The Amazing Week that Was.

These are the two views from each end of the Galleria Room 

of the “Holy Ground” art show.

As you can see, last week was a rather busy one for me.

Thanksgiving Monday, was the day I took out the “Friends Forever” piece from the kiln and that evening attended the birthday party presenting it to the “birthday girl”. On Thursday I spent the day in Winkler where I presented at the “Forgiveness and Mental Health” lectures. Friday I was up early loading my van with all of my art, arriving 8;30am at the Inner City Youth Alive (ICYA) Capoto Centre on Wilks Ave. for their fund raising banquet that would begin that evening.

I was the first to arrive. I saw the banquet room and as you can see below it was stunning. My jaw dropped. It looked fantastic. It was obvious this organisation was very artistic in their approach to this event. The “Gallaria” room alongside this banquet hall were I was to put up my art was bare. It was clear some work would need to be done here.

I began to move in my art from the van.

Then the staff arrived and things began to take shape. The goal was to create a room in line with the decor of the banquet room already done, but with the purpose of highlighting the art. What to do with the lighting? Where to place the pieces? What would be a good flow for the viewer from entry of the art show to exiting into the dining room? Decisions were made. People began scurrying about, making calls, running out to purchase items needed, tool boxes and tools appeared and the plans began to become reality. I worked at organising the placement of each piece, and placed each plinth. Then placing each piece beside it in it’s packaging while the staff did the decorating. No one wanted to wipe out a sculpture with a swinging ladder etc.

It was fun making new friends and working together. I was struck with their beautiful spirit. Their careful respect for our story, Candace and my pieces. Their humility. For example, the director of the organisation, working alongside all of us to get the job done. Their love and dedication for their work, whatever it might be to minister effectively to our inner city youth became very obvious. I enjoyed having lunch with them, were we continued becoming friends.

At about 3pm I left for home to get ready for the evening. I returned just before the event to a completely transformed Galleria. I marvelled at the elegance yet simplicity of it all. I then began to unpack and place my pieces on the plinths.  

The Art Show was entitled “Holy Ground” and as we’d done during the trial, the guests were invited to take off their shoes for going through the show. Many did just that. The program was wonderful. The MC was Janet Stewart who is the host of CBC 5 p.m. news on CBC television. Her positive bubbly personality pervaded the event.

The entertainment was by Winnipeg singer/songwriter Jaylene Johnson. We were privileged to have her sit beside us at our table and so got to know her a little. I don’t know that much about music but she is apparently making an impact having been the finalist for the past three years in the International Song writing Competition in the country and pop categories. Wow.

The speaker of the evening was my wife Wilma Derksen. She made the point that the work of Inner City Youth Alive was helping young men and women to make positive choices, preventing them from becoming future Mark Edward Grants, who is the man charged and doing time for the murder our daughter.

This was the very first time, since I had gotten into my art in 2010, that Wilma and I were doing our thing together at the same function! It is so fun doing things with family members. In the past I’ve had art shows together with my daughter Odia. Now, Wilma and I ministered at the same function. Amazing. I love it!

The most touching aspect of the evening were the awards given out to individual youth living on the streets in the inner city area. Youth who in the past year have made some huge choices for change and growth in their lives. Some for making brave choices like love and forgiveness instead of revenge. Some for graduating from High School. Some for their personal growth and accomplishments in becoming volunteers assisting in the work of ICYA. One by one they were called up for the different categories. For these street kids it was like winning an Oscar. Their accomplishments were described and admired. They were called up, given a trophy, photographed, hugged and congratulated by the staff before their friends plus almost 400 guests in attendance. This they will never forget. We all pray they will be encouraged to continue building their lives.   

After it was all over, we had to tear all that beautiful decorative work down. I packed up my sculptures and loaded them into the van. The plinths were placed in a truck. Wilma and I crawled into bed very early the next morning!

Were we tired? Yes. Did we feel good? Yes we did, we felt very good. This organisation is amazing, working with those in our society most of us fear and even avoid at all costs. Despite our concerns and opinions of these who live on the streets, God love’s them and seeks to challenge them, the same as he challenges us to make the next decision a good one, a better one then may have made in the past. These brave staff of Inner City Youth Alive, at great personal sacrifice, walk alongside these broken, hurting, angry, hungry, depressed, dysfunctional ones to help them making choices that might begin to turn their lives around one decision at a time. It was a privilege to assist in any way possible.

And that’s the amazing week that was.

“Come and take what is yours. It is the kingdom prepared for you since the world was created. I was hungry. And you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty. And you gave me something to drink....”

Matthew 25:34-36

The Amazing Decor of the Banquet Room.