Lessons from the “World of Already,” Ben Carson

Volume XVII, Issue VIII

Lessons from the “World of Already”
By Bob Kirchman


The “World of Already.”

I was thirteen years old when the great New York World’s Fair took place. It was an event I looked forward to – the unveiling of new wonders of innovation and science, the amazing ‘Google’ architecture (the term having nothing to do with the search engine, but rather a ‘space aged’ futuristic style), and the wonderful sensory overload of a world on display! In my excitement I somehow missed the derisory piece TIME Magazine wrote, calling the fair “The World of Already.” TIME’s beef with the fair was that it was a hodgepodge of not so original things we could see springing up along the highway almost anywhere. In their intellectual disdain for public displays of this type, the writers of TIME missed something important. The ‘Future’ is a work in progress. The past and present have a lot to speak into it. Even if it is largely the present restyled, fairs have a lot to teach us.

The argument that the world of the future presented by the fair is straight out of the 1950s cannot be denied, but human history is allowed to spill across decades. A lot of the world our parents built in the 1960s was indeed first sketched out in the preceding decade. Washington DC’s Dulles Airport designed by Eero Saarinen first appears as a “proposed Chantilly Airport” on a 1950s planning document along with alignments for outer belt highways that will eventually be the Fairfax County Parkway. In Queens, Robert Moses pushed the future along by building the Van Wyk Expressway as part of the fair project. Such infrastructure is first presented in the 1939 World’s Fair Futurama which predicts a superhighway system in 1960.

The 1964/65 World’s Fair had a Futurama too. It expanded on the first one and had underwater hotels and colonies on the moon. We’re still waiting for the colony on the moon. But here it must be said that the seeds of vision are often planted in the Crystal Palaces of these great international expositions. I came home from the fair and drew fantastic things of my own in the pile that I hid beneath my bed. The future was inspiring, even if it was mainly redressing things we already knew.

The great ‘White City’ of Chicago had inspired the creation of so many fine classical buildings in America’s growing towns and cities. It clearly looked to the past for inspiration. Isambard Kingdom Brunel borrowed heavily from Egyptian influences as he built bridges and tunnels for Britain’s modern infrastructure. The 1964/65 fair might at first seem to be lacking in lessons from the past, but the Vatican brought Michelangelo’s Pieta to the fair, placing it in futuristic pavilion that remotely evoked Bernini’s great colonnade. Here was marble come to life! Here was timeless beauty. It must be said that the Pieta brought the mystery and wonder of the Renaissance to Flushing Meadow Park. You viewed the sculpture on a series of moving sidewalks which created a sort of solemn procession. The background was blue, with a halo of stars suspended above. Here was a timeless thing that was objectively beautiful, positioned to inform humankind even as they set sail to explore the vastness of space. It was amazing!


Michelangelo's Pieta, a lasting impression.

How the Waynesboro World’s
Fair Became Truly International


Tony and Beth Weeder.

It is probably one of my favorite project based activities, combining drawing and actual construction of three dimensional models, the ‘World’s Fair’ project. Here students study some architectural design and drawing and go on to create imaginative pavilions for an imaginary world’s fair. FunDoodle Art Camp created the 2019 Waynesboro World’s Fair and little did I know this would prove in some ways to be a truly international experience. Joining us for the camp was Ines Saiz Serna, visiting from Spain. She skillfully helped students assemble tetrahedrons and proved to be quite talented in a number of areas. The camp’s signature ‘Doodle’ sessions would prove inspirational as well. Hold this thought: I had remarked to myself that some of our doodle designs were quite like the design motifs found in African textiles and decorative arts.

I had been given the task of creating a concept for a girls’ school in Monrovia, Liberia by Tony Weeder and his wife Beth. Education of girls is an important ministry as it gives them a safe and healthy path to a better future. Without education, their future can be pretty bleak. We created a school building and a chapel and I prepared some initial renderings. In a country with high unemployment, security bars are necessary on buildings such as our school and chapel, but they make it look like we’re in a prison too. Then it came together. Ines’s ‘doodles’ could provide a dignified alternative to the ugly bars. We could fabricate some of the lyrical doodles out of bar stock and do the same job in a way that gave dignity to the young women in our school. I hastily threw together the design and it was presented to the group building the project and was well received.

Such is the reason for ‘world’s fairs,’ real or imagined. They are a place where wonder and inspiration may happen. They inspire young people. They bring fresh ideas in a way that people can reach out and touch them. They add dimension and dialogue to the things we think we experience looking at our phones. They make a time of creative imagining fun! Looking forward, a young girl may look out of her school window one day, through Ms. Serna’s lyrical grille and envision a brighter future. Her education will provide an alternative to the bleak realities so many of her sisters face today. She’ll help remake her country and pass the baton of vision to her children! She’ll do so because of people of Faith like Tony and Beth Weeder, who see this outreach as an extension of the Love of Christ!


Design for a Chapel Building.

Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.” – Proverbs 31:29

A Capital Vision
Harry Weese's Metro Design


Harry Weese


Harry Weese

Harry Weese’s original design for Washington’s Metro system did indeed create a ‘crypt’ for the Federal City. It was meant to be somewhat devoid of ornamentation, depending on allusion to Classical vaults to tie it to the design of the city above. But there has always been some argument about the other spaces – the above-ground portions, for example. Did Weese intend them to be some stark brutalist viaduct? I found the above rendering by Weese’s office that shows a raised portion of the Metro at Reagan International Airport.

The Trains float on raised tracks supported by the ubiquitous round columns, but note that in the rendering the columns are integrated with the vegetation of the site – in this case the artist has placed them among the hydrangeas (going by scale and color), admitting that natural colors and forms of landscaping were to have softened the brutalism – especially in the vicinity of the airport and Arlington’s Cemetery.

Below are my concepts for a mural that would have been painted in the bus bay of the Bethesda Metro Station. I like to think that Weese himself would be OK with the design.






Concept by Bob Kirchman.

Elysian Lilies, it is a variation on the theme of Heaven’s Hollyhocks seen in last week’s issue. Passing through the asphalt and concrete bus bay descending to the Metro, the large lilies would have perhaps added a ‘touch of Heaven’ to Bethesda’s workaday world.

“Red Line” Bench Mural


The scope of work for the Bethesda Metro Station also included a bench in front of a fountain. My idea was a procession of red ants as this is a Red Line station.

"Religion and the Opening Up of the Mind"
By Bishop Robert Barron



Bishop Robert Barron speaks at Google Headquarters about religion and the opening up of the mind. Bishop Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Bishop Barron is a #1 Amazon bestselling author and has published numerous books, essays, and articles on theology and the spiritual life, in addition to his regular YouTube videos (@wordonfirevideo).

Bishop Barron discusses how our minds restlessly seek, and how religion, at its best, never shuts down the mind, but opens it up. He explores the nature of "beatitudo", following the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas to conclude that wealth, power, pleasure, and honor will never satisfy, but only God can satisfy the infinite desires of our hearts.

Empowering Our Neighbors:
[click to read]

A Conversation with HUD Secretary Ben Carson

Jesus said, "whatever you do for the least of these, you do for Me." On this special edition, Dr. Tim Clinton sits down with Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson. They highlight HUD's many accomplishments, while Secretary Carson shares how churches are sacrificially serving and providing for their communities.(read more)

Ben Carson at Western Conservative Summit
[click to read]

On this broadcast, you will hear Dr. Ben Carson's speech from the 2019 Western Conservative Summit. He addresses his obligations as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the optimism surrounding America's economy. Dr. Carson also explains the importance of a home as not only a physical structure, but an emotional and spiritual refuge for families. (read more)

‘New Left Urbanists’
[click to read]

The new left urbanists’ fatal mistake is to view cities as collections of buildings, roads, tunnels and bike lanes. Urbanists can demolish and rebuild physical environments, but they can’t pave over the people. Life in a metropolis is simply too complex, too variable and too ephemeral—it will evade even the most careful planning. Making cities better and more beautiful requires bringing neighbors, developers, employers and governments into the conversation. Thriving cities are built through cooperation, not compulsion.” (read more)

The Bishop's Garden, National Cathedral
Sharing a Magical Place in the Rain


My bride and I share a magical moment in the Bishop's Garden of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Photo by S. Kirchman.

Laney’s Palette Art Show
Saturday September 14th, 2019 in Crozet, VA

Works by Kristina Elaine Greer will be on display at the gallery space of Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5804 Tabor Street, Crozet, Virginia 22932. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, September 14th, 2019 from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the church. All are invited. The show will feature Laney’s Acrylic Paintings and Pencil Drawings from 2004 – 2019.

Murals for Public Spaces, Legacies, Harry Weese

Volume XVII, Issue VII

Murals for Public Spaces

Harry Weese actually created the spaces of Washington’s Metro as a Brutalism/Minimalist statement. He specified that their be no murals, but four decades later the imposing fearsomeness of the spaces had the leadership of Bethesda, Maryland creating public art.

Was it successful? Our studio submitted a very natural floral mural... a continuation of the theme began in the Hollyhocks Mural in Charlottesville. Our goal was indeed to overlay the stark entrance/bus shed with a natural imagery to create an inviting space. I joked to my colleagues: “This won't win. Bethesda Arts likes stark geometrics.”

Sure enough, the winning design was stark and geometrical. Though it has vibrant colors and is a good mural, it's Mayan hyroglyphs read to some people more like a diagram of underground utility piping. Not exactly the way to make the space more inviting unless the artist is David McCauley. Here are some interesting comments from the article that follows:

Let’s Cover Blank Walls with Public Murals
By Dan Malouff
[click to read]

One of the most basic tenets of good urban design is that walkways should be lined with things to look at. Blank walls discourage walking because they make a walk seem boring and therefore longer, and because empty and lightly maintained spaces feel less safe. Detailed, colorful places are inherently more pedestrian friendly than dismal, blank spaces, and therefore urbanistically superior. So, given that, why do we accept so many blank spaces in our cities? (read more)

Scott on February 3, 2017 at 8:02pm

One man's art is often another man's grafitti. The original design for the Metro by Harry Weese specifically excluded art to avoid the discussion of what is appropriate and what is not. Have you all seen the awful mural that was added at the Bethesda Metro Station? I even like modern art, and this thing just looks bad, and is not good urban streetsscape design. Public art and heroic sculpture is a great idea if well done, but I have seen some very bad and tasteless artwork in public places.

Another topic is the fine line between thoughtfully commissioned murals and illegal vandalism. It really is difficult to enrich the public realm without offending at least some of the public. I vote for great lighting, interesting textures, useful way finding signage, even some bright colors but suggest that unless art is carefully curated, we should avoid filling our city with poorly conceived murals.”

John D on February 5, 2017 at 11:22am

I have to agree that the mural at the Bethesda Metro Station is spectaculary awful. it's easy to visualize alternatives for that space that would be simpler, more durable, and more complimentary to its environment. So if that's an example of what we might get, I'd have to vote for more advertising to fund the system, too. At least ads get vetted by someone's marketing department and has to meet a quality hurdle.”

At this point, I want to emphasize that having designed a mural concept for the space, I can say flat-out that it is a difficult space. The bus shed is awkward in scale and the Metro escalator is long and scary. I noticed many able-bodied people opting for the elevator. I rode that escalator a number of times to get a sense of the sequence one went through going to Metro.

I rode down as a man and his girlfriend (or wife) descended in front of me. She was laden with packages and he, carrying nothing, followed her down. I slipped down the left side and placed myself in front of the woman, simply because Southern men are taught from childhood to place themselves between women and danger. I rode down the long escalator standing there. The old escalator gave a rather wobbly ride and I thought of how one of these Metro escalators had actually failed – freewheeling down during a day when hundreds of thousands visited Washington for a Pro-life Rally on the mall.

The media was often guilty of downplaying the numbers of Pro-life Rallys, so as the official ridership of the day became public record as part of the investigation, it was shown that there are a lot more people riding the Metro on a day when there’s a Pro-Life Rally than the media would like to admit. Thankfully there were only minor injuries and the most harrowing image of the day was that of crushed baby strollers. I would call it a miracle.

But back to the rude man and the laden lady -- That little moment convinced me that bringing beauty and nature into the space might be a very good thing. I wanted at that point so desperately to break the spell of that dirty brutalist space... but it was not to be. About forty of us were competing for the opportunity and the $30,000 muralist's fee. I was able to see some of the other entries. There were quite a few geometric designs (design to competition committee), and I liked many of them more than the winning design.

In the end I was satisfied that I had created a good solution and that on another day another committee might have wanted something ‘different.’ But this time the committee opted for what they had financed earlier in a retaining wall mural.

I called my concept Elyssian Lilys. It was a continuation of a theme that begins with my old assistant Kristina’s Great, Great Grandmother’s Hollyhocks, which return every year to bless the street where they were planted long ago even though the house is long gone. It is also a tribute to a friend’s daughter, Lily. I had done a smaller mural of Heavenly Hollyhocks in the Fifeville Neighborhood of Charlottesville, Virginia. It warmed what had been a rather stark entry to a beauty salon and that exercise proved to me and those acting as design critics: Kristina Elaine Greer and Lisa Johnson, that a large natural element might indeed create a welcoming environment overlayed on Weese’s Brutalism and was sufficient in contrast so as not to take much away from it.

I think it will find a good home in urban fabric someday.





A Floral Legacy

The Springhill Hollyhocks


White Hollyhock, Springhill Road. Photo by Bob Kirchman

Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime." – Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Passing something along to the generations to follow... a worthy ambition, indeed the great feast of Passover and the celebration of Purim involve the passing down of the great stories of Redemption! "And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped." -- Exodus 12:24-27

The just-celebrated Passover is a way of keeping the story alive. For generations this story told as a meal has given new generations the cherished history of their redemption. Indeed it should serve as a  model for us as we pass down a Legacy of faith to our children. Historically we have passed along so much more to our children as we would teach them how to work, how to build a life and so much more. Of late our society has built a reliance on 'experts' to prepare our young people for the future. While I would readily agree that a young person becoming a doctor needs to be trained by other doctors, there is much to be learned outside of the academy from the proceeding generations of one's own family. Most of our work ethic and our character is formed in the home. There is much wisdom of a deeper sort to be found there.

Indeed, modern generations seem to have diminished the importance of this tradition, as referenced here in some of my writing: "Haroset, bitter herbs and young lamb mingled together to add illustration to an old story. In ancient times a covenant was often made within the context of a meal. Rupert's own redemptive story was now unmistakably flavored by sweet tea and macaroni and cheese. In the 1950's the American company Swanson created an invention known as the "TV Dinner." Families no longer conversed around the table, often "watching the news" instead of passing truth from generation to generation. Food was placed into individual compartments in a small aluminum tray, individualized for each diner. There were no more passed dishes. The family ate in silence as the television did all the talking."[1.]

That is why I love Mrs. Landes' Hollyhocks. They represent the passing down of a gift to bless many generations to come. The house is gone now, replaced by a gas station, but the Great-great grandchildren of Mrs. Landes still enjoy the fact that they still bloom every year where her house once stood and that is a wonderful thing!

I first noticed the wonderful hollyhocks as I would drive over to my weekend job with organ builder Xaver Wilhelmy. There they were growing in the highway right of way. I started photographing them, marveling at their tenacity in growing where they did. One day I mentioned them to my assistant Kristina, who surprised me by telling me that her Great-great Grandmother had first planted them. They too would find their way into story: "The hollyhocks were in bloom now, and their offspring, lovingly sown from Kris' pods, blessed many a neighboring garden in the biosphere which protected the little town from the ravages of the severe climate. Today, the little gardens seemed especially alive as hummingbirds and butterflies seemed to abound. "Why does this day seem so different from any other?" mused Kris. Surely it had to be the special visit from Kate and Elizabeth. No, the light seemed more brilliant. The flowers seemed more defined. An artist noticed things like this, and each of these women was an artist in her own right." [2.]

The statement: "Why does this day seem so different from any other?" alludes to the Seder by design, referring to the child's question which prefaces the great retelling of the great story of redemption. Projecting the great story into the future is a direct reference to the hope we have in our own promised redemption! Indeed that hope is at the heart of the celebration of Redemption and resurrection!


White Hollyhock, Springhill Road. Photo by Bob Kirchman


The Great-great Grandchildren of Mrs. Landes and the story of her legacy of hollyhocks. Her hollyhocks still bloom every Summer on Springhill Road in Staunton, Virginia. Her house is long gone, replaced by a gas station but the flowers continue to bless those who pass that way. They were the inspiration for the mural: Heavenly Hollyhocks that Mr. Kirchman painted in Charlottesville, Virginia.






















Every Summer they appear!, remnants of a garden planted long ago that continue to brighten the drive into Staunton along Churchville Avenue. What a great living legacy for a gardener!Photos by Bob Kirchman


Mural inspired by the Springhill Hollyhocks.

Zipporah’s Flowers

As we were finishing the Journey to Jesus Mural, an Egyptian woman visited our church. Her name was Zipporah (the same as Moses’ wife). She mentioned that she had had dreams or visions of Heaven. Naturally I was intrigued and when I met her in the foyer I asked her to describe what she had seen. “Jesus is in Heaven surrounded by Children,” she remarked. That was a “WOW” moment. The Journey to Jesus Mural depicts children of all nations coming to the throne of the Redeemer! Zipporah unknowingly was affirming the message of a two-year project that she had no prior knowledge of.

She continued: “The flowers there are ENORMOUS… more like TREES!” Zipporah had unwittingly planted the seeds for the concepts developed in Heaven’s Hollyhocks and Elysian Lilys. These visions had comforted a Christian lady living in the midst of persecution in her homeland and now they had a message of comfort for others as well. That prompted their introduction into stark urban environments.



Journey to Jesus, a mural depicting the nations coming to Jesus in the New Heaven and New Earth described in Revelation 21. Mural by Kristina Elaine Greer and Bob Kirchman


Concept for a World's Fair Pavilion: Reproduction of Journey to Jesus.

Epic of Human Civilization

In 1932 the Trustees of Dartmouth College commissioned José Clemente Orozco,’s mural: The Epic of American Civilization, which depicts the history of the Americas. It is a great work of art but it presents a dark scenario ending with ‘gods of the modern world.’ It uplifts the great civilizations of the Maya and the Aztec but then delves into a rather dystopian depiction of modern times. Unseen is the fact that human civilization has never been without troubles and it is easy to see visions of the past as ‘pure’ forms because you are spared the sights and smells of everyday life there. Orozco’s mural was originally seen as controversial but as the academy aligned itself more and more with Anticolonialism and Socialism, the mural became more of a statement of where they were intellectually.

Dartmouth had originally been founded to evangelize the native peoples of America, but as the academy began to adopt the view that Western culture was ‘nothing special,’ Orozco became the Leonardo of this new faith. Selective history always sees the sins of those one disagrees with and overlooks a lot of those of one agrees with. Yes, the Conquistadors were terrible. Modern education is indeed soulless and seeks to indoctrinate, as Orozco intimates in his depiction of ‘gods of the modern world,’ but the academy, having espoused a more Marxist philosophy, continues to suppress other thoughts (especially Christian thoughts). Witness the recent speech by Noah Riner where the student body president talked of how finely educated Dartmouth graduates had not all been noble in their subsequent lives.

Noah Riner, 21 — homeschooled son of a Baptist preacher, and now student body president at Dartmouth College — sparked national controversy with his September 20th convocation speech to incoming freshmen. In what is traditionally an immemorable speech, Riner maintained that character, not just intelligence and talent, must be the goal for true education. Dartmouth, Riner told his peers, has turned out a lot of very talented, very intelligent individuals. “But if all we get from this place is knowledge, we’ve missed something,” he reasoned — citing examples, both historic and recent, of Dartmouth alums whose credentials were impeccable, but whose character was proven to be greatly corrupt. Turning to raise the issue of New Orleans — the looting, violence, and rape in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — Riner clarified, “My purpose… isn’t to condemn just [the citizens of New Orleans], rather it’s to condemn all of us.” “The real problem in this world,” Riner argued, “is not lack of education [but] lack of character.” “[C]haracter,” he held, “is what you do when no one is looking, but I’m afraid to say all the things I’ve done when no one was looking.” He challenged his fellow students to be honest with themselves and with one another. “We have the same flaws as the individuals who pillaged New Orleans,” he said, affirming the truth of the universal sin nature. “Ours haven’t been given such free range, but they exist and are part of us all the same.” [3.]

Here Riner offered the message of Christ… the original message of Dartmouth, to the protest of the modern institution that Dartmouth had become.

So Journey to Jesus is subtitled ‘The Epic of Human Civilization,’ a nod to Orazco’s work, but also a continuation of Riner’s assertion that if institutions have failed us we need something more than an institution to save us. It is in that spirit that we offer Christ and ‘visions of Heaven’ as an alternative.


The BSB Corporation Pavilion at the 2019 Waynesboro World’s Fair. This was a FunDoodle Art Camp project where we built architectural models and photographed them against the sky to give them scale. The pavilion is a concept for an outdoor installation of the ‘Journey to Jesus ‘ Mural created by Kristina Elaine Greer and Bob Kirchman.

Harry Weese's Metro
Photos by Bob Kirchman









“No Safe Spaces II”
By Dennis Prager
[click to read]

Historically, colleges and universities were places dedicated to open dialogue and a free exchange of ideas. Sadly, intolerance and censorship toward conservatism is on the rise. On this special broadcast, Dr. Dobson talks with popular radio host Dennis Prager about his new documentary No Safe Spaces. Hear how free speech is under attack on campuses across the nation. (read more)

Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated columnist, public speaker, and talk show host, broadcasting since 1982. He is the author of five books including Still the Best Hope, Why the Jews, and Happiness is a Serious Problem. He was a Fellow at Columbia University's School of International Affairs, where he did graduate work at the Middle East and Russian Institutes. He has taught Russian and Jewish history at Brooklyn College, and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Review Conference on the Helsinki Accords. In 2011, Dennis co-founded Prager U, an institution of higher learning on the Internet.

In Search of the Perfect Burger
Sooner Barbeque in Stuarts Draft, Virginia


Longhorn cattle in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.

Number 17 was delicious. Brad Theodo, owner of Sooner Barbeque in Stuarts Draft, Virginia recently hosted a fundraiser for Risen Ridge Ministry, which offers horse related ministry to first responders (opening next year). Jen Beck, the visionary behind the ministry suggested I try the Draftburger. I was not disappointed! In fact, it was the kind of wonderful platter that food writers dream of! Grilled to perfection, and the beef is fresh!

How fresh? You ask. Well, the beef is local and Brad can even tell you the ‘name’ of your dinner. “Number 17” was indeed delicious – a longhorn from a farm right up the road. Of course the Barbeque is wonderful too. While I was sitting there, 40 pounds of pulled pork sailed out the door – headed for a catered event. Head down US 340 through Stuarts Draft and look for the cooker in front of the building. “You can’t miss it!”


Brad Theodo.

Staunton's 'Unfinished' Mural


For 38 Years, the man on the scaffold has been painting the brick wall.

In the 1980s Staunton Revitalization Effort ran a competition to select a mural design for the wall of the Glassner Jeweler’s Building, which had been truncated to build access to the new parking garage. James Hanger III submitted the winning entry but the actual painting was done by Hugh Luck and Peter Freudenberg of Pine Street Studios. Here is where the story gets really interesting. Luck, at the time, worked for Peter Freudenberg. They later became business partners. In case you are unfamiliar with Freudenberg, he is the artist behind the ‘Peachoid’ in Gaffney, South Carolina. It is an enormous water tower that was created to look like a Brobdingnagian peach. Freudenberg carefully painted the water tower in realistic colors. Because of the unique cleft in the water tank, the sculpture sometimes receives a ‘bum rap,’ if you get my gist. Drivers on Interstate 85 enjoy it. Now you know that our city has a unique connection with it!


James Hanger III's original sketch for the mural. The budget for the project was estimated at $4000 ($11,644.63 in today's dollars)...


...and here is the completed mural when it was new. 
Photo Courtesy of Hugh Luck.

Laney’s Palette Art Show
Saturday September 14th, 2019 in Crozet, VA

Works by Kristina Elaine Greer will be on display at the gallery space of Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5804 Tabor Street, Crozet, Virginia 22932. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, September 14th, 2019 from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the church. All are invited. The show will feature Laney’s Acrylic Paintings and Pencil Drawings from 2004 – 2019.

Pieta, Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Masterpieces

Volume XVII, Issue VI

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarroti was a painter, sculptor, architect and poet widely considered one of the most brilliant artists of the Italian Renaissance. At 25 he carved the magnificent Pieta as a commission for Cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas, completing the work in less than a year! This treasure of the Vatican was exhibited at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 at the Vatican Pavilion. Between 1501 and 1504, Michelangelo took over a commission for a statue of David, which two other sculptors had abandoned.

Although he was primarily a sculptor, Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo to switch from sculpting to painting to create a work for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, completed on October 31, 1512. The original plan called for 12 apostles but the painting ended up having 300 figures in it. Being a sculptor, Michelangelo created wax models to perfect his design and developed a special slow drying plaster. He had to design special scaffolding so the chapel could remain in use as he painted.

Michelangelo began the painting in 1508. He did not complete it until 1512. The work had to have been tedious. According to one story. Two of Michelangelo’s rival artists put Pope Julius up to commissioning him. The painter Raphael and the architect Bramante were certain that Michelangelo would fail at the task but he went on to produce one of the great masterpieces of the Renaissance! Contrary to legend, Michelangelo painted standing up on the scaffolding. The work was uncomfortable. The wet plaster grew mold and Michelangelo had to remove it and start again His assistant Jacopo I’Indaco developed a new formula that resisted mold and the work went on.

Although Michelangelo continued to sculpt and paint throughout his life, following the physical rigor of painting the Sistine Chapel he turned his focus toward architecture. He designed the tomb of Julius II. Michelangelo also designed the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library — located opposite the Basilica San Lorenzo in Florence — to house the Medici book collection. In 1546 he became the chief architect of the magnificent Saint Peter’s Basilica.

Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Painted by Michelangelo



David


David by Michelangelo, Florence, Galleria dell'Accademia, 1501-1504. Photo by Jörg Bittner Unna.


Panorama of St. Peter's Square. Photo by Andrew Magill [1.]

Evangelizing through Beauty
Bishop Robert Barron



Bishop Barron on Hans Urs von Balthasar





“No Safe Spaces”
By Dennis Prager
[click to read]

Historically, colleges and universities were places dedicated to open dialogue and a free exchange of ideas. Sadly, intolerance and censorship toward conservatism is on the rise. On this special broadcast, Dr. Dobson talks with popular radio host Dennis Prager about his new documentary No Safe Spaces. Hear how free speech is under attack on campuses across the nation. (read more)

The Genius of Leonardo da Vinci



Virginia is for Science Lovers


Mural Proposal by the Kirchman Studio. The design features images of Katherine Johnson and Francis Collins. #StauntonMural

This is a proposal I worked up for a competition for a tourism mural in downtown Staunton. Although it was not selected for this location, I would love to find a home for this work honoring Francis Collins and Katherine Johnson. My wife, Pam, came up with a better name for this project than I had – “Virginia is for Science Lovers.”

Strength for the Storm
Photo by Bob Kirchman



For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” – ISAIAH 25:4

Laney’s Palette Art Show
Saturday September 14th, 2019 in Crozet, VA

Works by Kristina Elaine Greer will be on display at the gallery space of Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5804 Tabor Street, Crozet, Virginia 22932. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, September 14th, 2019 from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the church. All are invited. The show will feature Laney’s Acrylic Paintings and Pencil Drawings from 2004 – 2019.