Working
I spent nearly twenty years of my life immersed in art and art history. My youngest child was a teenager and in high school when I signed up to be a docent at the Phoenix Art Museum. I loved it from the very beginning. I have always loved art history, because among other things it encompasses so much of history itself. It pictures history for us....it teaches us about our past.
Besides a great deal of study and practice speaking about art and how to look at it for greater appreciation, I attended lectures by professors, curators and historians several hours weekly. I loved it. At about the same time my mother was sinking deeper and deeper into the morass of Alzheimer's Disease. I found a welcome relief in art.
After a few years, a dear friend asked me to prepare a slide talk about the art that portrays Jesus Christ for her Young Women class. I did. I was fascinated with the subject, and I loved the art. After a few months, someone who had attended asked if I could come to her ward. It was like popcorn in the microwave oven. At first there was one or two, then a few more and then it seemed like a lot more.
I gave variations of the talk all over the valley, at Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian and LDS churches, for Federal Express Employees (Diversity Day), for about 250 docents at the museum, and for groups in New Jersey, Texas, Utah and Denmark. I never tired of it. I often added new art, or took out others, and the talk itself evolved as I came to understand different aspects better or in a new way.
In the last couple of years, I have given it two or three times. I still love it. Most groups will arrange a special musical number so that the evening is all about Jesus Christ. I always love the music.
Dave called a couple of nights ago and said he had heard about it. I believe someone I love very much had something to do with him "hearing" about it. Dave said this coming zone meeting will be all about becoming like Christ. He wants me to give the presentation at all three zone conferences next week. I told him it generally takes an hour, and I know that is way too much. I told him that I thought I could give it in a half hour.
So today, among other things I have been looking at that power point presentation. I have about 150 images on it, and I generally use 65 to 70 slides, which is too many for an hour. I love those images!!!! I know I have to get the slide count down to 35 at the most. That is like parting with your children! - not really. But it is hard to cut some of those magnificent paintings out.
I think tomorrow I will have to buckle down and truly shave off everything that isn't completely necessary to the main points. I think I can do it. But how?
Besides a great deal of study and practice speaking about art and how to look at it for greater appreciation, I attended lectures by professors, curators and historians several hours weekly. I loved it. At about the same time my mother was sinking deeper and deeper into the morass of Alzheimer's Disease. I found a welcome relief in art.
After a few years, a dear friend asked me to prepare a slide talk about the art that portrays Jesus Christ for her Young Women class. I did. I was fascinated with the subject, and I loved the art. After a few months, someone who had attended asked if I could come to her ward. It was like popcorn in the microwave oven. At first there was one or two, then a few more and then it seemed like a lot more.
I gave variations of the talk all over the valley, at Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian and LDS churches, for Federal Express Employees (Diversity Day), for about 250 docents at the museum, and for groups in New Jersey, Texas, Utah and Denmark. I never tired of it. I often added new art, or took out others, and the talk itself evolved as I came to understand different aspects better or in a new way.
In the last couple of years, I have given it two or three times. I still love it. Most groups will arrange a special musical number so that the evening is all about Jesus Christ. I always love the music.
Dave called a couple of nights ago and said he had heard about it. I believe someone I love very much had something to do with him "hearing" about it. Dave said this coming zone meeting will be all about becoming like Christ. He wants me to give the presentation at all three zone conferences next week. I told him it generally takes an hour, and I know that is way too much. I told him that I thought I could give it in a half hour.
So today, among other things I have been looking at that power point presentation. I have about 150 images on it, and I generally use 65 to 70 slides, which is too many for an hour. I love those images!!!! I know I have to get the slide count down to 35 at the most. That is like parting with your children! - not really. But it is hard to cut some of those magnificent paintings out.
I think tomorrow I will have to buckle down and truly shave off everything that isn't completely necessary to the main points. I think I can do it. But how?
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