The connection between human beings and the natural environment is on display at the Westminster Art Festival.
The exhibition, Earthcare: Reconcile, Restore, Rejoice, is currently up at at 1515 Helen Street in
Westminster Presbyterian Church, which has been transformed into a spacious gallery.
The public is invited to view the artwork from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 3 p.m. on Sundays through April 22, Earth Day.
On Earth Day awards there will be an awards ceremony for the juried exhibition. Members of the public will have a last chance to cast ballots in the People’s Choice Award from 4 to 6 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. there will be a reception and program of music with the Jubilee Trio and selected singers led by the church’s pianist and Music Director, Marie Kertsetter.
At the closing event, Juror Paul Mergen, MFA and Professor Emeritus of Western Michigan University, will announce Grand Prize of $1,000 and Honorable Mention Award of $500 for the pieces submitted by adult artists that best capture the spirit of Earthcare. The Westminster Art Festival Committee Prize of $200, the People’s Choice Award of $500, as well as the theme for next year’s exhibition will also be announced.
Art Festival Committee representatives say they were thrilled to see how the topic of the Earthcare appealed to so many artists, young and old alike. The number of entries from children doubled from last year, says Lynn MacFarlen, artist and committee member.
"I think our young people are really concerned about the health of our planet and the harm we have done," says Lynn MacFarlen. "Restoration of the earth is their future."
As a congregation, Westminster is an environmentally focused church, which has recently been recognized within the denomination as an "Earth Care congregation," the second Presbyterian congregation so designated in Michigan. Co-pastors Janet and Jerry Duggins say the show embodies the core values of their congregation: inspired worship, compassionate service, a celebration of the arts and music and a commitment to the environment.
The exhibition’s theme also fostered collaboration among many community organizations including the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, the Douglass Community Center, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Kalamazoo Nature Center, which offered a program on recycling, "Trash Talk," at the show’s opening.
"Getting all these groups to work together actually happened with relative ease," say Jerry Duggins. "As we made our initial outreach efforts to these groups and the artists, it became clear to me that the greater Kalamazoo community wants tangible opportunities to participate in the environmental movement. The Westminster Festival does that. We are called to support the health of our environment, here in our own backyards and in a global sense."
Source: Westminster Art Festival
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