Artist in Residence Program
Sacred Poetry Workshop
Poetry touches the spaces in between the sacred and the mundane. Join Tim Scorer for poetry that will transform and change us in a discussion-based workshop that explores poetry from different writers and traditions.
What Seeds Will You Leave Behind (Laara Cerman, 2022)
As a Vancouver-based BIPOC artist, my work explores the
intersection of art, science, and history through investigating patches of wildness that survive within suburban and urban landscapes. When St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church gave me the opportunity to explore the question of Easter in a publicly engaging way, I intuitively reached into my Ukrainian roots to inform my approach. While I began this artwork before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the recent events in my ancestors’ homeland have made the Pysanka-inspired design that much more personal.
Around the world Easter reminds people that new life can still arrive after a dark and difficult time. In the early days of the 2022 invasion, a Ukrainian woman was recorded instructing a Russian solider to “put sunflower seeds in your pocket so they grow when you die.” What seeds will you leave behind?
To find more of Laara’s work vist her site at www.laaracerman.com
You Are Welcome Here (Cynthia Tran Vo, 2022)
We were excited to work with Cynthia Tran Vo, a multidisciplinary designer and muralist based in West End to explore what welcome might mean. Wrapping the stone edifice of our 90-year-old church, “You Are Welcome Here” is a multilingual exploration of how messages of welcome can be understood, expressed, and passed-along within community. How do you feel when receiving a genuine welcome? What words of welcome might you share with newcomers to your own community?
To see more of Cynthia Tran Vo’s work, visit their site. www.cynthiatranvo.com
