We’ve been raised not to talk about religion. Not to ask questions about others’ faiths or beliefs or cultures. Instead of being polite, it’s led to fear and intolerance and misunderstanding.
The project, which is ever evolving as more voices are added, is in two parts: portraits of people of faith, and prayer flags to carry messages around the world.
The portraits put a human face on religions or culture we might not understand or know about. The portraits show the divine spark in each person. Subjects will include theists and non-theists, people in traditional organized faith traditions and those whose practices and idea are unorthodox, private citizens and public figures.
The prayer flags will contain personal messages from anyone I can entice! I take them with me when I travel. I almost always have some with me.
Prayer flags traditionally carry messages of peace, hope, unity and good will. It is believed that the messages are carried on the wind to reach out to all people of the world. What do you wish for the world? Email me and I'll send you a prayer flag to inscribe. Flags will be part of the exhibit and can be installed in anywhere. If you are interested in hosting an installation of the flags at your office, congregations, community center, please contact me. Read more about the Prayer Flags here.
The project I am beginning is based on three fundamental principles:
1. There is more than one path to God.
2. People of faith are PEOPLE first.
3. All people are people of faith.
The series is intended to capture to breadth of understanding among people. The work will be presented as a public exhibition, on on-line exhibition and discussion, and a published book.
This specific series continues the work that was begun with non-traditional portraits of Jewish women and published nationally in the 2008-09 Women of Reform Judaism Art Calendar.
Comments from this website and the Facebook page may be incorporated into the final exhibition. The website and the exhibition will encourage visitors to add their experiences and images to the whole.
Overall, this is a project to promote tolerance and understanding. DTFG is a long-term project. It will take quite a village to accomplish it. I am very grateful for your help to make it a reality.
