Check it out and let us know what you think, if you live close to the museum or visit!
The dance theatre work “Angels of Swedenborg” created by Ping Chong in 1985, will be the opening production of the 50th anniversary season at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre. It is a multi-media dance and theatre meditation of a man caught between material and spiritual aspirations, and is inspired by the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
It promises to be a “spectacular and physical production that combines dance, theatre, music, multi-media projections, eight angels, two spirits, Swedenborg himself and 600 pounds of feathers.”
For more information, check out this article from BroadwayWorld.com or visit La MaMa’s website.
The production runs from October 27-November 13, 2011 on Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and on Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets are $30/$25 students and seniors and can be purchased online at www.lamama.org or by calling the box office at 212-475-7710.
The Reverend Susannah Currie is the executive director of In Company with Angels, the nonprofit organization formed to take the angel windows in tour, as well as a contributor to the Foundation’s recent release, Tiffany’s Swedenborgian Angels. We sat down with her to get an insight into her experience.
LOGOS: What was it like to see the angels for the first time?
SC: When the crates were first opened in 2001, I was immediately impressed by the intricacy and complexity of the glasswork. When we shined light through them for the first time, to take pictures and make cards as an initial fundraiser, we were all struck by the depth of the colors, textures, and beauty of each window.
LOGOS: What was the condition of the angels after so long in storage? In general, what was involved in the restoration process?
SC: We all were in amazement that they had all remained intact given their forty years in storage, transport from Ohio in a trailer, and the moving done between various locations on the Temenos property once in the hands of the youth group! To begin restoration, we were graced with donations from various individual donors, the Philadelphia Ladies Aid Society, and one significant donation from Ms. Helene Tripier, who asked to remain anonymous until her death in 2011. Art Femenella and Kathy Jordan supervised the restoration work, which required dismantling and cleaning up to seven layers of glass in some places.
LOGOS: Do you have a favorite angel?
SC: Pergamos has always been my favorite angel, I think initially because I love the three-dimensional white stone that juts out from the window. As I have further studied the meanings of the letters to the angels of the churches I resonate with the call to the church of Pergamos to “do the good that they know.” It is my hope that the work of In Company with Angels is a project that fulfills that call with its mission.
LOGOS: Do you have any “wow” moments from this journey that you would like to share?
SC: Seeing the seven angels in the arrangement displayed at the [current exhibition in the] Taft Museum of Art, I felt that they were in a position very like that of the original church installation. More than at other viewings, in that moment, I felt that their beauty and power focused on the point of entry into the room, where they met each of us as we entered as both a greeting and a challenge. It was overwhelming, and I needed to sit down as my knees buckled at the sight.
LOGOS: In what ways have the angels inspired people? Are there any special stories that you know from people who have seen the angels during their travels?
SC: This is the most gratifying part of watching the In Company with Angels exhibition travel and touch people. More than one photographer has contacted us to capture their images; composers have felt music flow into them, inspired by the angels; meditation groups are forming using the images and music as a focus; craftspeople are creating merchandise to share the images with the world. The most touching comment that I remember was the written reflection from a grandmother who visited the exhibit with her granddaughter and shared that it helped them to begin to talk about heaven! Now that’s the kind of response that warms a minister’s heart!
LOGOS: How does the Foundation’s new book Tiffany’s Swedenborgian Angels tie in with the traveling exhibition?
SC: The beautiful book Tiffany’s Swedenborgian Angels gives history, context, and spiritual interpretation for those interested in the deeper story. In Company with Angels is delighted to have it travel with the exhibit and provide readers with the Swedenborgian significance that inspired their creation.
LOGOS: How was the idea for the book formed?
SC: Reverend Carla Friedrich has been using canvases of the angel images in the San Diego Church for quite a while and had been talking for a while about wanting to write about the Swedenborgian significance of the angels. When Joanna Hill joined the Swedenborg Foundation staff, and expressed a similar interest, I had the honor of introducing them to each other over lunch and they began the project’s brainstorming. I later found out that after I left, that first lunch lasted hours!
LOGOS: Where will the angels end up? Is there a plan yet for a permanent installation?
SC: The Swedenborgian Church at Temenos, which owns the windows, has no current plans beyond the traveling exhibit. In Company with Angels will continue to lease the windows for touring for the forseeable future.
Recently Joanna Hill, executive editor of the Swedenborg Foundation, and Alexia Cole, publications assistant (and your humble blog author), attended the 187th session of the General Convention of the New Jerusalem (The Swedenborgian Church) from June 29th through July 3rd 2011 at the University of Cincinnati. This year, the theme of the convention was “Behold! I make all things new!” which was certainly appropriate considering the highlight of the weekend: the exhibition of a set of seven newly-restored stained glass angel windows created for a Swedenborgian church by Tiffany Studios. The windows were originally installed in a Cincinnati church that was razed for the construction of a highway in 1964. After spending years in various basements and garages, the windows were rediscovered and restored through the non-profit organization In Company with Angels. The windows returned home to Cincinnati through the Taft Museum of Art’s exhibit In Company with Angels: Seven Rediscovered Tiffany Windows.
Throughout Convention, the angels were the stars: Joanna and I attended a mini-course Thursday afternoon to learn about the discovery and restoration of the windows, and then that evening watched a clip from a documentary film chronicling their journey.
On Friday we attended the exhibit at the Taft Museum of Art. The seven windows were displayed in their original order, and backlit in a darkened room to display their jewel-toned brilliance. Other parts of the exhibit featured cases of glass working tools and the original wooden furniture from the church, carved by Cincinnati artist Henry L. Fry.
Sign for the Angels' Exhibit
While at Convention, Joanna and I sold a variety of the Foundation’s new and classic titles. Our biggest seller was the Foundation’s brand new book Tiffany’s Swedenborgian Angels: Stained Glass Windows Representing the Seven Churches from the Book of Revelation. Though not officially available until October, we had a small number of books shipped in advance so that we would have some to sell at Convention to tie in with all of the other angel happenings. We also had some of the advance copies sent to the Taft Museum for them to sell in their gift shop. All of the books at our booth sold by the end of Friday night, people were so excited to read more about the angels after seeing them in person!
Swedenborg Foundation booth set up and ready to sell!
It was so interesting to see the angels up close after only seeing them on print or on the computer screen. On paper I had my favorites, but when I saw them for real, it completely changed which ones I felt drawn to: I loved the direct look of Thyatira in the book, but in person Pergamos, with his three-dimensional white stone took my breath away. The variety of different glass techniques was astounding and something that could only be fully realized in person. The drapery of the angels’ robes flowed like real fabric, the intricacy of the chunk glass cut to look like gems and the tiny ripples in their ruby wings made me appreciate the love and attention with which they were cleaned and restored.
All Seven Angels
Since their restoration, the angels have traveled from Pennsylvania to Delaware, Louisiana, and Florida. After their stay in Ohio, they will be featured in Alabama, Nevada and New York. With no definite plans yet for a permanent home, the angels will continue to travel across the country, telling their remarkable story and inspiring viewers with their exquisite beauty.
For Immediate Release
New Book about Tiffany Art and Emanuel Swedenborg Released for Exhibition of Seven Angel Stained Glass Windows at the Taft Museum of Art
“I am very impressed by the amount of research that [the book] synthesizes and presents in such digestible form. It’s a beautiful piece of writing that spans scholarship, meditation, and spiritual guidance.”
—Lynne Ambrosini, Ph.D., Chief Curator, Taft Museum of Art
WEST CHESTER, PA, June 17, 2011— Tiffany’s Swedenborgian Angels: Stained Glass Windows Representing the Seven Churches from the Book of Revelation(Swedenborg Foundation Press, $19.95, 104 pages, paperback, ISBN 978-087785-339-8) is a new book about seven stained glass windows created by Louis Comfort Tiffany for a Swedenborgian church in Cincinnati over a hundred years ago. Although the church was destroyed in 1964, the windows were saved and are now part of a traveling exhibit called “In Company with Angels: Seven Rediscovered Tiffany Windows” at the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati. The exhibit will be open from June 11 to September 11, 2011.
Advance copies of the book will be seen for the first time at an evening reception featuring a presentation of the short film, Restoring the Angels, and clips from the documentaryFollowing the Angels by independent documentary filmmaker, Amanda Lin Costa. These films feature the process of bringing life back to the windows that were in storage for over forty years. Directions and registration for the event can be found at www.incompanywithangels.org.
The reception will be held at The Cinema at Tangeman Center, University of Cincinnati, 2766 UC Main Street, Cincinnati, from 8:30 to 10 p.m., on Thursday, June 30, 2011. The reception is sponsored by the nonprofit organization, In Company with Angels, whose the mission is to share with the greatest number of people Tiffany’s windows of “Angels Representing Seven Churches” and to provide education about their historical and artistic significance. These events are being held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Swedenborgian Church in Cincinnati from June 29 to July 3, 2011.
Tiffany’s Swedenborgian Angels explains that each angel has a lesson to convey to those who understand the symbolism of the text and the imagery contained within the beautiful Tiffany stained glass. Their value is further enhanced by explanations of historical importance, biblical background, and inner spiritual meaning as described by Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772).
The book includes 85 color photographs in an oversized paperback with French flaps. It is a perfect gift book and souvenir of the exhibit, and a wonderful reminder of the rich history of Cincinnati.
Tiffany’s Swedenborgian Angels: Stained Glass Windows Representing the Seven Churches from the book of Revelation
Mary Lou Bertucci and Joanna Hill
978-0-87785-339-8, 104 pp, $19.95 pb; Publication date: October 1, 2011
Distribution: Swedenborg Foundation c/o Chicago Distribution Center
Tel. 800.621.2736 USA and Canada; 773.702.7000 International
www.swedenborg.com