As part of the ceremony I have asked representatives from each campus ministry to say a prayer or reading related to water. The Cleveland Boychoir and Sitar Player Hasu Patel have been asked to creatively respond with music to the images of water throughout the mural. Expression of ones faith is an inward and outward interaction with ourselves and each other. The images included in this mural are created from student’s suggestions such as depicting baptism, Miriam's well, and the need to show our tearful sorrow in order to arrive at reconciliation. I had requests to show raining light, to express our common source of creation through which we find our humanity, and to include a river with deep banks that we are afraid to cross but that shows people of separate lands choosing to try. The imagery is but a beginning to a form of creative dialogue between our faith communities. Interfaith dialogue is its own creation, and it is my hope that this mural is but a beginning to the creative unity to come. —Katherine Chilcote |
Fairmount ChurchFairmount Presbyterian Church
The murals for Fairmount Presbyterian Church were created for their 90th anniversary. Congregants came together to share and explore their own journeys of faith. Subject matters arose such as conversion, collective visioning, and internal wisdom. The stories gathered were mostly about individual’s encounters with the divine. From these testimonies five murals were created for a common gathering space at the Church. Individuals whose stories were included in this mural each shared their testimonies in a sacred event, honoring the founders of this historic church. |