Exhibits Explore How Libraries Define Us
Three artists create exhibits for and about the Barrington Area Library.
Photos
Ela and Cuba. Two words heard often in Barrington, but where did they originate?
A recent art exhibit at the Barrington Area Library explored these words to expand perception, moving library patrons' conjured images from places to people. Artist Iain Muirhead, commissioned by the library to present a "site-specific" exhibit, aimed to engage his audience by inspecting the role and power of Barrington history remembered and forgotten, though his exhibit entitled "Condition."
"The first thing I did was to explore the library's archives," Muirhead said. "It makes sense, since historical research is one important purpose of a library."
From his investigation of the library's history, he learned that in 1914, a member of the Barrington Women's Club named Caroline Ela, donated $1,000 to purchase books to share with the public, and from this, the Barrington Library was born.
He also discovered that in 1850 a general named Narciso Lopez led 600 mercenaries to appropriate Cuba for the United States. Lopez failed and was subsequently killed. The failed attempted was national news at the same time Barrington leaders were trying to decide on a moniker for its township. The village chose "Cuba" simply because it was in the news.
Two abstract portraits of Ela and Lopez, entitled "Mother" and "Father" were the result of Muirhead's research.
"I was intrigued with the idea of these historical figures, male and female, and their tenuous relationship with the founding of Barrington. I wanted to change the perception of these words from geographic locations to people. All of my work is about a change of condition," he said.
Muirhead's exhibit was the first of a three-artist series entitled "Construction/Destruction," featuring art created specifically for the Barrington Library. In addition to paintings, Muirhead's exhibit also included an outdoor sculpture entitled Loop. Using clear acrylic, Muirhead fashioned three-feet high letters and formed them in a circle. Only by reading from the inside out, could the observer see what the letters spelled: "The Truth."
"This idea came to me from my childhood growing up as a Jehovah's Witness," Muirhead said. He explained that every year, thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses gathered at a central meeting point, often at a major sports arena, to hold a study convention.
"I attended these conventions and remember being captivated by the way the community unveiled that year's ministry focus: Waist-high letters placed in the center of the field, spelling out the theme. To belong to and be accepted by the community, one has to accept 'the truth' of the Jehovah Witness lens. I found this notion of "the truth" increasingly problematic as I expanded my access to information through the study of art."
Although Muirhead ended his association with the Jehovah's Witness in his teenage years, the experience of growing up in a fundamentalist religious sect fueled artistic tension.
"Growing up in the shadow of an extended community's apocalyptic vision, my childhood took on a particularly gravity, as every decision carried with it the weight of my soul's salvation."
This tension was dramatically revealed in a digital video installation in which Muirhead stacked Jehovah's Witnesses books and pamphlets into a cairn-like structure. The tower of books, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 145 pounds, Muirheads weight and height when he left the religion in 1991, investigates the struggle between growth, information and balance.
"These books would never be allowed in a library," Muirhead said. "Jehovah's Witness leaders did not want their followers inside libraries, where information often contradicts 'The Truth.'"
Muirhead, who lives with his wife on Chicago's North Side, graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to owning an exhibition and service consulting business, he teaches painting at the Chicago High School for the Arts in Bronzeville.
The Construction/Destruction series will run until Jan. 7, 2012.
Solomon Ruffo
12:32 pm on Monday, September 19, 2011
Bravo your blog!
I can identify with the Jehovah's Witnesses example,the leaders today don't overt forbid browsing a 'worldly library' but they 'prepare your mind,with suggestions that it's worldly satanic material.They DO forbid the reading of dissenting material and have been known to raid and steal 'apostate' books off the shelves.
All watchdog group have Jehovah Witness listed as a cult.
What they teach is abundant Watchtower man made doctrines that are *fitted* to Biblical context.As one of their Watchtower founders (Franz) was quoted as saying " our goal is to have complete control of our members".You are stripped of everything and they hide behind this belief that celebrating your child birthday is a Pagan belief,therefore a sin! Veneration of the ambiguous mistranslated Jehovah name is idolatry in itself.
See what they're trying to do is gain members not spread the world of God. All watchdog group have Jehovah Witness listed as a cult.
FMI *free minds* http://www.freeminds.org
Teary
3:02 pm on Monday, September 19, 2011
From a psychological perspective, the guy gives a fairly routine, fairly expected 'apostate' narrative. But apostate members of NRM's often exaggerate their experiences and paint more of a caricature of their former group rather than an accurate portrayal.
And even besides that, the guy was a "young teen" when he ran away from the Witnesses. What the heck does a young teen know or appreciate about anything? I certainly didn't know much of anything when I was a young teen, even though I myself thought that I did at the time.
Tolerance and understanding instead of religious bigotry and hatred.
http://www.cesnur.org/testi.htm
Solomon Ruffo
3:08 pm on Monday, September 19, 2011
""Tolerance and understanding instead of religious bigotry and hatred. ""
This is the motto of Scientology and censur is a Scientology shill site,yep I have no tolerance for family splitting cults.
Interesting that Jehovah's Witnesses will make love with Scientology when it profits them.
Teary
3:41 pm on Monday, September 19, 2011
Your comments are completely irrational and unsupportable (but that it expected of somebody who can opening post such inflammatory and hate-promoting comments).
Cesnur is a non-religiously affiliated, academic site dedicated to the neutral study of NRM's. They don't actively support or attack any group.
ptt7000
7:14 pm on Monday, September 19, 2011
I appreciate the accuracy of the writer. I was a JW for 61 yrs and his assessment of the high control, indoctrination is accurate. Gone now for 2 yrs. Mentally left 10 yrs ago. Will go see the exhibit. Live in Indiana.
Morgan Marzec
10:28 pm on Monday, September 19, 2011
The work exists both within and outside of the JW context. If you only view it as a religious statement, I think you miss a major point in the work. The installation is about our information filters - and how they shape our perceptions of self, family, country and community. He addressed this in his artist talk. He was respectful, but also honest about his contention with aspects of his personal history. I loved the show. It got me thinking.
Jocelyn Muirhead
11:29 pm on Monday, September 19, 2011
Having an incite into the creative process of an artist is a rare gift. The ability to clearly state the motivation for an artistic concept should never get mired in religion or politics, nor the politics of religions. Truth of one persons experiences are just that. Non- negotiable or arguable. Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts and creative process. Looking forward to visiting the exhibit.
Danny Haszard
7:55 am on Tuesday, September 20, 2011
In BREACH of the PREACH
It's isn't that Jehovah's Witnesses are just sooooooo baaaad,it's that they are NOT the *truth*....This may seem no surprise to the general population but if you as a JW follower dare admit this,you will be condemned and shunned by your friends and family as severe as the Catholic Inquisition ever was.You will be on spiritual death row until Jehovah feeds you to the carrion birds at Armageddon.
This is what every Jehovah Witnesses man woman and child is gradually eventually brainwashed to believe.
The bitter hypocrisy is that they don't tell you this at first when you are being *love bomb' recruited.Moreover they LIE to the media and the public by withholding this phobia indoctrination practice.
There is course a lot more to the Watchtower's apostate belief system,the biggie for me is a set date October 1914 for Jesus *invisible* second coming a blasphemous (Galatian 1:8) absurdity with a whole set of complex spin attachments that they still force members to accept or die.
(Any apologist shill troll who denys all of this is lying (hey *theocratic warfare*)
Amen-Danny Haszard Bangor Maine born 3rd generation Jehovah's Witness
http://www.dannyhaszard.com
Michael Greene
9:47 pm on Tuesday, September 20, 2011
What a crock of you-know-what! JWs a often regular figures in libraries across the world. Getting information for public talks and the like. We are never forbidden to do anything. We do as we wish. we wish to serve Jehovah God and that comes with cretain standards of conduct shown in the Bible. Conduct that all religions claiming to be Christian give lip service alone. We actually follow through to do what the Bible instructs.
Muirhead, Ruffo and Hazzard have very selective memories when it comes to Jehovah's Witnesses. Mostly about things that never happened the way they state.
The fact of the matter is that Jehovah's Witnesses do not split families. It is rabid family members who split away from us. Those so scared of any thoughts of us that they scream and run for cover. Condemning us all along the way. I have one aunt and I who are Witnesses. Dozens of relatives who are not and I get along fine with them.
Are we perfect? Of course not and never made any claims to be so. We do obey the Bible and follow it as it truly is God's Word for imperfect humanity. That is vastly different from the other 38,000 religions claiming to be Christian but proving by their actions and religious dogma that they are not.
Jackie Jacobs
2:27 am on Wednesday, September 21, 2011
[Michael Greene sez-"We are never forbidden to do anything. We do as we wish"]
This sounds like a Steve Klemetti?