…..That’s how several people have described the displays in the Studio Theatre Lobby, which is chock-full of Elijah Pierce art, information, and inspiration!
We are proud to be displaying a variety of artwork related to our world premiere production of Pierce to the Soul, by Chiquita Mullins Lee. The displays are really something to see, and we hope everyone will take some time to check them out.
At the end of the first preview 11@11 matinee of Pierce to the Soul, the audience streamed out of the theatre, excitedly talking:
–About 25% headed over to look at the display of original Elijah Pierce art and the original Elijah Pierce “preaching stick,” along with Dramaturge Bill Childs’ displays
–about 25% headed directly over to gaze at art pieces inspired by Elijah Pierce that were created by 8th graders from the Monroe Traditional Alternative School
–about 25% gathered in the center of the lobby, talking about Pierce, the play, and recollections of personal encounters with Pierce.
–The remaining 25% made a bee-line for the bathrooms. I guess you gotta go when you gotta go!
The remarkable thing is that the audience largely stuck around the lobby. Whether they were looking at the real Pierce art pieces, the informational displays, the student artwork, or simply chatting, most of them wanted to stay and continue the experience that began in the theatre.
This is a major win for theatre!
At CATCO, we often talk about theatre being an experience that should begin before the performance, peak during the show itself, and continue long after the applause dies down, and Pierce to the Soul is a great example of this!
We are extremely appreciative of the people and institutions that have helped us enrich the theatre experience with the displays in the lobby. Here is some background information on what you can experience in the lobby during the run of Pierce to the Soul:
The Columbus Museum of Art has generously prepared and loaned us an exhibit of original Elijah Pierce art and “ephemera.” This display, curated by Michael Hall, includes two pieces of Pierce’s work from the museum’s study collection, along with background items such as flyers advertising Pierce’s preaching tours of the south, photographs, and such. The museum has also loaned us the secured display case to house such treasures.
Also in the display case is Elijah Pierce’s original “preaching stick:”
A portion of Elijah Pierce's "Preaching Stick" on loan from Ralph Van Gundy
The stick is owned by Ralph Van Gundy of Dayton, whose mother, Sarajane Van Gundy, was a friend of Elijah Pierce. Pierce gave her the unpainted stick, which is covered with intricate carvings, many of which are autobiographical and have a story that ties to Pierce’s life. Ralph said his mother drove from Lancaster, where she lived, to visit Pierce in his barbershop for many years. “She found him to be very inspirational and spoke about him such admiration,” he said, and likened Pierce to a modern-day prophet. “My mom passed along some fascinating stories. She would say Elijah would not sell a piece to a person he didn’t like. … You had to have deep-rooted significance to be a recipient of a piece.”
Ralph Van Gundy read about CATCO’s upcoming production and called us to see if he could share the masterpiece with our patrons. He told me that he wanted to share it with people, instead of keeping it to himself in his home. In my discussions with him, it became clear that Pierce has made a very deep impression on both him and his mother, and that this was more than just an art-piece to him. All of his words conveyed a deep connection with the piece and with Pierce, and a deep desire to share this with others. We are grateful to Ralph for sharing this work and his story with us!
Another wonderful display is the Elijah Pierce-inspired artwork created by 8th grade student at Monroe Traditional Alternative Middle School (Columbus Public Schools), that adorns the west and south walls of the lobby. This winter I was contacted by Monnette Gleason of the Monroe School whose students were doing a project on Pierce’s neighborhood. The project included many disciplines: the media classes were creating a DVD of the history of the area, the music classes were studying the rich spectrum of music that flourished in the neighborhood, the english classes had writing assignments that culminated in written pieces to support the displays being created by the students, and the arts students were studying Aminah Robinson, Elijah Pierce, and Kojo Kamau (whose amazing portrait of Pierce is the art featured on our posters and ads!).
We connected with Megan Evans, the Monroe art teacher, and invited her students to attend a workshop on our play, held at the King Arts Complex. Alan Bomar Jones, the actor portraying Pierce in the CATCO production then visited the students at the school and brought back stories of how wonderful their art is, and we arranged to display the student art in our lobby. Each student created a portrait, in a style inspired by Elijah Pierce, of a jazz musician who has performed, or is performing in the neighborhood . They created their portraits in paper mache built on plywood and then painted them.
The art is truly remarkable!
Gracen Guice and her Pierce-inspired art
Zaria Ware with her Pierce-inspired art
Leon Delorch and his Pierce-inspired art
Tyrell Harris and his Pierce-inspired art
We thank Megan, Monnette, and the students at Monroe for sharing their creativity with us! After the CATCO production, the artwork will be on display at the King Arts Complex.
Other visual treats include a running slideshow of Pierce’s work, with images from the Columbus Museum of Art and a display about Pierce and the process of creating this play. The latter was created by Dramaturge Bill Childs and includes a marked-up page from a draft of the script showing notes from playwright Chiquita Mullins Lee and costume and set design renderings. Click here to read Bill’s Playnotes and more.
We invite you to take a few moments and enjoy the displays in the lobby. We have enjoyed putting them together, and the creativity is an inspiration for us all!
–T.J. Gerckens, Managing Director
