Pictures from our Children workshop hosted by Darlene Newman

Conversations with Chere Labbe Doiron

“Well I never have wandered down to New Orleans

Never have drifted down a bayou stream

But I heard that music on the radio

And I swore some day I was gonna go…”

-       Mary Chapin Carpenter

Chere Labbe Doiron’s collection, Tatted Earth and Dreams, currently on display at the Caritas Village, certainly made me want to hop in the car and head south to Louisiana.  When speaking about the collection, Chere explains, “All of the work is rooted in Louisiana. That just seems to be where my heart lies and where my aesthetic passion emanates from...These places are very dear to me, so I approach it from a spiritual standpoint, not just a sheer visual standpoint.” As pure and honest as a folk song, and as rich and layered as the bayou, the pieces in this exhibit pay homage to Chere’s artistic influences and the beloved Louisiana land that she calls home. They also speak the story of her life through texture, found objects, and exuberant color.

            The art pulled me into its strikingly beautiful world from across the large room at the Village. In fact, it stopped me in my tracks on a very busy day. I am very lucky that Chere herself happened to be sitting near me at the very moment this happened. Before I knew it, we had lunch plans and an interview scheduled to further discuss her work. I can honestly say, that my conversation with Chere turned out to be one of the most inspiring lunch hours that I have experienced in quite sometime.

            She speaks of her art with an ease and modesty, but also with great reverence and great conviction. When describing her process, she makes it clear that she creates with urgency and out of utter necessity. After a thirty-year hiatus from painting, she returned to her craft three years ago with the fear of a child, but also with fierce determination. When speaking of her artistic journey, she uses the words “intensity” and “risk.” She says, “I’m painting with a lot of physical and spiritual intensity. These are aggressive paintings and I like that.” The intensity comes from “the urgency to get it out – the fear of doing it and the fear of not doing it.” Chere is now embracing the journey, the struggle, and the uncertainty that I think almost all artists can relate to. She recognizes this need to create as a gift and is putting her creations out into the world with open eyes and a heart that constantly desires growth.

            The pieces in the exhibit range from canvases that depict the marsh in Louisiana with layers and layers of color, to weathered wood with multiple moons, to three-dimensional upholstery for an armchair. One of my personal favorites, Tattered Dreams, is a mixed media piece portraying a bride that has been “left out in the rain.” Inspired by a collage artist form Chere’s hometown, she is made of wood, paint, beautiful lace, and found pieces of metal. The bride has been sold and I asked Chere, if it would be hard to let her go. She quickly said “no.” She is happy to let the work go when she knows that it is going to a good home. “The bride is going to hang in a women’s shelter - transitional housing for woman who are leaving prison with their children and assimilating back into the world…That my work can be used at that level is overwhelming to me.” Chere is planning to create a hopeful companion piece for Tattered Dreams that explores dreams fulfilled.

            Chere believes that “The best part about the pieces is being able to share what they are about on a deeper level and then have people who are interested in that and to be able to have conversations about it – to me that is the ultimate, best thing ever. The connection with people through the art I do just blows me away.”

You have one more week to see this extraordinary exhibit. It will be at the Caritas Village through March 31. If you are as lucky as I was, you will get to speak with Chere about her work. I assure you, you will leave inspired.

by Leslie Barker

Volunteer of The Month

Jenny Miller has been a Caritas volunteer for two years.  Jenny has always been a helper, Caritas is not her first venture in volunteering, but it definitely plays a big part in her life today.  She was originally inspired to invest her time at Caritas after hearing a sermon on service at St. John's.  The minister, Johnnie Jeffries, mentioned a handful of volunteer opportunities and Caritas was among them.  Miller has filled a variety of roles at Caritas, originally working with The Peacemakers program.  The Peacemakers program is directed towards youth in the Memphis area.  It encourages creative methods in growing a peaceful attitude among all Memphis citizens.  Since working with The Peacemakers, Jenny has offered her time and talents throughout various facets of the Village.  As of late, she's been spending her Mondays serving the lunch crowd.

There are many beautiful things about Caritas but perhaps the most beautiful thing is the people that fill the building.  Something magical happens when one steps forth to offer their time at Caritas; whatever gift one has, however big or small, Onie can find a place for it.  She has an inherent gift for seeing the inherent gifts of others.  "This [Caritas] is a cross-section of all types of people and it focuses on the preciousness of all people" says Jenny Miller.  When asked about her long time dedication to the village, Jenny said "I don't want this place to go away and it takes a lot of people to help."

If you have hesitation about getting involved at Caritas, Jenny reminds us to ask "What can I do? Rather than "What can't I do?"  In helping others, we help ourselves, we find what Jenny calls "purpose and place."

A bit about Frank D. Robinson, Caritas' Artist in Residence

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Caritas, translated from Latin, means “love for all people.”  And that’s what Caritas is largely about; people… bringing them together, welcoming their story, and loving them because of it.  On any given day inside this old brick building off of Harvard Ave, you will witness the stories being told.  They’re being told at tables spread throughout the big room.  Sometimes it’s very quiet, there are quiet murmurs between people.  On other days, it’s loud and stories roar from table to table.  Even when this place is empty, there are stories captured in works of art and they’re covering the walls.  

Frank D. Robinson is Caritas’ artist in residence.  He grew up in Whitehaven and attended The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.  Frank is a storyteller of an unconventional variety.  Using debris found in every day life, things that most people overlook, Frank creates chaotically controlled portraits.  Looking at the portraits, it’s hard not to come up with some sort of narrative about the subjects.  They are covered in discarded labels, hair combs, bottle caps.  According to TheEnvironmentalistEveryDay.org, the average American throws away 4.5 lbs of trash a day… Frank first fell into using these unwanted items while living in Washington, DC.  “I wasn’t thinking about recycling… I just didn’t have any money.”  Frank’s approach was perhaps initially out of convenience but the pieces, filled with labels and items that our consumerist society is overridden with, carried a message that was impossible not to read and so, he ran with it.

“At first, the work was kind of clumsy but it still came out calculated and revealed my message.”  And the pieces are in fact kind of chaotic, typically filled with a single figure surrounded by bright colors, words and thoughts penned by Frank himself and labels that we see in every day life. 

“You know, if you throw away something, you might see me pick it up or me and you might be walking down the street and then you’ll find yourself picking up stuff for me… me and you might be sitting down at Caritas and you might tell me a story about your grandpa and I’ll hold that story in my mind so I’ll take that story and put it in a piece and when you see it, you’ll be like “yeah, I get it.”  And it will mean something to you… but it might not mean something to other viewers until I tell them the story… You know how your grandmother has this dresser or this drawer that you cant touch?  And you don’t know what to do with all of that stuff?  I take the stuff in the dresser and it goes into the work and it becomes her story manifested in a piece.”  

The connectedness of every human story, the small and quiet similarities in all of us are what many search for, we need to feel that we are not so alone and our story is shared.  Frank’s goal is to carry the story and cause the viewer to relate.  “I want to make you feel something; if it’s sad, I’m doing my job… all stories aren’t happy ever after.  They always tell the story of the couple, ending happy, walking hand in hand into the sunset but they never tell what happens after… it’s messy."

The work of Frank D. Robinson can be seen all over Memphis but it’s born out of the heart of Binghampton, just across the street from Caritas.   Nearly every day, Frank’s funky VW can be seen parked in front of the studio across the street or he might be hanging out in a booth at Caritas, sketching and collecting stories from the many different people that visit every day.  He is a carrier of hope, he is a carrier of strength, and his voice, embodied through painting, speaks the stories of all that he meets.  It truly is an honor to have such a powerful presence with us at Caritas... and we are so grateful for the stories shared.

In addition to Frank’s studio, Caritas offers studios for rent in the green house directly across the street.  The two studios range from $200.00 - $250.00 a month.  Contact us at Caritashopegallery.gmail.com for more info!!!!

Bringing in the Burbs!

If you're a kid living in upper middle class America, Christmas break offers some very comfortable options; skiing with the church youth group, spending all of those Christmas gift cards at the mall, playing video games, or just laying around on the big comfy couch in the bonus room and watching Jersey Shore re-runs.  But the youth from First United Methodist Church in Millington, TN take a different approach to Christmas break; they get uncomfortable.  

Every year, the youth from FUMC of Millington are led out of their cozy heated homes, they kiss the leftover Christmas turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie goodbye and they head to some of Memphis' most unpolished neighborhoods to participate in a church mission project called Down and Out. Down and Out is a program intended to introduce the youth from FUMC of Millington to leadership and volunteer opportunities in struggling communities surrounding Millington.  In addition to this, it gives them an opportunity to experience what life might be like in the shoes of residents of the area where they are visiting. At home, the youth have choices, but during the program, they have none.  They give up their Northface Jackets for donated clothes, all of their meals come from a local food pantry and they even hand over their cellphones (!!!). 

We had the opportunity to meet the youth of FUMC yesterday as they gave some of their time volunteering at Caritas.  Amy Baltensperger is a recent graduate from Millington Highschool and though she is no longer a member of the youth group at FUMC, she came back to participate in the Down and Out program for her fifth year. "People don't see the value of service enough...Maybe because they're scared of Memphis or they haven't been exposed to it [communities like Binghampton] yet but working with the Down and Out program puts you in a different mode of thinking." 

The beautiful thing that we at Caritas get to witness on a regular basis is the gathering of all types of people from in and around Memphis, FUMC's visit from Millington is evidence of this. Caritas, in a sense, is like a magnet for a city in search of connection and the gathering that occurs here proves that we all share the same heart.  

First United Methodist of Millington Youth Group

     Thursday, December 27, 2012 

Written By: Maggie Russell, December 28, 2012

Got a Heart For The Arts?

Wondering what to do today?

What a better way to spend a Saturday than supporting local artists at Caritas Village!  This Saturday, from 10-6, Caritas happily invites you to make a happy plate in Caritas Café (try the burger) and enjoy the work of local artisans.   If you’re feeling a tad uninspired by all of the holiday’s rolled back prices and blue light specials, the artists at Caritas might revive a little bit of your holiday spirit! 

Daniel Frederick is a recent transplant from Austin, Texas.  Daniel is, first and foremost, a photographer but he moonlights as a dichroic glass artist. Dichroic glass, when baked at a temperature between 1400 and 1600 degrees Fahrenheit , melts and produces a strange optical effect.  The most distinctive element is its ability to morph colors depending on the angle at which it is viewed.  So, a piece of dichroic glass that appears blue from one angle will appear green from another.  Daniel uses dichroic glass to create pendants.  His glass pendants take on strange shapes, making sort of wearable abstract paintings or sculptures.  Daniel makes a deliberate choice to create the pendants in this way; he wants his work to not only be visually pleasing, but tactile.  The decision to do this was inspired by his wife, who suggested that the way the pendants felt were just as important as the way they looked.  Daniel might not have made the choice to approach the glass this way if it were not for his wife, who is visually impaired.

Dena and Paul Francis are a creative couple.  They spend their free time in their garage with a chop saw and a special router that they use to cut out fun shapes like trees, gingerbread men, and a funky Santa.   A couple of years ago, Dana became inspired by work that she had seen around town and on pinterest and she thought to herself “Hey! I can do that too.”  So, she did!  Dana and Paul’s work is an invitation to smile; almost every piece has something to say.  For example, on the funky santa, the phrase “Peace, Love, and Santa!” is hand painted on his belly.  Many of her other pieces are simple blocks that spell out positive words like “Joy” and “Believe.”  Dana says that she makes her pieces because they make her happy.  In turn, her work brings happiness to others.  

Sarah Brubaker works with Nepali refugee women to make one of a kind, handmade jewelry.  The Nepali women of Memphis first began making jewelry with the help of Steve Moses of Christ Community Ministries.  Two years ago, Steve decided that he wanted to find a way for female refugees in the Binghampton area to make money.  With the help of Sarah, many friends and local artists, Steve started Ekata, which means Unity.  The name was chosen by the Nepali women who come together for thirteen to fifteen hours a week to make these delicate pieces of jewelry.  Sarah says that the first thing a person usually notices about Ekata jewelry is the fact that it is beautiful; the good cause is just an added bonus.  And, it is; the jewelry features semi-precious stones and spiraling sculptural elements of 14k gold filled and silver pieces.   Ekata serves as a means of income and a place to build community for the refugee women that call Binghampton home.

Andra Mccoy graduated with her MFA from The Memphis College of Art with an emphasis in textiles.   Her vibrant scarves, jewelry, felted wool pieces, and small hand sewn dolls demonstrate that she is a Jane of All Trades.  Andra’s scarves and fabrics are multi-dimensional.  She weaves pieces of felted wool, beads, knitted and crocheted accents and mismatched fabrics into many of them.  The accents in her scarves and jewelry are upcycled; fabrics and beads that lost their flair on something old and out of style and have been repurposed into Andra’s fun and whimsical wearable pieces.  Andra’s first memory of fabric is one of her mother and grandmother’s quilts.  In a sense, Andra’s work is like a really great quilt; it brings together old, new, forgotten and precious pieces of her world to create a one of a kind piece. 

Harriet Buckley is also a Jane of All Trades.  Her philosophy on art is that, in order to keep ideas fresh and creativity alive, it’s important to work across all mediums.  Harriet seems to have a particular allegiance to leather, though.  She makes bracelets, pendants, earrings, change purses, and anything else her heart desires out of leather scraps.  The scraps come from larger sculptural pieces.  Harriet has been working in leather since the 80’s.  At some point, she came to the realization that the scraps could be put to wearable use.   She paints the leather and adds repurposed metals to the painted pieces.  Harriet’s booth at Caritas features watercolors, jewelry, and a lot of other fun flair!

Daniel, Dena, Paul, Sarah, Andra, Harriet, and some other great Memphis Artists will be at Caritas from 10am-6pm on Saturday.  Come on by and say hello!!!

Caritas Village on World Aids Day

The 2012 Annual [choice] Life Over AIDS Art Exhibition was a "GREAT SUCCESS!"

Caritas would like to thank the exhibiting Artist: Liz Bass, Jamond Bullock, Lauren Beyer, Phyllis Boger, Mary Bowman, Lindsey Byard, Marilyn Califf, Maria Ferguson, Lurlynn Franklin, Dawn Kimble, Marcellous Lovelace, Carl E. Moore, Darlene Newman, Tammy Groves Thornton, Sarah Ray, Frank D. Robinson, Malik Seneferu and Bill Piacesi.

Caritas would like to thank all of the wonderful artist who made this years 3rd annual 2012 Aids show possible. Their creative talent and creative interpretation of Aids awareness made this exhibit the best one yet. We would also like to thank our prize winners who were selected by independent judges from various parts of the art community for their uniqueness.

We would also like to thank everyone who came out to see Caritas Village in-house produced film "Love Choice" and Malco theaters who allowed us to view the film free of charge. We will be releasing the film on DVD in the spring of 2013 if not sooner so please check back or contact Onie Johns for more info.

Thank you our sponsors, Artist’s Link, Memphis Area Visual Artist, Caritas Village, Choice Life Over AIDS, National Aids Fund and Choices "Memphis Center for Reproductive Health".