2019 Vital Statistics:
Paintings created: 41
Murals created: 2
Countries visited: 3
Oceans visited: 2
States visited: 24
Times Ashley thought she and the children were being kidnapped: 3
Times Ashley and the children were kidnapped: 0
Art festivals participated in: 18
Ivan’s paintings sold: 13
Orin’s bad hair days: 365
New friends made: countless
Make no mistake, 2019 was a YUGE year for our family’s art adventures. We started the year out in Spain and then trekked to Morocco, where I completed my first mural(!). Upon our return, we drove over 30,000 miles visiting 24 states as part of the art festival circuit. I created a second mural in charming Jackson, Michigan as part of the Bright Walls Mural Festival. We celebrated countless victories and a fair number of disappointments. We continued to walk with Jesus and grow in our understanding of His unfathomable grace and perfect love. We laughed, the boys and I cried, Ashley continued her clean crafted wine crusade, and we just felt plum blessed for the joy of it all.
As I reflect on the past year, I find that the most impactful experiences grew around the two murals we created as part of The Jobs Project, which uses public art to celebrate local workers. And as I looked at my top Instagram posts from 2019, it became clear that my online supporters echo that sentiment. So what is it about the murals that sets them apart?
To answer that, we need to go back to the start. I began The Jobs of Yesteryear as a historian interested in learning about workers of the past. The series quickly grew into a visual vehicle to honor workers both past and present, while also promoting conversations about the work we do and how it defines us. One visit to my tent during an art festival will show the impact of this theme as a grandmother tells her grandchildren about her days as a switchboard operator or a father tells his kids about their granddaddy’s work as a lumberjack. These cross-generational conversations bring such incredible meaning to the art I create and I feel honored to have a part in fostering them.
While these moments are always moving, bringing our celebration of the worker into the public realm kicks this effect into overdrive. Art in public spaces can really bring a community together and nowhere was it more evident this past year than during our time in Tétouan, Morocco.
Looking back at our seven weeks abroad, many moments jump out vividly and it’s an experience that I often find myself wandering back to in my daydreams. Wandering through the maze of the medina, getting caught in a rainstorm with Ivan after we hiked up to the castle-like kasbah, waking to the Muslim call to prayer in the predawn stillness; there are innumerable little moments that I will always cherish. But perhaps the most magical moment came at the conclusion of The Weaver mural when we decided to have an informal ceremony to present the finished work.
The medina with view of the Atlas Mountains.
The colorful medina in Tétouan.
The setting was the spacious inner courtyard of a high school in Tétouan. Tall palm trees waved in the breeze against a blue sky while the Moroccan flag flapped overhead. The faint scent of citrus trees lingered and muffled noise from the nearby street wafted over the 20’ walls of whitewashed stone surrounding the courtyard, one of which displays my freshly painted mural.
The courtyard of the high school.
A group of high schoolers, all of whom had watched me bring this blank white wall to life from the windows of their classrooms, were gathered to help me celebrate the moment. The three Americans from Green Olive Arts who had invited me to partake in this art residency and who were fully responsible for facilitating the mural on many levels, were also in attendance.
The final arrivals were a group of about six men, all neatly dressed in their long woolen jillabas, which are hooded robes worn as an outer layer by a majority of Moroccans, especially the men. Their presence was felt as they carried themselves with a distinct pride in a slow but deliberate gait. The youngest was in his 50s and the eldest was in his 80s but all wore the confident wisdom that only comes from a lifetime of work. These were the weavers.
Chatting with the weavers upon their arrival.
As they entered the courtyard, conversations became hushed and we stood in attention as the men continued towards us. The weavers gave nods of approval as they looked with wonder at the massive figure painted on the wall, their livelihood brought to life in a most unexpected way. The high schoolers, many of whom did not know about the weavers’ trade before I painted the mural, looked at the weavers with respectful curiosity as the men began to talk excitedly amongst themselves in Arabic and pointing at the artwork.
The weavers taking in the mural painted to honor them.
I began a brief speech, telling the small crowd through an interpreter about my family’s journey to this project and what we seek to accomplish with the art. I told them how honored I was to tell their story and how welcomed we felt amongst the people of Tétouan. After I spoke and my words were translated, it gave me time to take in their reactions as they heard what I was saying, a sensation that isn’t possible when speaking the same language. I can picture the weavers’ faces, their eyes lit up in a full-face smile, our gaze meeting and expressing sentiments that don’t need a common language to convey.
Impromptu speech to the weavers and the high schoolers.
After a round of muffled applause, one of the weavers spoke up and told me that never in his 50 years of weaving had anyone made a piece of art that honored his profession like this mural. He continued through an interpreter, “The sun may be setting on my career, but perhaps it will soon rise for one of these young students because of this mural.”
Wow. Just thinking about it still eaves me awestruck. This was the exact reason that Ashley and I had launched The Jobs Project in the first place: to honor workers. And now, this 60 year old Moroccan man is telling me how honored he is and that, through this art I created, there is now a bridge between these generations. Glory to God. What an experience.
Me, the weavers, members of Green Olive Arts and Said (far right), the high school teacher who helped immensely.
It is the moments of 2019 like this that have shown us the power of public art. This is espeically true when the artwork celebrates local workers and brings communities together to pay them the respect they deserve. That is what The Jobs Project is all about and that is what propels us onward to bigger and bolder plans in 2020. Stay tuned for big moves on the horizon…
None of this would have ever happened without the support of all of you and I want to express our sincere gratitude from our family to yours. We feel so fortunate to know you all. May you have a blessed 2020 and find joy in your days!
Onward!
The whole lot of us.