Faith in the Dominican Republic &
Amate: Love! by Elma Eidse-Neufeld

Faith in the Dominican Republic

more than sun and sand

The Dominican Republic (DR) is simply a winter holiday destination in the minds of most Canadians. It was a life changing destination for Winnipegger James Friesen. His passion for the country is wrapped up in families, pastors, artists, orphans from neighbouring Haiti -- faith, generosity, gifts and spirit in a hard land.

This exhibition is rather unusual for a gallery. The passion of its instigator, Friesen, and his desire to help and be helped by people he has come to know and love in the DR came first, followed by the art. Friesen, not an artist or curator, has made his primary connection in the DR through a pastor and business owner who works with artists. Friesen’s passion – his mission, his connections with pastor Calip Joel Phyls, Haitian orphans in the care of pastor Joel and the group of artists represented in this exhibition are all integral parts of the whole. Friesen has brought together an exhibition that is about art and so much more. It is bound in faith and a great desire to do what God wants him to do.

curatorial statement

When I first traveled to the Dominican Republic (DR) I went to “skip” Christmas at home in Winnipeg. Life was a bit of a mess and in the midst of some big personal losses the trip was meant to be a time of stepping out of my situation in Winnipeg. The church that I attend has been helping a small church in the DR over the years and it seemed like a good place to go and experience the connection between our church and this little church in a third world country. Little did I know how much of an effect the trip would have on my life. Being a third world country, you can imagine the lack of many things we consider so essential for our lives here. No clean tap water, dirty, noisy streets, poor infrastructure, no medicare, poor educational system and very low paying jobs, to name a few. Yet, how rich they are in faith.

I know that God is everywhere but for me, He really is in the DR. I met and became friends with two pastors. One of them is Joel, a Haitian pastor living in Sosua, a small but busy town on the north coast. Joel moved from Haiti to the DR years earlier for many reasons -- including political strife and hardship in Haiti. He feels he is called by God to be a pastor and to offer a spiritual home to other Haitians in the DR.

Haitians are typically not treated with respect in the DR and are mistreated in many ways other ways, as well. Therefore, life is even harder for them than for most others in the country. Joel owns a store in Sosua from which he uses the funds to support his family, the church, and more than ten Haitian orphans. Paintings are among the items for sale in the store.

I was able to meet four of the artists from whom Joel buys. This exhibition is made up of their artworks. They all believe in God and Christ as His Son but are at different places on their spiritual journeys. What has influenced me most is the depth of their faith and how they feel about God even while having so little. They have an amazing connection, I feel, to what faith and real life spirituality are about. These artists, among the other people that I met at Joel’s church, have experienced and continue to experience real hardships yet have also been open enough to see real miracles. How many of us can say that? How many of us have complained about the lineup at Tim Horton’s or the fact that our second car is in the shop again? I hope this exhibition will help you see something of what God has done in the artists’ lives and encourage you to pray for what God will do for them. I hope you see through the paintings the gift that they feel God has given them and that the photos help to bring the exhibition’s message home to you. I hope the stories I have received from them help you to see God at work in the Dominican Republic.

James Friesen

Faith in the Dominican Republic artists: Thomas, Jean Mario Ceus, Wilfred Pierre, Joel Rodriguez curatorial partner in the DR: Calip Joel Phyls

Amate: Love! by Elma Eidse-Neufeld

Amate: Love! is an exhibit of handcast paper sculptures tracing the appearance of human symbols since the dawn of time. Thirty-two pieces form the narrative. A “thread of red” runs through the work, contemplating the love of God in creation and redemption, and suggesting how God enters our world of signs and symbols to transform it through His Son, who is “the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3).

The show imparts a timeworn, hallowed feel. Accompanying commentary incorporates the visual arts with literature and history, interpreting the work through quotes from the ancients (Malachi, Augustine, Milton) and historical interaction. The viewer is drawn to the text through the texture of the sculpture; the reader is led to the artwork through the artistry of the writing. In this way, the art show focuses on the communicative word – visual, symbolic, literary – as well as on the Person of the Word. The devotional tone of Amate thus encourages personal approbation of the truths behind the language of emblem.

Papermaking is a lengthy process. For this work, Elma used natural fibers – mostly cotton with some linen and silk. She first shredded the fabric into stamp-sized pieces and then, in small amounts, fed them into a water-filled paper mill. After processing she removed the mash and added bonding. She then layered the wet pulp onto hand-carved forms. The water was reduced and the pieces dried, after which she pulled them from the forms and mounted them.

Go to www.chateauroc.com for more information on Amate: Love! and the work of Elma Eidse-Neufeld.