Becoming a Grant Recipient
On Feb 19, 2018 I learned that Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual Art selected me as their first grant recipient. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. I'm on fire to get more ambitious work on the table. Most of all, I'm thrilled to know that there are people out there who support the creation of artwork that consciously focuses on the divine. It seems that images reflecting the worst of humanity get more consideration than what beauty exists in the world. I don't think "raising awareness" of social issue requires more psychologically violent imagery. I prefer to offer a moment of transcendence in my art-a moment to realize what we really are: primarily and essentially beyond the physical.
The late Marianne Oberg wanted to create spiritual art. She chose it, too. For her, making art was a means of exploration and joy. She was a Level 2 Mensa member and therefore capable of rigorous study around the spiritual practices that drew her. As an example of her love of knowledge, understanding and spiritual growth she learned the Portuguese language to read texts about Spiritism without translation. Though I've never known Marianne personally, her husband reached out to share her story. Marianne's Foundation says "yes" to spiritual art.
The body of work this grant will make possible has begun to take shape. I will keep you updated as it evolves. Please share this opportunity with the artist you know who works to remind us of love and connection.
Here is the announcement on the MOFSA.org website.
MOFSA Awards 2018 Spiritual Art Grant
February 19, 2018 by mofadmin
MOFSA is pleased to announce that the recipient of our first Spiritual Art Grant in the amount of $10,000 is Jennifer McCormick of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A graduate of John Hopkins University Medical School in the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine, she pursued a career as a medical illustrator, including creating medically accurate illustrations showing what has happened to a person involved in an accident. In 17 years of reading peoples’ medical records she gathered more than patient data – she repeatedly felt their shock at sudden injury and felt their frustration through the words in the progress notes. She began to notice that how a person thinks about their health either energizes or degrades them. Such contemplation lead her to books about the afterlife, consciousness and healing, concluding that there is more to the healing process than medical technology. In her own words:
I now believe that the best parts of all religion are the efforts we make to strengthen our oneness with each other and with THE divine energy. The light inside each being inspires me to make art, not only for my own curiosity but in the hope that the image will raise an audience’s awareness. This is why I have chosen to rework the x-rays, which literally show us inside the body, but I say, “look beyond the bones at what is inside”. Use your spirit to understand. It’s where my medical illustration ends and my spiritual examination begins.
As a fine artist Jennifer works in mixed media, including paper, chalk, gouache and colored pencil. Her X-Ray Visions series incorporate x-rays into artwork, designed to refocus attention on the patient narrative, not their diagnosis. These pieces strive to inspire hope, acceptance, and healing.
Her spiritual journey starts from the medical perspective of the physical body and reaches beyond towards the spiritual. Her work and journey are a wonderful fit to the theme of our inaugural exhibit, “Towards the Spiritual”. We are very excited to be awarding our grant to Jennifer McCormick. The grant will help her to continue her innovative work, including a new piece to be unveiled at the exhibit.
