And, oh my, did dear Beth make a difference. She blazed a colourful trail others may find difficult to follow.
I've been here, living in Baha'i House in Iqaluit, since May 20/15. By the time we leave our temporary position as custodians to this historical-to-Baha'is house we (husband Michael) and I will be six days short of a four month experience we will surely never forget. While here a lot has happened—an understatement if there ever was one.
Some of you have been wondering why I have not posted since early July. It would take a book to explain. If I thought by coming north I’d be escaping our overly-busy life in the south … well, I thought wrong. It’s been crazily busy in Iqaluit and never seems to stop.
We had visitors for a total of just over a month. One of the sets of visitors was a lovely mother and daughter just trying to figure out if they could live in Iqaluit and become the new custodians of the house with the revolving doors. Maybe they don’t exactly revolve, it just feels like it. The good news is that their temporary stay proved successful and they will return in a few days to live in and care for Baha’i House and all that entails.
Much of our time has been spent in readying the space for those brave hearted souls. While here, checking out the environs, we worked together to make space for the mother-daughter duo and their belongings. While performing this task I’ve learned a lot about how the Arctic Youth Art Initiative (AYAI) came into being. It was through Beth McKenty this inspiring project was launched.
I came upon a document written by Beth herself that tells how one day a couple of young lads were throwing ‘stones’ in the direction of Baha’i House. Beth ‘kindly’ explains that the lads where trying to get their ‘stones’ to go over the house but were coming dangerously close to the window. I say ‘kindly’ because since I’ve been here rocks, not stones, have come hurtling through a window and scared the heck of this writer who was home alone at the time. You may remember me saying in my last blog that I would Zentangle one of those dangerous projectiles?
The coloured rock was thrown at Baha’i House in 2014.
In July of this year three rocks came through a back bedroom window
and, as you can see, I’ve lived up to my Zentangled-rock promise.
Perhaps the new custodians will put colour to the remaining rocks?
Meanwhile back in 1999 after Beth first took up residence she invited the two sharp-shooters in for hot chocolate with marshmallows. While the lads sipped their tasty treat Beth put out paint palettes dotted with the primary colours. They were shy at first but soon started making colourful passes with the brush on high-quality paper. Beth believed in using only good-quality paper.
It must have been a happy experience because word spread and Beth soon became known as Iqaluit’s ‘Paint Lady’. And the doors of Baha’i House started to revolve. Much, but not all, of the artwork produced has been kept in Baha’i House. I’ve managed to take seven overstuffed cartons down to three-four by placing any artwork with a signed name into one carton, important archival papers re AYAI in two more cartons. The work continues and I’m still finding amazing pieces.
With the signed artwork and a few more careful sorts, the not-as-young-as-they-once-were artists can perhaps be found and their precious pieces returned to them. A daunting task that I may not have time to complete. A dresser drawer is tightly packed with unnamed art pieces most with Arctic themes many of which are a depiction of an inukshuk (in the likeness of a human), a proud symbol of this area of the world. I plan on returning home with these unsigned pieces and will make them into greeting cards, gift tags and bookmarks. These items will be sold with the money earned returning for what's needed in Baha’i House.
Unsigned art pieces from AYAI will be turned into items
for sale to generate funds for use by Baha’i House.
My admiration for Beth, a person I have never met, or so I thought, has but grown since living here and trying to lead one of her well-known art classes. Somehow there’s a difference in the subject matter of the kids’ work these days that is obvious when looking at the art from classes Beth led. How did she encourage the young artists into replicating themes of the north in their touching pieces?
Recently, I made a wonderful discovery that meant a lot to me. I came upon some of Beth’s papers that indicated she had attended a Ruhi (you can ask, if you need to) Conference in Montreal back in May of 2000 … I paused … wasn’t I at that conference? Next came three pieces of paper that attendees had signed thanking Beth for their pieces of art from AYAI. I spotted my thank you and am now anxious to check out my files when we return to our home.
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