Song of Justice

2007

Bethea Welcome Center

Lake Junaluska, North Carolina

 

"Song of Justice" seeks to provide a welcoming presence to visitors to Lake Junaluska and Haywood Country from all over the world. The building is named for Bishop Joseph and Mrs. Shirley Bethea. Bishop Bethea was the first African American Bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. The Black cultural traditions in our churches emphasized musical arts more than visual arts. This work is a bridge between the two artistic expressions. It uses vintage organ pipes wrapped in a variety of ethnic fabrics, colors and patterns.

Pipes representing the four ethnic groups most present in Western North Carolina -- African American, American Indian, Latino, and Scotch-Irish settlers -- receive primary emphasis. Colors and patterns representing East Asian and Middle Eastern cultures also figure in the array, pointing even beyond these to other cultures.

Each pipe is a story in itself. Many people have generously given their treasured textiles as well as the organ pipes themselves to help bring this artistic manifestation to reality. Decommissioned organ pipes came from all over the region. The churches from which the pipes came are for the most part unknown. An organ enthusiast, an organ repairer, and others contributed their "orphan" pipes. Two pipes came from a past restoration of the organ in Duke Chapel. Except for cleaning and painting, the pipes are presented in the somewhat distressed condition in which they were received.

The pipes are dressed with kente cloth from Chana, batik from Zaire, African mud cloth, an antique weaving from Mexico, Guatamalan stoles, authentic Japanese cotton, silk from a Korean wedding dress and many other indigenously produced textiles. Among the handcrafted materials are a large piece of Cherokee beading and cross-stitching from the Palestinian West Bank presented against "Damascus silk." Scotch-Irish settlers are represented by the official North and South Carolina tartan, Ancient Boyd and other tartans as well as patchwork.

The rose on the sixteenth pipe from the left is in honor of Jill Rosenau Hicks, wife of Bobby Ray Hicks, whose generous gift made this and other works of art in the Welcome Center possible.

In dedicating this piece, I asked that this work and this place bless all with the orange of compassion, the blue of empathy, the green of peace, the gold and red of joy, and the white, yellow and black of inspiration.

Sylvia and Building Committe member Helen King at the dedication

 

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