While in Baltimore I got to go on an adventure with three folks from the Lewis Fellows Program. One heard that there was a special exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum. Joel visited there in July when he traveled back east with me, and knew it was a place I would love. The exhibit was Post Secret post cards that all had a religious theme to them. Though it was raining, we piled into Kumar's Honda and headed into the city. A couple of things made my traveling companions interesting: the three were men, and all of different denominations. I was the only United Methodist along for the ride! It was a gift to spend time with them, and to share this experience (and good Thai food!).
Post Secret, for those unfamiliar, is a project started by a guy in Maryland about thirty years ago. The idea was to give people a place to mail anonymous confessions. The catch: you were asked to "create" the postcard-- modify or make the card you mailed your confession in on. As we started looking at the exhibit there were moments of laughter, and moments of near-tears. I laughed at the postcard with the picture of an Old Testament Prophet (straight out of a Children's Illustrated Bible!) with the words, "I have erotic fantasies about the Old Testament Prophets" on it! Next to it was a post card from someone who "tried" to make a deal with God, only to feel like God did not keep up God's end of the bargain. It concluded by saying the person no longer believed in God.
What was powerful about the exhibit and the museum was the freedom of expression about religion, life, death, faith, you name it, it was in there. The docents taught us that the museum is a place for "outsider" art-- art created by persons who are not considered "classical or traditional" artists-- people with mental illness, disability, etc. The result, honest, engaging, beautiful, disturbing, funny art. I could not help but wish to experience this place again. It felt holy and irreverent. My kind of place. My kind of people! Thanks guys for a fun outing!
5 comments:
I love Post Secret. But let me ask you, do you ever get the idea that people are just making stuff up?
I think there may be some of that, Andy. But I also could feel the raw, authentic longing for God, the need to have somewhere to confess what they've done or thought in a forum that would not "judge" them. The sad part for me, as a pastor, was not being able to care/support folks on their journeys. It was a prayerful time, reading and reflecting on the post card confessions...
I did a google search and found that some people actually post their post cards online before they mail them in...not sure if that is liberating or irritating...good question!
I'm jealous. I wanna go to Baltimore now.
I want the road trip to Baltimore, too. I love Post Secret but regret it is not archived.
I would love to see that exhibit AND that museum.
Kathleen Gredeir's new book is called "Much Madness is Divinest Sense." It features memoirs of "soul suffering" and in many cases the resultant art and beauty. One literal example is an artist who lives in a pyschiatric facility and creates art that has been shown in New York galleries. I'd try to create a link to the book, but I have an oral systematics mid-term in a half hour. I'm gonna talk about the image of God and add your post secrets post to my portfolio of image-seeking.
Thanks. And thanks for your email of concern. The angels I'm wrestling with are in the same legion with yours, wrestling with the many things/ideas/images that seem to endanger the church species.
Wow, something new, something I've not heard of, cool!
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