My weekend and concert Holiness and the Feminine Spirit in Duluth were beautiful and reverent.

I so enjoyed working with my fellow performers and meeting artist Janet McKenzie. We met Friday afternoon for our dress rehearsal and then convened Saturday afternoon a talk with the artist.

Janet is soft-spoken, quietly funny and passionate about her art. She explained that her work changed in the mid-90s when her nephew (then a little boy of color) couldn’t see himself in her artwork. And so her work opened.

That opening put her on the path to including people of color and, in particular, women of color in her paintings. She feels it is the work she was put here to do. (Having work you are called to do is an idea I can relate to. *smile*)

During the afternoon she talked about her work, her journey with her painting “Jesus of the People” and answered questions. Mary Lou, Regina and I also presented a preview of the evening’s music and dance.

…

In the evening, we gathered at Peace Church to present this eclectic event of offerings inspired by her work. We sang, dance and, important to me, told stories.

A big part of my improvisation journey over the past year has been discovering stories in the music.

I love this story that I “found” during this weekend’s concert.

Here is the image that was projected during the story.

© Janet McKenzie Study #1