world aids day

Friday, December 1 is World AIDS Day.

My parents have been hosting Bishop Jeremiah Pallangyo of Naivasha, Kenya for the past month while he tours the Northeast, telling others of his story and his heart to love the orphans in his village who have lost relatives to HIV/AIDS.

But it's not just an African thing. There's the Damien Center in Troy and Albany; they provide respite and support for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. It's all around us, and it's still killing people.

Please go to http://www.avert.org/america.htm to learn more.

death by suburb

Check out deathbysuburb.net and a discussion with David Goetz at:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/mp/2006/004/2.34.html

Tell me what you think!

call for entries

Call For Entries

Digital Art

Digital Artist's Space in Troy, NY is looking for Digital Art for their
upcoming exhibition.

In this context, digital artwork is defined as work that has been digitized
either by scanning or by being photographed digitally, work that has been
created or opened in any image-editing software such as Photoshop, or work
that has been printed digitally. The digital image can be one component of a
multi-media piece.

€ Submitted artwork must have been completed within the last 2 years.
€ Submit a MAX of 5 images.
€ Size Restrictions: Due to our limited gallery space, artwork over 24 in.
wide x 60 in. tall cannot be considered.
€ Entry Fee: $10 (make checks payable to Digital Artist's Space)
€ Images must be submitted on a CD.  Include a SASE if you want your CD
returned.
€ Images must be in the JPEG (high quality) file format and saved at 8 in. x
10 in. at 300 dpi.

€ Deadline for Submissions: December 22, 2006
€ Notification: December 29, 2006
€ Chosen works must be delivered to the gallery READY TO HANG by January 10,
2007. Transportation and shipping costs are the responsibility of the
artist.
€ Exhibition Dates: January 19 - February 23, 2007.
€ Opening Reception: TBA.

Download an entry form at www.digitalartistspace.com.

Send entries to:
Digital Artist's Space
27 2nd Street
Troy, NY 12180

Questions?: info@digitalartistspace.com or 518.203.1096

About Us:
Digital Artist's Space is an artist-centered digital service bureau, created
by artists for artists. We have an inherent understanding of the art-making
process and are committed to working with you to help attain your vision.
With our state-of-the-art digital lab and our unparalleled experience in the
field of digital imaging we will work with you step by step, from the
inception of the idea to the final print. We provide high resolution
scanning, wide-format archival digital printing, artwork reproduction, and
digital imaging consulting such as Photoshop workshops and one-on-one
trainings.


--
Karen Schlesinger
Digital Artist's Space
27 2nd St
Troy, NY 12180
(518) 203-1096
www.digitalartistspace.com

books: barbara brown taylor, steven king, elizabeth berg

I have to confess that I cheated on this entry. I first got the idea to read Barbara Brown Taylor's memoir of faith "Leaving Church" after walking into Market Block Books (my favorite local bookstore, just a few blocks from where I live and work) one day and noticing its staff recommendation (kudos to Stanley, who writes of his other reading journeys at stanleyreads.blogspot.com). Too cheap at the time to buy the book, I checked it out from Troy Public Library (did you know you can request books from the Upper Hudson Library System? Do it! I get cookbooks, Pilates DVDs, children's books, and all the latest and greatest books requested all the time... and it's a fun surprise when I go to pick up all the books on hold, to enjoy for free!).

Barbara Brown Taylor is inspiring. She writes of her journey of faith that began with knowing God through creation and wanting to further investigate faith through seminary, becoming ordained as an Episcopal deacon, then shepherding a small flock in rural Georgia before leaving it behind to worship God in her garden and in her house in the country. She writes of the power of the cloth -- and how the collar she wore changed others' conversations with her, as it did with her relationship with God. Separated into two parts, "Losing" and "Finding," the book follows her journey of faith that ultimately leads her back to God by leaving the altar and her role in front of the church to sit quietly with God over a cup of coffee in her kitchen. It's a journey of finding God in the relationship, rather than the religion and Mother Church, and it's honest and beautiful.

When I finished reading "Leaving Church," I was compelled to write a letter to the author (I wonder if authors really read their fan mail, and I feel embarrassed confessing that I wrote such fan mail!) to add my amen.

That wasn't true, however, with "Lisey's Story," the latest novel by Steven King. It begins with the death of a well-published author and his widow's attempt to sort through his office, manuscripts and voices. That's right; voices. Voices that the late protagonist channeled in order to write, voices that haunted his office and began to lurk and drive his widow nuts. Entering that journey was not a healthy thing for me, a writer who believes in spiritual forces, darkness and light.

I couldn't read this book after the first few chapters. Despite critical acclaim, I failed to remember Steven King writes strange fiction, eerie fiction that I cannot handle. It spooks me out, and this book is no different. Although I did appreciate King's "On Writing," a non-fiction commentary on how he writes, I just can't read his fiction. I'm too sensitive, I suppose.

So I picked up Elizabeth Berg's "The Handmaid and The Carpenter," a short, easy read during the holidays. Berg takes poetic license -- and she knows it, at least -- when writing about Mary and Joseph, their family and the voices they hear, through angels and dreams, before the birth of Jesus. Surprisingly, it doesn't end with Jesus' birth, attended in this story by a young girl named Rebecca -- a new mother who comes to catch Jesus when Joseph is not able to locate the village midwife during the busy time of Caesar's census in Bethlehem and beyond. Rather, it culminates with Joseph's death... but falls flat at that. Perhaps Joseph really did question Mary, accusing her on his deathbed of sleeping with a Roman soldier. And perhaps Mary did speak more of the kingdom of God that is inside and around us, evident in God's creation and in the law Joseph and other Jews study all the time. But this attempt to humanize the story of the circumstances surrounding Mary and Joseph and the Christ-child's immaculate conception also makes it a bit too New Agey for me. It's a hard undertaking. I do empathize with Mary, I do want to believe that she was a free spirit who was unlike other women. But I also wonder if Mary was like Berg's Mary: questioning but always willing to obey her husband and telling him, even as he dies, that he's leaving behind a legacy of love. The details are wonderful -- the food being eaten, the languages spoken, the pallets they slept on with family -- but I wouldn't necessarily want to try to play with who Mary really was or wasn't. Nevertheless, I admire Berg for keeping Mary realistic in some respects; after all, Mary was just 13 years old when she was betrothed and spoken to by angels. It IS hard to imagine! So...

Go read Berg's "The Handmaid and the Carpenter" this Advent season, and tell me what you think. (I wonder how it will fare along with the film "The Nativity Story.") Send your thoughts and reviews to: artsblog@terranovachurch.org

run, walk, stroll

I actually got up and ran this morning. Ran one whole mile. And I'm no athlete, nor am I a natural born runner. I'm the kind of person that takes all season to train to run 5k, then my husband will join me randomly one morning and whoop my butt when it comes down to it; not fair, I know. It happens because he used to run cross-country during his high school years.

I used to run when I wasn't playing soccer -- to stay in shape -- but I'd feign illness often to get out of running down the hallways (this was for indoor track season, when it was too cold or snowy to run outside and our coach would make us run up and down the school hallways, lined with ugly 70s striped carpeting; that alone would make you vomit!). Now that I'm an adult and can choose when to run and vomit, I will choose carefully.

So I ran this morning. I got up just before 7 a.m., wiggled into tight black spandex running pants (ugly, yes, but warm and necessary for these kind of morning runs), borrowed my husband's neck warmer, and laced up my New Balance sneakers not to walk around the house all day but to RUN!

I haven't run for at least a year. I think I ran once after Grace was born (she's 19 months old now) but gave up shortly after the jogging stroller's tire lost air and I lost interest. Let's face it; who really wants to run outside, when not a gym requirement? And when it's cold and windy, it's even harder to want to be healthy and exercise...

But there is a good reason to walk. It's called the Winter Walk for the Homeless, which is an annual walk to benefit Joseph's House & Shelter -- a non-profit dedicated to serving the homeless in Troy. This year's walk will be this Saturday morning, and I plan to be there. What gets me out of bed early to do this every year is not only the pancake breakfast, another fundraiser for this excellent non-profit, but the thought that I have shelter, food and support. Some people even in this wealthy country do not have such basic needs met, so I will participate in this fundraiser again to bring awareness and needed monies to sustain Joseph's House & Shelter, thereby helping the homeless in my city.

The following day is Sunday, December 3. Do you know what day that is? It's Troy's annual Victorian Stroll in which banks, music halls, restaurants, cafes, and other retail outlets open their doors, decorate their windows, serve cider and punch, hold sales, and host sales and entertainers to ring in the festive spirit of the holidays. Come stroll along from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and enjoy Troy!

great art faire

The Great Art Faire!!! Call for Entries!!

The Great Art gang is looking for art to sell during the Troy Victorian Stroll, and we want

you to join us!
Accepting all media ( except large installations and film because we don't have the room).
We would love a response from you. To contact us, visit our website, or email us directly at:

<thegreatartswap@gmail.com>

If you have not seen our flyer yet, please check out our website:

http://www.thegreatart.org/

We are going to sell art ( with a low 10% commission), there will be a ring toss and pie
judging contest as well. We are also accepting any and all dessert pies to compete in our
contest, so if you make a great pie, or know someone who does, pleeaaassee bring it on
up to Troy on Dec. 3rd.

We are going to be open on Fri. Dec. 1st and Dec. 2nd for you to drop artwork off. The
stroll is from 11-5 on Dec. 3rd. For more details, please visit our website.

We would love to have you participate! Drop us a line.

to do this weekend

Friday//Kismet Gallery Open House, 71 Fourth St., Troy. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. featuring over 100 local artists.

Saturday// Shop the Troy Winter Farmers' Market, which has now moved to The Atrium for the winter season. Hours: Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday//Worship at Terra Nova Church (www.terranovachurch.org) at 11 a.m. at Revolution Hall on River Street in Troy. Then, eat lunch at The Taproom at Brown's Brewery. Or, head over to The Illium Cafe at Second & State Streets for delicious Sunday brunch.

calling all photographers

ATTENTION ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS!

Announcing the 4th Annual City photo contest. The theme of the contest this year is
"“Celebrating Visions of Troy”." Anyone with a great picture of Troy is invited
to submit a photo. Entries may submitted for any subject, person, place or thing.

Here are the basic rules:
There will be a division for students 17 and under, and another for adults
18 and over. A One Hundred dollar ($100) prize will be given to the first
place winner in each division; Fifty dollars ($50) for second places, and
Thirty dollars ($30) for third places. Prize sponsors of the contest include
TAP Inc. and Atrium Services, LLC.

A “blind” panel of judges will review the entries. (Judges will not know
identity of entrants). The public will help judge the contest during the
during the Victorian Stroll. Winners will be announced and photos
displayed at City Hall during the Victorian Stroll on December 3rd.
Entries may be either traditional photographs or digital prints, black &
white or color. Maximum size is 8x10 and slides cannot be accepted. All
entries become the property of the City of Troy.

Any pictures displaying an adult 18 or over shall list the names of all
participants. A signed release form shall accompany any pictures
displaying children under 18 from the parent or guardian of the child.

Please submit photographs with your name, address, phone number,
section, location depicted in picture, and title of your picture written on
the back to: City of Troy Photo Contest, c/o Rich Craig, Troy City Hall,
1 Monument Square, Troy NY 12180. All entries must be received by
3:00 pm Tuesday, November 28^th 2006.

Coming soon

To do this week:

This week//November 14-16, 2006

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
Location: The Sanctuary
www.thesanctuaryforindependentmedia.org

Time: 7:00 PM
Suggested Donation: $10, $5 students, seniors & low income

Human Rights Watch's International Film Festival features works that help to
put a human face on threats to individual freedom and dignity, and celebrate
the power of the human spirit and intellect to prevail. Film titles and
screenings dates can be found at http://www.arts.rpi.edu/.

iEAR Presents!, in collaboration with The Sanctuary for Independent Media
(www.thesanctuaryforindependentmedia.org), will present the Human Rights
Watch International Film Festival for three nights November 14, 15 and 16,
2006. Screenings will take place at 7:00 pm each night at The Sanctuary,
3361 Sixth Ave., Troy, NY (at 101st Street where Sixth Ave. turns into
Fifth). Suggested Donation: $10, $5 for students, seniors and low income.
FREE w/RPI ID. For more information visit www.arts.rpi.edu
or call (518) 276-4829.

Since its inception, Human Rights Watch¹s International Film Festival has
embodied the power of film to make a difference. Courageous and committed
filmmakers produce impressive documentary and feature films, which stimulate
passionate conversations about human rights and inspire new generations of
human rights activists. Through the universal language of film, we connect
the experiences of survivors and activists with our own experiences--a
critical step in influencing public opinion and policy makers. A schedule of
events follows:

Wednesday: "Conversations On A Sunday Afternoon" (7 PM screening)

Composed of an artful blend of documentary and dramatic elements, Khalo
Matabane's "Conversations On A Sunday Afternoon" is a revolutionary film for
South Africa--breaking with the hard-hitting historical dramas the country
has turned out lately and charging right into the world of ideas. The
struggle for reconciliation is nudged aside to reveal a country coming to
terms with its new status as a promised land. What does a richer African
nation owe to its poorer neighbors? How does political crisis shape personal
identity? And is the war over now?


Thursday: "Men On The Edge: Fishermen's Diary" (7 PM screening)

A documentary by Israeli filmmakers Avner Faingulernt and Macabit Abramzon
set on an isolated and abandoned beach at the border between Gaza and Israel
where, against all odds, Israeli and Palestinian fishermen lived and fished
together from 1999 to 2003. The Palestinians were teaching the Israelis
ancient fishing techniques transmitted from one generation to the next and
the Israelis, by their presence, were enabling the Palestinians to continue
to fish in Israeli waters. The film intimately and beautifully documents
these four crucial years in the lives of this eclectic group of men from
warring cultures, who are brought together by their shared work and the
natural threats they face each day in the open sea. Ultimately it is not the
harshness of nature that is the greatest obstacle to their work, but the
pressures of politics and the fighting surrounding their enclave.


The Sanctuary For Independent Media is a community media arts center located
in an historic former church in Troy, NY. The Sanctuary hosts screening,
production and performance facilities, training in media production and a
meeting space for artists, activists and independent media makers of all
kinds. The Sanctuary is located at 3361 6th Avenue, three doors down from
101st Street in north Troy. Call (518) 272-2390, email
info@TheSanctuaryForIndependentMedia.org, or visit
www.TheSanctuaryForIndependentMedia.org for more information.

...back, with thoughts on film and silence

...Back from a self-appointed maternity leave from this arts blog!

Last night, I went to see a neighborhood screening of the film "Silences" by Octavio Warnock-Graham of New York. Octavio is the son of Harriet Warnock-Graham and David Graham of Second Street in Troy. His film is about the silence surrounding his biracial identity. His mother wouldn't talk about the ethnicity of his birth father. After the film, I wanted to slap her in the face and ask, "Why? Why did you hide this from your son?" Alas, I do not believe in violence and did not do such a thing. Instead, I sat and digested the power of the film, the power of race, the power of the subject matter and the medium... I thanked my mother in silence for telling me the truth about my adoption and the truth of whom she knows me to be, for not withholding such vital information. And I thanked God for my new daughter, Satya. Her names means "truth."

I also meditated on the power of film to convey, inform and transform... and wondered if I'm in the wrong field. Does writing carry such clout, such brevity, such power, to evoke that what film does?

Finally, I concurred with the filmmaker's thoughts on silence -- that there is more power, sometimes, in what is NOT said and what is hidden, rather than what is told and brought to the light. Many times, Octavio had asked others why they never spoke of his race or identity. They always answered, "It didn't matter." Octavio posited, however, that it did matter -- that the elephant in the room should be spoken of, or else it will become an obvious something that DOES matter but no one dares talk of. Like the emperor with no clothes, he said.

So, why don't we talk about the obvious things we should talk about? I.e., why don't we tell people the truth more often and say "I love you" more often? Is it fear? Is it indifference? Please, tell me.

Oh, and check out Octavio's film trailer at: silencesfilm.com