Arts festival ‘always special’
srichtersrichter
Trinity Lutheran Church will be filled with the arts this weekend for the 10th annual Liturgical Arts Festival.
“The title of the festival is ‘To God be the Glory,’ ” said Donna Williams, with the festival committee. “It is about all of us of different races and religions getting together and worshipping God in our own way, praising God in our own way. It’s art, poetry, whatever. And it brings us together.
“We’re more alike than we know or realize.”
The festival has two scheduled performances, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 3:15 p.m. Sunday in the sanctuary. Performances will include music, poems, readings, dancing and more.
Art from 26 artists, who were allowed to submit up to six pieces each, also will be on display in the community room from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6:35 to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Williams expects between 150 and 200 to attend the festival.
Refreshments will be served after the performances.
“(The festival) is always special,” Williams said.
Victoria Pedersen sees it that way, too. But this year, she is the featured artist.
“I am so pleased they thought the things I create are important enough to give me that distinction,” Pedersen said.
The Argyle woman has been creating art since she could hold a crayon, but it’s only within the past 10 years that she has started to focus on her artwork more.
Her preferred mediums are charcoal, pastel and watercolor.
Pedersen said she recently started working with portraiture after taking a workshop with French artist Cecile Houel, but at her home, she is surrounded by wildlife, so it has a tendency to find its way into her work.
“I am a self-taught artist,” she said. “I have won some awards for my art, and some of my art has sold nationally.”
Pedersen will have six pieces at the show, a painting of a giraffe, a pencil sketch of a lion, a flower of some kind and three portraits — one of a Danish man who could be her ancestor, one of an African woman wearing a turban and a third of a little girl licking an orange Dreamcicle.
In addition to her artwork, Pedersen also will read one of her poems at the Sunday performance.
“I belong to the Society of Great River Poets,” she said, “and I have also won awards for my writing.”
Pedersen belongs to a number of art and writing organizations locally and in Iowa, and she’s been known to donate a piece of art or two to civic organizations for fundraisers.
But this weekend, the art will be on display.
And Pedersen is looking forward to it.
Tags: religions