I was in the Philadelphia area
meeting with a group of church leaders last Sunday when I realized I had Monday
morning free. I suggested to my friend and host, the Rev. Kathy Walker that we
should go and see an artist’s masterpiece that had transformed a North
Philadelphia neighborhood in the face of poverty, crime,
pollution, and social alienation. Ever
since I watched the video of the artist, Lily Yeh, giving a presentation at the
2009 Bioneer Conference, I had
wanted to see for myself the Village of Arts and Humanities. We got in the car
and began making our way on Germantown Ave. through the different neighborhoods
– from the most affluent to the poorest, from mansions to vacate burnt lots. Each
neighborhood has its own historical landmarks.
Just as we were beginning to wonder where this work of art was, we saw a
whole block of buildings painted with multi-colored horizontal stripes – not
one building but the whole block.
Surely, this took a lot of work getting all the building owners to agree
to making their buildings a giant canvas.
Then we saw the first Mosaic garden that Lily and the children in the
neighborhood had shaped with their own hands.
In 1989, while giving a tour to a
group of visiting Chinese artists around Philadelphia, Lily Yeh brought them to
the studio of dancer Arthur Hall in North Philadelphia. Arthur asked her for help in reviving a
particularly grim stretch of the neighborhood outside. Lily was shocked at the
state of the streets—vacant lots, boarded up buildings, rubbles and trash
everywhere. Lily began gathering up the
trash, which drew the attention of local kids wanting to know, she recalls,
what “this crazy Chinese lady” was up to. Soon their parents were watching too,
and Yeh realized she had some collaborators for what was to be the most
important art project of her life. Soon everyone was involved in cleaning up
the area, painting murals, and creating an “art park,” which became the pride
of the community.
More than 25 years later, the
small art park Lily and a group of neighborhood kids started has grown into—a
tangible symbol of renewal that covers more than 120 formerly vacant lots with
murals, numerous sculpture gardens, mosaics, parks, community gardens,
playgrounds, performance spaces, basketball courts, neighborhood art studios,
and even a tree farm, known as the Village of Arts and Humanities.
After immersing ourselves in the
various parts of the village (angels watching over the neighborhood, saints
guarding the memorial of those who died, sparkling benches for rest and
meditation, glorious trees of life, wild creatures that once was a tree trunk,
a rock, or fallen tree) we entered the office of the Village of Arts and
Humanities and was embraced by Brenda Toler, the administrative manager.
Inside, there is a dance studio, spaces for art classes, writing classes,
pottery, etc. Brenda told us her
grandchildren were the first to work with Lily.
She gave us books and magazines documenting the art projects they did
with artists and especially the young people in the neighborhood. We came out with smiles on our faces knowing
that the dream of sustainable community is possible when we act as the kind of
artists that Lily Yeh exemplified. For
her, an artist, “is not just about making art…It is about delivering the vision
one is given…and about doing the right thing without sparing oneself.”
Lily also said, “When I see
brokenness, poverty and crime in inner cities, I also see the enormous
potential and readiness for transformation and rebirth. We are creating
an art form that comes from the heart and reflects the pain and sorrow of
people’s lives. It also expresses joy, beauty and love. This process lays
the foundation of building a genuine community in which people are reconnected
with their families, sustained by meaningful work, nurtured by the care of each
other and will together raise and educate their children. Then we witness
social change in action.”
Visit Project for Public Spaces for more information about Lily Yeh and the Village of Arts and Humanities.
Reflection Questions
for Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (Year C)
Jeremiah 1:4-10
How do you find
courage to do ministry?
Psalm 71:1-6
How do you sustain your
ministry?
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
What does it mean to
know fully and be known fully?
Luke 4:21-31
Why were the people
in Jesus’ hometown so angry at him?
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Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org
2013
Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist:
April 15-19
Missional Ministry in the Grace Margin and Holy Currencies Orientation
Los Angeles, CA
July 15-19
Holy Currencies: Beyond Time, Talent and Treasure
Los Angeles, CA
August 19-23
Fundamental Skills for Building Inclusive Community and Holy Currencies Orientation
Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center, North Bend (near Seattle), WA
Register at: www.kscopeinstitute.org
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