Month: January 2019

Reimagining guns

31 January 2019
arms, guns, weaponsart, artistsimagination, creativitypeace, conflict, warreligion, spiritualitysculpturevideo & audioviolence
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Partnering with Irian Fast-Sittler, a blacksmith, to transform a shotgun into a rosebush, Ron Grimes makes a case for reimagining weapons by using popular images to show that the current wave of gun violence is both a religious and imaginative crisis. For a shorter version, focused on the blacksmithing-artistic process, see “MaidenForge.”

Responses to “The backsides of white souls”

29 January 2019
essays, articlesethnicity, racism, multiculturalism

Below are responses, edited slightly for clarity, to “The Backsides of White Souls.” There’s nothing like a story told by the Keeper of the House of the Dead!–You cut through life’s rawness and seduce the reader into realizing there’s a moment in each paragraph where they can think to themselves, “I know what he’s talking…

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The backsides of white souls

26 January 2019
creative nonfictionessays, articlesethnicity, racism, multiculturalismjusticereligion, spiritualitystory & essayviolence
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The backsides of white souls Ronald L. Grimes Black History month starts on February 1, so I am re-posting this essay from its original publication in Canadian Notes and Queries (CNQ). A selection of films for Black History Month: National Film Board of Canada. For background on the writing of this essay see “Sleeping with…

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Questioning “MaidenForge”

25 January 2019
blacksmithingquestionssculpturevideo & audio

“MaidenForge” is now public. We presented both the sculpture and film in a nearby Mennonite Church. These are prompt, questions we might ask or that people might ask us. What is “Gun Shy?” If you described it to a friend, you’d call it a _________.What do you see? …if you stand back at a distance?…

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MaidenForge

24 January 2019
blacksmithingpeace, conflict, warvideo & audioviolence

An interpretation of Bryn’s soundtrack for “MaidenForge” by Cailleah Scott-Grimes: It’s worth comparing “MaidenForge” to “Thak Sword Forging,” both made in Floradale’s blacksmith shop. Then try an experiment. Don’t watch the video. Just listen to the two musical scores. Then put into words your feelings about each piece of music. An interpretation of Bryn’s soundtrack

Question-sets

22 January 2019
dialoguesinterviews

When I first published The Craft of Ritual Studies, my son, as a joke, counted the number of questions in the book. I was a curious kid who became an academic, so I’ve made a virtue out of what many consider a vice, asking way too many questions. Now that question-asking has become a “thing,” I…

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Questioning Artists

10 January 2019
art & imageart, artistsinterviews

I often interview artists about their stories, practices, and values. Here’s a question-set use. What’s your story as an artist? What drew you to your art? What are the big turns in the story?Who are your primary artistic relationships, influences, compatriots, or mentors?Where are you in your arts career (emerging, established, mid-career, etc.)? What is…

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