Art for a greater good
Congregants of St. George’s creating fabric installation for worship space
St. George’s Anglican Church in northeast Calgary is collaborating with B.c.-based textile artist Thomas Roach to create a largescale, permanent fabric art installation — made by the church community — that will become the focal point of its future worship space.
The church’s location since the 1970s had been just south of Mcknight Boulevard, but when the church building was deemed unfit, the congregation was fortunate to arrange to worship in the Prince of Faith Lutheran Church by Village Leisure Centre.
Now, they are planning a return to the former location in one of two residences for low income and hard-to-house seniors being built by Trinity Place Foundation.
Rev. Clara King — who divides her time between being rector of St. George’s and diocesan rural missioner — was faced with a problem in the new building. Being in a public gathering space, the church would not be allowed to show the symbols of its faith beyond the time of worship.
With a nothing-is-insurmountable attitude, King met with the foundation and they agreed to build ceiling-high doors that when opened on Sunday morning would become a backdrop behind a portable altar.
When thinking about what that backdrop could feature, artist Roach came to mind. King was at a seminary in Vancouver and was thus familiar with his creativity. He gladly took up the challenge to design a 3.3-metre high St. George’s cross as a backdrop. Roach also helped King write an application for funding from the Alberta Foundation of the Arts and with a most welcome grant of $17,000, work began in May of last year on what will become the focal point of worship.
The enormous tapestry is composed of 100 square panels in varying colours of dupioni silk, hung individually on the wall. Every panel of silk has been silkscreened with handwritten prayers and quotations of the congregation, written in seven languages — each spoken by various members of the church.
St. George’s is a fast-growing, highly diverse church, priding itself on attracting parishioners who are socio-economically, culturally, ethnically, generationally and politically diverse, and who have a variety of differing physical and developmental abilities.
Many of the worshippers are government-sponsored refugees who searched for a welcoming church when they arrived in the city. Parishioners of St. George’s have spent significant time helping new families plug into society here, understand the culture and customs, learn to shop, visit the doctor, use our coloured garbage bins and more.
Parishioners have also been very charitable in offering clothing, food and furniture to the newcomers. They each have individual needs but are also able to offer the church their own creativity in the making of the tapestry.
King says it’s a blessing to watch people working on the quilt, such as a man from Nigeria who has helped a visually impaired Ethiopian sew. All parishioners can contribute to this work of art and most have been eager to get involved.
To date, volunteer hours have passed the 900 mark in sewing, embroidering, silk screening and assembly. Roach spent last October at the church instructing hands-on mentors who are guiding others in the skills necessary to complete the tapestry.
People had been meeting after church on Sunday and every Friday to gather for a sewing bee — an ideal opportunity to get to know each other better and bring the participants together as a community, across many divides.
“Making something beautiful together will give us an experience of empowerment, resourcefulness and resilience,” says King.
Roach adds that the beauty of the fluidity here is that the artwork doesn’t ever have to be finished; the congregation can continue developing themes and special occasions. Work has already begun on redesigning panels in the central part of the tapestry for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Easter and Lent.
Later this year, Anglican Archbishop Greg Kerr-wilson will officiate at a shared service with the Prince of Faith Lutheran Church to give thanks for their hospitality and to bless the first phase of the tapestry.