Each year, our fellowship sponsors a category called One Planet, One World in the Bring Us Your Best exhibit presented by the Arts Council of Hendersonville. This category is meant to symbolize the First and Seventh Principles of UU faith: The inherent worth and dignity of every person and Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Also, submissions to this category should embody the values of compassion in human relations and a world community with peace for all.
The judges unanimously voted this year’s award to Catherine Langsdorf, a local area calligrapher, for her submission titled You Are Not Alone.
“This painting was a final product after many years of wrestling with my feelings at the loss of life within schools at the hands of individuals with guns,” Langsdorf said.
First, Langsdorf wrote on the canvas the names of the victims from the most recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Then, acrylics were applied and manipulated onto the canvas. “A painting such as this has many layers and stages, which symbolize the many stages of grief and the challenges of how to effect change in our nation to protect our most vulnerable,” Langsdorf explained. “The words were then calligraphed with brushes and metal tools onto the painting as my response.”
Langsdorf began her career in calligraphy at a community college outside of Chicago. She enjoys the full range of calligraphy, from the traditional craftsmanship to the modern expressiveness of lines. The wide range of techniques encompassed by calligraphy satisfies her creative passion as well as her need for structure. Since 1990, Langsdorf has been providing professional calligraphy services through her studio, Long Village Studio.
In presenting the award, Jan Partin, President of the UUFH Board, said “Catherine’s creation not only speaks to the principles of Unitarian Universalism on an intellectual level but, more importantly, it speaks to our feelings and moves us.”
Langsdorf’s work impressed the judges with words, color, line and form. Although her words about Sandy Hook, the unspeakable violence and evil, might create something somber and dark, light shines behind and through her work, signifying lasting hope.
The words on her painting are those of Former President Barack Obama who spoke during an interfaith prayer vigil following the Sandy Hook tragedy. President Obama said: “We know that no matter how good our intentions, we will all stumble sometime, in some way. We will experience hardships. And even when we’re trying to do the right thing, we know that much of our time will be spent groping through the darkness.”
Now in its 15th year, the Bring Us Your Best exhibit is sponsored by the Arts Council of Hendersonville and co-hosted by Blue Ridge Community College. The Arts Council was founded in 1971 by people who held strong beliefs that the arts and culture play an important role in the fabric of the community. Over the past 45 years, the Council has understood the value of cultural programs; how they strengthen the local economy and retain community employment.