Last night, we went to the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state to see a concert by the Silkroad Ensemble. But since our good friend RevKatie is living on the grounds all summer, we visited her, too, at the Baptist House, where she is caretaker. Over the week, the artist Katie Jo Suddaby was creating a sand mandala at the Baptist House, and when we arrived, she was in the process of finishing the work, which you see above. Here is Katie Jo in the process of finishing the mandala:
If you zoom in on the photo at the top, you’ll see not just the beautiful arrangements of the colors, but also the three-dimensionality of the work, which gives the patterns solidity. About two dozen people were gathered to witness the completion of the mandala, and to witness and participate in its dissolution as well. When the mandala was complete, people present were asked to comment on its meaning. One observer noted that the center was calm while the outer portions appeared to be in conflagration. A few hymns were sung and then, no more than a half-hour after the mandala was completed, is was “dissolved.” Sand paintings by their very nature are ephemeral objects, and their creators know when they make one, its practical life can be little longer than a few weeks. Herself, Katie Jo said that the dissolution of one of her sand paintings is a resolution, a letting-go, and an ultimate relief. She distributed brushes to the people present and asked them each to use the brush to make a stroke moving a bit off the sand to the center of the figure, and then offer the brush to someone else. Before long, all that was left of the painting was a mound of brownish sand in the center of the try. She then distributed small glass vials for those who wished to take some of the sand with them. She said that the vial of sand can be used to symbolically “let go” of something in your life by dumping the sand into an open stream or body of water.
Katie Jo Saddaby’s work attracted attention when the following work of hers went viral. It is entitled “The Unholy Escort.”
When all of this was done, RevKatie, hubby and I moseyed over to the amphitheater for the concert, which was an incredible experience. You had to be there. All I can offer you as a taste are a couple videos I found on youtube:
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