Submitted

The opening reception from 6-9 p.m. this evening is free and open to the public.

Center for Faith & the Arts is exploring the spiritual impact of grief and sorrow during September, October and November.

Grief comes to us all and we often question why and struggle with its impact. Grief and sorrow are the response to many kinds of loss not just death, and grief comes to us sometimes when we least expect it. Many turn to art to express the pain of loss and to find healing. Through a series of events, Center for Faith & the Arts will look at how our creative spirit is fed and in turn feeds others in response to grief and sorrow.

Programming began with an online photography contest on the Center’s Facebook page titled “Endings,” a chance for the public to contribute to the ongoing exploration of grief and to share their own concepts of grief and sorrow through photography. This contest runs through the end of September and may be entered through Center for Faith & the Arts on Facebook.

In the Gallery, CFA is presenting nine artists from across North Carolina who submitted works in response to a call for artist asking for work on the theme “Sorrow: the Art of Dying, Death, and Grief.” Works range from a 12-foot wall hanging to small framed photographs. The artists represented are Barbara Melin, Winston-Salem; Luther Sowers, Salisbury; Ashley Terrell, Greensboro; Kim Varnado, Winston-Salem; Megan Bostic, Raleigh; Barbara Curry, Salisbury; Tanya Sue Todd, Clinton; John Kayrouz, Durham; and Patrick Lynch, Welcome. The exhibit will hang through November 11.

Gallery hours at Center for Faith & the Arts are 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2-4 p.m. on Sundays, and during all events and classes at the Center.

 

On Oct. 6, CFA will present Marc Hoffman in “Concert in Death.” Hoffman is a local composer and musician who will present pieces from a variety of musical styles and will discuss the impact grief has on music, and how music expresses and heals grief. The concert is from 7-9 p.m. at the Center. Admission is by donation with a suggested minimum donation of $10, which will go to support the ongoing work of the Center.

 

Later in October, the Center will host Susanna Lund from our local Hospice, and Deanna Wilson, an artist and author from Davidson County. Lund will speak on Grief 101, the basic impact that grief has on our physical and emotional health. Wilson will talk about how she used art to work through losses in her life and then turned her art into a book to help other work through their grief. The half day program will end with an interactive art experience where participants look at their own losses and grief. Look for more details about this workshop soon at www.faithart.org

 

Center for Faith & the Arts is located at 207 W. Harrison St.