Who is Michael C. Fortune, and why bring him up?
Well, I want to quote him; but in order for you to believe what he says, I must establish his credentials as being a trustworthy, knowledgeable and credible authority in the area of his expertise.
Google his name, and several of the top entries pertain to the man. He is an acclaimed “designer/maker, teacher and mentor…one of Canada’s most respected and creative contemporary furniture masters. “
“…his work has brought him an international clientele and reputation. He is acknowledged for both his technical and design expertise, giving lectures and workshops across Canada and the United States. His work has appeared in numerous exhibitions worldwide. In 1993 Fortune received the prestigious Prix Saidye Bronfman, Canada’s highest award in the crafts…He has taught at many schools and craft centers including; Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, the Rochester Institute of Technology NY, Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts, Anderson Arts Center, Colorado, Savannah College of Art and Design and the Marc Adams School in Indiana where the fellowship program for advanced students has been named in his honor…”
Advanced Student
This is where I am leading you. It is precisely about one such former student of his to whom Fortune refers in a glowing letter of recommendation, a portion of which I will quote. (In my previous post, I mentioned that this “Advanced Student” is starting his own business in order to accommodate the growing need for beautiful church furnishings in the classical style.)
Here is what Michael Fortune has to say about this young entrepreneur, “I had the delightful opportunity to have [Name] participate in my studio as an intern for a month in the Spring of 2006. [Name] had previously taken several classes with me at the Marc Adams School of of Woodworking in Indiana. I extend this invitation only to those individuals who show exceptional promise as designer/craftspeople…..I am honored to consider [Name] a friend and colleague.”
That recommendation was from 6 years ago. Today [Name] is a certified Master craftsman with 10 years of experience in all phases of the making and installation of liturgical furnishings.
Yes! Forward With Tradition!
The winner will receive a wooden keepsake box similiar to this one.
Careful planning and paper work has already been done. The next phase is a company name. (Publicity through Trad-friendly venues and a business website will follow.) Anyone reading this blog is welcomed, and encouraged to submit ideas for the business name. The winner will be rewarded with a very nice keepsake box, plus the satisfaction of seeing your winning suggestion appear in trad-friendly publications.
Just send in your suggestions into the com box. The winner will be announced in no more than a week or two, so hurry. “Advanced Student” and company are anxious to proceed!
Thank you for your comments, Jeanine.
So far, no pixes have been made by the woodworker who produced the item. I think pixes have to be made of precious metal, but don’t quote me. The box was one of several made for a class in wood-turning; you got the tiniest one, for your tiniest treasures!
The liturgical furniture venture is proceeding at a good pace. I will refer readers to the business web page when it is up and running.
You say “that church art/architecture/furnishings are key catechetichal teaching instruments as well as aesthetic objects”, and I agree wholeheartedly! So many of our older churches were gutted, and many new ones constructed so as to make them, not houses of God, but rather, houses of men. As Michael Rose wrote in his book, Ugly as Sin, “Church architecture affects the way man worships; the way he worships affects what he believes, and what he believes affects not only his personal relationship with God but how he conducts himself in his daily life.” The restoration of our churches will be central to a restoration of the Faith.
A simple and not terribly expensive start would be to install kneelers in all of our churches!
Somewhere on the internet, I ran across a page that compared the typical N.O. church with Masonic halls. Would you believe it? The similarities are striking! (And then there are some churches that look even worse – like garages or gymnasiums.)
God bless you and yours, Jeanine. Please keep us in your prayers. Let’s keep in touch.
In their Sacred Hearts,
IHM
I just received my gift yesterday. It is beautiful. My daughter noted that it is pix size and I wondered if you make pixes (my spelling if probably off there) for your local priests? I told her that I thought a pix might require a special liner but that I did not know.
Thank you for your kindness and may God bless all of you work. Please do let us know when your website is up and running with its new name.
In response to your question about my “Building the Church” suggestion: I liked the double meaning of the name. Onthe one hand, wood workers are constructing things, so it speaks to the physical works being created; on the other hand, it speaks to the missionary activity of thechurch and I am convinced that church art/architecture/furnishings are key catechetichal teaching instruments as well as aesthetic objects (or unfortunately, when lacking aesthetic appeal-purely functional objects that can distract from catechetical opportunities).
So many modern churches look like airplane hangars to me-the stations of the cross cannot be recognized without lablels under them explaining what the artist intended to depict.
I look forwardt to the days when we build and furnish churches as offerings to God with art that celebrates Our lord and instructs those who view it about our faith. This catechesis will help us to build the church.
This does fit with St. Francis and we are certainly in a time when we all must try to help with the rebuilding process.
May God bless us all!
Jeanine
Jeanine,
Thank you for entering the “name it” contest. A name has been selected. The bad news is that yours was not the winning entry. The good news is that you will be receiving a nice little item made by the master craftsman. I will be contacting you privately in a few days.
God bless!
Ktlm
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We have some real clowns around here. 🙂 One suggestion has been, “Woody Woodworker”.
“Building” on Jeanine’s suggestion, I thought of “Building Faith with Wood-works”
Corny????
Well, yes, like when St. Francis was asked to rebuild the Church?
I vote for
Building the Church
I’m not very original, but how about “Domus Dei Restorations”