Letters from Camp Rehoboth

CAMP Matters

by Murray Archibald

HEART at Work

All the images on these two pages were created for this year’s HEART of the Community Art Auction at the 2004 Black and White Beach Ball. The participating artists were each given the theme, the size, and framing guidelines. The result is called HEARTwork.

Matters of the heart, in all its many meanings and interpretations, have long been of interest to me and are frequently the subject of my art and writing. Which is not to say, of course, that I am unique in that interest. Since the dawn of humankind, the heart and its many concerns, both human and divine, have been the subject of much fascination. It would be, I dare say, hard to find great art, poetry, music, or dance that does not in some way or another involve the passions of the heart.

The physical heart is the pump that gives our bodies life. The spiritual heart is the center of the human soul, our home, the place of our deepest connection to one another; to our creativity; and to God, or the Universe, or to the Mother Goddess, depending upon individual interpretation and belief. The heart provides the lifeblood for both body and soul—so it should be easy to see how it has become the symbol for our Community Center.

Several years ago, the CAMP Rehoboth Project Advisory Committee had a workshop to develop ideas for the newly emerging Community Center Project. Out of that workshop came the vision statement "to be the heart of the community," which eventually led to the house and heart logo we have used to represent the Community Center. Out of that logo and vision grew the HEART of the Community art project.

I love to play with words, whether it be in poetry or the title of my paintings or the theme of Sundance, for that matter. The fact that "art" is a part of the word "heart," seems perfectly right to me—even though every once in a while one of my more radical lesbian friends joke (I think!) about it being he art—our creative nature is crucial to who we are as human beings. All of life is creative and therefore art cannot ever be separated from life—from the heart.

This collection of art, however, was created especially with heart in mind, and shows the many ways that each of us as individuals approach the work of heart at this point in our lives. A quick review of some of the painting titles listed below demonstrates that quite well—Two Hearts Beat as One, Anatomical Heart, The Heart of Winter, One Love I, Dreams We Take For Granted, Flower on the Hearts, Passage, and all the rest.

I am fortunate (all of us here at CAMP Rehoboth are) to have a friend in my HEART of the Community co-chair Sondra Arkin. Sondra has given many hours to both this project and to many other CAMP Rehoboth events. Her responsibilities included gathering all the paintings and having them photographed before being returned to the artists for framing (at their own expense, I might add). To get to the point, while I had seen some of the finished paintings, I had not seen the entire show all together until Sondra emailed me the images you see on these pages. As I scrolled through the images on my screen I was struck by how much I loved seeing them together. Suddenly they become, not just individual images, but a body of work. Suddenly there it was—HEARTwork—complete and whole. It was the same feeling I get when I complete a piece of art and finally sit back to examine the finished product.

On Saturday, May 29 from 4-6 p.m. a preview party will be held at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center for HEARTwork. Even though the paintings can be seen at The Black and White Beach Ball the following weekend, the preview party is a great way to see them in the space that we hope represents the work of the heart in our community.

Looking at the images of HEARTwork and reading the notes supplied by the participating artists, I can’t help but think about all the heart work that needs to take place in the world today. That includes the individual work of our own hearts and souls, as well as efforts to reach across the divides of country, creed, race, age, gender, and sexual orientation. This little show reminds me that we have the creative power to make a difference in the world around us—one heartbeat at a time—and that the true art of our lives involves far more than pigment, brush, and canvas.

"I have recurring dreams of swimming pools that I believe symbolize overlooking the luxuries (blessings) in my life. These dreams serve as a warning not to take things for granted and to live life positively and mindfully. In creating HeARTwork in support of the Community Center, I am casting a reminder out there that positive energy is grown and nurtured and should never be taken for granted."

HeART of the Community Co-Chair Sondra Arkin on her 2004 HeARTwork painting, Dreams We Take For Granted

Aina Nergaard-Nammack
Flower on the Hearts
acrylic