Art Auction

The following art pieces were auctioned during an online fundraiser event during the annual meeting. All proceeds went to the Tending Transformation campaign.

Allison Troyer

Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship

I began this project with the hope of finding inspiration in nature, seeking evidence of transformation tended by local creatures. Plenty of transformations take place unattended, so my observations were guided by wondering how transformations are different when nurtured—within the safety, support, and care of community. I learned, from the parables of these animals, that different transformations require different kinds of tending. In response to the teachings of Snake, Bee, Squirrel, and Beaver, I wove an ecosystem of four habitats, each revealing what may be made new through the hope-filled act of tending transformation.

Snake tends the transformation of herself. To cast off her old skin which has become confining as she grows, Snake must rub against something hard to begin splitting her protective outer layer. Her eyes become opaque with scales and she is made soft in this restorative process. Tending transformation is an act of vulnerability, a cycle of expanding.

Bee tends the transformation of her community. She pollinates as she sips nectar, giving and receiving gifts with the plants around her. Knowing her own gifts and recognizing the gifts of others allows Bee’s whole neighborhood to flourish. Tending transformation is an act of gratitude, a cycle of reciprocity.

Squirrel tends the transformation of her community. She buries walnuts, acorns, and hickory nuts in excess. When the time comes, Squirrel unearths what she needs while the rest remains—an offering to the earth and a meal for her neighbors. Tending transformation is an act of trust, a cycle of abundance.

Beaver tends the transformation of her environment. She holds the past, present, and future together in one space. Beaver fells particular trees to build a safe, warm lodge, making way for new growth and shaping her entire ecosystem. Tending transformation is an act of imagination, a cycle of re-creation.

Kathy Stiffney

Southside Fellowship

Artist Statement

a student
observing
integrating the inner journey
anticipating new experience
keeping a beginner’s mind
staying gentle & focused
finding the still point
I will “paint ’til it sings”

Kathy lives with her husband in Goshen, IN and enjoys life With two children, three grandchildren and spouses. This art piece reflects the integration of the various threads of life we experience with joy or sadness in our world, our church, our families, ourselves, integrating what is good, weaving in what is torn and tangled, letting each thread inform what is needed to create health and wholeness.

Susie Huser

Susie Huser lives and works in Nelsonville, Ohio. You can see more of her work on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/birdsandbuckwheat

How much do we control and how much wilderness do we let in when we tend transformation? In my own life, tending transformation has required welcoming wilderness, and I believe we cultivate resilience when we try to honor or at least be aware of any given thing’s inextricable situation within a vast ecosystem. I work at a non-profit that has community gardens, and am constantly amazed by the magical transformation of sun and soil into food. We tend that transformation, but can’t take credit for much of the magic that happens, and also have limited control over the whole system. The garden in my painting integrates intentionally cultivated plants and the wild creatures that make gardening — tending transformation — possible, in part due to their own practice of transformation.

Rylee Weishaupt

Silverwood Mennonite Church

Rylee lives in Goshen, Indiana. She graduated from high school this June.

The first thing that came to my mind when I heard the theme Tending Transformation was change. It is inevitable and often times, if we allow it to, leads to transformation. However, it can be painful and leave us with a feeling of loss over what was. We can get so caught in this loss of what was that we don’t take the time to see what is and what is becoming. It is hard. It is so hard to see the new when we thought the old was good enough. That is why the “tending” part of this theme stood out to me so much. I wanted to focus on that in this painting and show how it can be difficult to let go of what was comfortable to us. But I also wanted to show how God has so much more planned. He has beautiful colors, new experiences, and a perfect plan for all of us. We just have to take the first step of tending the brokenness. Of stepping away from what was into what is becoming. Of shedding our skin to become something more beautiful that we could have ever imagined.

Joanne Murray

Oak Grove Mennonite Church

Joanne lives is Smithville, Ohio where she attends Oak Grove Mennonite Church. The title of her painting is

Doug’s Mug
“Sipping it slowly”
“Taking it all in”

The Holy Spirit will guide us to stay on course as we look to the future. The path may be long and narrow at times. Even so, as we follow the path of Jesus, sipping slowly, we will come closer to His vision of the plan for us to follow, as we get up out of our seats and begin to walk the path of Tending Transformation.

"Doug's Mug" painting by Joanne Murray — Doug’s Mug

Samir Knego

Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship

Samir’s art is new to our collection this year. His “Creation” and “Reflection” are paper weavings that explore the ways that we are transformed by our own actions. They attempt to capture a sense of movement, joy, and the experience of engaging with things that are not completely visible to us.