exhibition media kit - American Visionary Art Museum

4 OCT 2014–30 AUG 2015
EXHIBITION MEDIA KIT
AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM
All images & content © 2014 American Visionary Art Museum & its respective artists, curators, authors, lenders & photographers. Published here for educational purposes.
AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM 800 Key Highway Baltimore, Maryland 21230 USA avam.org 410.244.1900
Poet Emily Dickinson put it, “The brain is wider than the sky.”
Composer and musician Jimi Hendrix moaned, “Excuse me while I kiss the sky.”
Born illegitimate and banned from school, genius inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci cautioned,
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
W
elcome to our American Visionary Art Museum’s 20th original megaexhibition, THE VISIONARY EXPERIENCE: Saint Francis to
Finster — your personal invitation to soar the uncharted skies of
boundless inspiration.
Many of today’s greatest scientific and philosophical debates focus on the same question:
“Is consciousness local or nonlocal? Does it have its own independent existence beyond
what we sentient beings, equipped with bodies and brains think, or think we think?”
Pop star Michael Jackson reportedly would stay up late into the night, wholly exhausted
from his effort to remain sufficiently alert to write down the rush of new songs dictated
to him by what he perceived was God, explaining that if he did not listen attentively,
“God would just turn around and give those new songs to Prince.” Jackson was not alone
in this sentiment. Classical composer Puccini claimed God dictated to him every note of
the sublime opera, Madame Butterfly.
Many of history’s other most renowned creative innovators — artists, scientists, writers,
founders of new societies and religions — have reported this feeling that they were not
the true authors of their best works, but rather instruments that merely “received” some
fantastic new vision, understanding or revelation.
Our “Visionary Experience” exhibition champions the many creative pathways to the
source of fresh invention — humanity’s fortunate moments of “Aha!” and “Eureka!” —
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WELCOME CONT.
which are open to us all. Where do you find your own best inspiration? In the shower?
Alone in the woods? In lively conversation with others? In deep meditation, or in a
dream?
Our guest co-curator, Jodi Wille, is an extraordinary acclaimed filmmaker, book
publisher, beloved friend and a great lover of the mysteries. She has assembled an outof-this-world exhibition cast of artistic characters — saints and rogues — who have
tethered sky to earth, dream to reality, the math of the cosmos to the micro-world of the
daisy.
For inspired wisdom, it’s hard to top our show’s primary visionaries. Reverend Howard
Finster — whose centennial of birth we now celebrate — consoles, “Faith and worry can’t
live in the same heart — one has to go.” While Saint Francis wisely describes the hunt
for the very source of consciousness: “What we are looking for is what is looking.”
Here’s lookin’ at you, kid!
Thank you for being our Visionary Museum’s cherished guest & co-experiencer.
Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, Founder & Director
American Visionary Art Museum
HOWARD FINSTER Vision of Moddel Structures (#6000 - 617) 1987 Tractor enamel on board Collection of John Denton Photo by Dan Meyers
press release 1
800 KEY HWY
•
BALTIMORE, MD
•
21230
•
USA
•
410.244.1900
•
AVAM.ORG
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2014
THE VISIONARY EXPERIENCE: SAINT FRANCIS TO FINSTER
October 4, 2014 – August 30, 2015
BALTIMORE, MD—The American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM)’s 20th original
thematic exhibition hails the great dreamers and doers throughout history, exploring
the astonishing visions of Hildegard von Bingen and Leonardo da Vinci, to Nikola Tesla
and Philip K. Dick, as we pay tribute to the ecstatic “Aha!” and “Eureka!” moments
that propel discovery, leaps in consciousness, and cultural renewal. The Visionary
Experience: Saint Francis to Finster examines the human impulse to forge a path
out of darkness into illumination, as well as the duality and complexity of vision, from
radical clarity to unfettered delusion, and the legacy of visionary experiences throughout
time.
Guest curator, acclaimed filmmaker and book publisher Jodi Wille, and AVAM founder
and director Rebecca Alban Hoffberger have together assembled a diverse and wildly
transcendent collection of artists, scientists, philosophers, and spiritual pioneers who
have ventured straight to the source of inspiration itself.
In anticipation of his centennial birthday celebration, The Visionary Experience includes
a lifetime of visions in paint, and the process of the most acclaimed intuitive artist of the
20th century, Rev. Howard Finster. Other works include Paolo Soleri’s macrocosmic
architectural visions for an ecology-based urban future, exhibited for the first time on
the East Coast since his landmark 1970s exhibitions at The Corcoran Gallery and The
Whitney Museum; Robert Crumb’s reverential re-telling of the life-altering visionary
experience of sci-fi icon Philip K. Dick; never-before-exhibited cosmic drawings by Jimi
Hendrix; photographer Paul Koudounaris’ stunning, larger-than-life images of
ornately bejeweled skeletons of medieval Catholic saints; and the first major museum
display of the giant, multi-dimensional visualizations of author, psychic, and co-creator
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press release 1 (cont.)
of the U.S. government’s remote viewing program, Ingo Swann.
Visitors will also experience firsthand a free energy device designed by scientist John
Worrell Keely and built by artist Dale Pond, the interactive Dynasphere—a functional
sculpture that emits “love vibrations, powered only by the currents of the universe.”
The exhibit will also explore inventive new spiritual groups and their leaders, including
Uriel of Unarius Academy of Science, and Father Yod and The Source Family.
The Visionary Experience exists out of and above the influence of time or place,
socioeconomic background, age, race or gender. It is a path ancient and modern,
futuristic and primitive. Within this experience, discovery can be found down the road to
Damascus, inside the depths of the cave of Athena, via the power of music, intoxicants,
spiritual emergency, meditation or prayer. The touch of grace, the whisper of the muse
and the still small voice beckon, offering the traveler transportive visions: personal,
cultural, and cosmic.
###
MEDIA CONTACT: Nick Prevas, [email protected], 410.244.1900 ext. 241
American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy, Baltimore, MD 21230 • 410.244.1900 • avam.org
INGO SWANN Feminine Rising 1997 Oil on canvas Gift of the estate of Ingo Swann in memory of the artist
press release 2
800 KEY HWY
•
BALTIMORE, MD
•
21230
•
USA
•
410.244.1900
•
AVAM.ORG
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2014
ANNOUNCING ARTISTS FOR AVAM’S
THE VISIONARY EXPERIENCE: SAINT FRANCIS TO FINSTER
New exhibition includes the work of more than 40 visionaries
BALTIMORE, MD—The American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM)’s 20th original
exhibition, The Visionary Experience: Saint Francis to Finster, will feature the
illuminating creations of more than 40 visionaries and dreamers, including a major
display of America’s most prolific self-taught artist, Rev. Howard Finster, alongside:
works by environmental urban designer Paolo Soleri, exhibited for the first time on
the East Coast in over 40 years; the first major museum display of works by remote
viewer and psychic Ingo Swann, co-creator of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency’s
Stargate Project; the life-altering visionary experience of sci-fi icon Philip K. Dick as
drawn by underground cartoonist Robert Crumb; never-before-exhibited art from
legendary rock icon Jimi Hendrix; works by visionary groups including The Source
Family and secret brotherhoods; paintings by muralist, ArtCar artist and local radio
host Dr. Bob Hieronimus; sculptures from American polymath Walter Russell;
artwork from award-winning actor, musician and theorist, Terrence Howard—whose
sculptures dimensionally illustrate Walter Russell’s and his own physics theories; as well
as many more. Co-curated by acclaimed filmmaker and book publisher Jodi Wille (The
Source Family, 2012), and AVAM founder and director Rebecca Alban Hoffberger,
this yearlong exhibition champions life’s grand “Aha!” and “Eureka!” moments, held in
common by Earth’s most dynamic and intuitive “evolutionaries”—those visionary artists,
inventors, spiritual leaders and saints—each touched by some lightening bolt of greater
understanding, insight, grace and muse.
This thematic mega-exhibition will combine the inspired creations of: Chelo Amezcua
• Leroy Ramon Archuleta • Astral Eyes • Linville Barker • Deepak Chowdhury
• Robert Crumb • Maja D’Aoust • Tom Duncan • Minnie Evans • David Fetcho,
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press release 2 (CONT.)
Susan English Fetcho and Steven Pattie (film) • Elizabeth Fine & Hazen
Robert Walker (film) • Howard Finster • Geneva Webb Gibson • Steve Heller •
Jimi Hendrix • Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D. • Terrence Howard • Miss Velma
Jaggers/Universal World Church • John Worrell Keely, Dale Pond, Caroline
McManus & Dawn Stranges • Paul Koudounaris • Norbert Kox • Melvin
Edward Nelson • Jason Padgett • Walter Russell • O.L. Samuels • Christine
Sefolosha • Paolo Soleri • Ingo Swann • Judy Tallwing • J.S. Thom and J.H.
Agnew • Odinga Tyehimba • Archangel Uriel and the Unarius Academy of
Science • Unarius Students: Paula Rich-Greenwood, Kevin Kennedy, Billie
McIntyre, David Reynolds and Douglas Taylor • Stephan Yancoskie • Father
Yod and Members of The Source Family: Isis Aquarian, Omne Aquarian and
Sunflower Aquarian • and Claude Yoder.
The Visionary Experience exists out of and above the influence of time or place,
socioeconomic background, age, race or gender. It is a path ancient and modern,
futuristic and primitive. Within this experience, discovery can be found down the road to
Damascus, inside the depths of the cave of Athena, via the power of music, intoxicants,
spiritual emergency, meditation or prayer. The touch of grace, the whisper of the muse
and the still small voice beckon, offering the traveler transportive visions: personal,
cultural, and cosmic.
AVAM’s The Visionary Experience: Saint Francis to Finster opens to the public on
Saturday, October 4, 2014 and will run through Sunday, August 30, 2015. Exhibition
Preview Party: Thursday, October 2, 7–10pm. Fans will have a chance to mix and
mingle with exhibition artists in person, enjoy lite fare and drinks, and a special musical
performance by critically acclaimed independent artist, White Magic. Tickets: $20
General Public, Museum Members: free; on sale at Missiontix.com. Full event details
and information can be found at avam.org.
EXHIBITION DATES:
• Media Preview: Wednesday, October 1, 2014 • 10am (RSVP to [email protected])
• Exhibition Preview Party: Thursday, October 2, 2014 • 7–10pm • Tickets: $20
General Public, Museum Members: free; on sale at Missiontix.com.
• Exhibition Opens to the Public: Saturday, October 4, 2014 & runs through
Sunday, August 30, 2015.
###
MEDIA CONTACT: Nick Prevas, [email protected], 410.244.1900 ext. 241
American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy, Baltimore, MD 21230 • 410.244.1900 • avam.org
ARTISTS
• Chelo Amezcua
• Paul Koudounaris
• Leroy Ramon Archuleta
• Norbert Kox
• Astral Eyes
• Melvin Edward Nelson
• Linville Barker
• Jason Padgett
• Deepak Chowdhury
• Walter Russell
• Robert Crumb
• O.L. Samuels
• Maja D’Aoust
• Christine Sefolosha
• Tom Duncan
• Paolo Soleri
• Minnie Evans
• Ingo Swann
• David Fetcho, Susan English
• Judy Tallwing
Fetcho & Steven Pattie (film)
• Elizabeth Fine & Hazen Robert
Walker (film)
• Howard Finster
• Geneva Webb Gibson
• J.S. Thom & J.H. Agnew
• Odinga Tyehimba
• Archangel Uriel & the Unarius
Academy of Science
• Unarius Students: Paula Rich-
• Steve Heller
Greenwood, Kevin Kennedy, Billie
• Jimi Hendrix
McIntyre, David Reynolds &
• Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D.
Douglas Taylor
• Terrence Howard
• Stephan Yancoskie
• Miss Velma Jaggers/Universal
• Father Yod & Members of The
World Church
• John Worrell Keely, Dale Pond,
Caroline McManus & Dawn
Stranges
Source Family: Isis Aquarian,
Omne Aquarian & Sunflower
Aquarian
• Claude Yoder
GALLERIES
& KEY POINTS OF INTEREST
1ST FLOOR:
• Ramp: Exhibition Welcome, Historic Views of Baltimore and Visionary Experiences of
America’s Founding Fathers by Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D.
• Alcove: Saint Francis tribute, Animals by Claude Yoder and Leroy Ramon Archuleta.
• Hallway: Deepak Chowdhury’s A Sea of Spirituality: The Nagas.
STAIRWAYS:
• 1st to 2nd: Paintings by Ingo Swann and The Art of Remote Viewing.
• 2nd to 3rd: Ingo Swann’s Millennium triptych.
2ND FLOOR:
• Alcove: Walter Russell’s Four Freedoms.
• Main Gallery: Works by Howard Finster, Judy Tallwing, Christine Sefolosha, Walter
Russell’s busts of Edison, Twain and Roosevelt, and more.
• Theater: 2 films about Howard Finster: I Can Feel Another Planet In My Soul: The
Remarkable World of Howard Finster (2011) and Well Known Stranger: Howard
Finster’s Workout (1987).
• Adjacent Wall: Robert Crumb’s The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick.
• Hallway (Main): Tom Duncan’s Portrait of Tom with a Migraine Headache.
• Mystic Mavericks Gallery: an exploration of inventive spiritual groups: The Source
Family, Unarius Academy of Science, The Universal World Church, and more.
• Hallway (Key Hwy): Heavenly Bodies—Paul Koudinaris’ photographs of bejeweled
Catholic Saints, with works by Astral Eyes and Maja D’Aoust.
• Half Moon Gallery: Paolo Soleri’s original drawings of Arcosanti and bronze
windbells, more works by Walter Russell, Jason Padgett, sculptures by Terrence
Howard, Altea, a Musical Dynasphere by Dale Pond and Dawn Stranges, and more.
• Hallway (Covington St): works by Jimi Hendrix & Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D.
3RD FLOOR:
• Alcove: Self-Portrait by Odinga Tyehimba.
ABOUT THE CURATORS
JODI WILLE
Critically-acclaimed filmmaker, publisher, ardent documentarian of all things fringe,
Jodi Wille first met famed visionary artist Rev. Howard Finster in his Paradise Garden
back in 1988. Based in Los Angeles, Wille has been a devoted fan and frequent visitor of
the American Visionary Art Museum since 1998 when she first met Rebecca Hoffberger,
and edited and published the award-winning catalog, The End Is Near!, for AVAM’s
eponymous exhibition. Wille is known for her work exploring American subcultures
through collaborations with self-taught artists and new religious groups, and is cofounder of book publishing companies Dilettante Press and Process Media. She has
documented a number of visionary artists over the years, and her recent feature-length
documentary on the fabled ‘70s Los Angeles utopian commune The Source Family (2012)
sold-out several major film festivals and premiered theatrically in 60 cities.
REBECCA ALBAN HOFFBERGER
founded the American Visionary Art Museum in 1989, and has since served as director,
as well as curator for several of the museum’s most acclaimed exhibitions, including
All Faiths Beautiful, The Art of Storytelling: Lies, Enchantment, Humor & Truth, and
Human, Soul and Machine: The Coming Singularity!
CHRISTINE SEFOLOSHA La Dispute 2014 Ink, pigment, colored pencil on rice paper Collection of the artist Photo by Dan Meyers
INGO SWANN Millenium Triptych 1984 Oil on canvas Gift of the estate of Ingo Swann in memory of the artist Photo by Dan Meyers
SPONSORS
DIAMOND:
Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts
PLATINUM: Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
GOLD: Dr. & Mrs. Barton Cockey • Just Folk/Marcy Carsey & Susan Baerwald •
Max’s Taphouse
SILVER:
The Corfu Foundation Charitable Fund • Thomas & Linda McCabe •
Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence Pakula • Brenda & Phil Rever • Arnold & Alison Richman
BRONZE:
Mary Catherine Bunting • Charlesmead Foundation • Ann & Harvey
Clapp • Barbara & Louis Denrich • John Sondheim & Emily Greenberg • Maryellyn
Lynott • Robert E. Meyerhoff & Rheda Becker • The Alvin & Louise Myerberg Family
Foundation • Jan Weinberg
SUPPORTER:
Charles C. Baum Foundation • John & Berthe Ford • JoAnn &
Jack Fruchtman • Lois & Philip Macht Family Philanthropic Fund • Joan Develin Coley
& Lee Rice • William & Nancy Paternotte • Two Boots Pizza
PUBLIC SUPPORT:
AVAM would like to thank the following public
institutions for their generous annual operating support: Maryland State
Arts Council • Maryland State Department of Education • The Citizens of Baltimore
County & the Baltimore County Commission on Arts & Sciences • The Howard County
Government & the Howard County Arts Council
AVAM 101
AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM
THE AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM is America’s official national museum and education
center for self-taught, intuitive artistry (deemed so by a unanimous vote of the U.S. Congress). SINCE
ITS OPENING IN 1995, the museum has sought to promote the recognition of intuitive, self-reliant,
creative contribution as both an important historic and essential living piece of treasured human legacy.
The ONE-OF-A-KIND American Visionary Art Museum is located on a 1.1 ACRE WONDERLAND
CAMPUS at 800 Key Highway, Baltimore Inner Harbor. Three renovated historic industrial buildings
house wonders created by farmers, housewives, mechanics, retired folk, the disabled, the homeless, as
well as the occasional neurosurgeon – all INSPIRED BY THE FIRE WITHIN. From carved roots to
embroidered rags, tattoos to toothpicks, ‘the visionary’ transforms dreams, loss, hopes, and ideals into
POWERFUL WORKS OF ART.
WHAT IS A VISIONARY?
Visionaries perceive potential and creative relationships where most of us don’t. English writer Jonathan
Swift put it simply, “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” Such vision lies at the heart of all true
invention, whether that special vision manifests as an astonishing work of art like those created by the
intuitive artists featured at the American Visionary Art Museum or as a medical breakthrough, a melody
never before sung, some deeper understanding of the cosmos, or as a way in which life could be better,
more justly lived. Visionaries have always constituted human-kind’s greatest “evolutionaries.”
Without visionaries’ willingness to be called fools, to make mistakes, to be wrong, few new “right” things
would ever be birthed. Visionaries are brave scouts at the frontier of the unknown. They explore their
visions with a passionate single-mindedness. Albert Einstein rightly observed, “Imagination is more
important than knowledge.”
Creative acts intended to uplift, defend, and enlighten fulfill every function that can be asked of a work of
art. They inspire us, make us think in new ways, and birth new beauty and dignity into our world.
WHAT IS ART?
The ancients—the Greeks, Egyptians, Hopis, and New Guinea tribesmen—were among earth’s most
prolific art-making peoples. Yet, none had any word for “art” in their respective languages. Rather, they
each had a word that meant “well-made” or “beautifully performed.”
Our American Visionary Art Museum believes that this view of what art really means is as perfect
an understanding of art as ever was. It speaks to an art incumbent upon all its citizens, pervasive
throughout all the acts of our daily life. Its emphasis is on process and consciousness, not mere artifact.
Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed his profound respect for the true artistry each member of a society can
uniquely evidence to bless our communities, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep
streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He
should sweep streets so well that all the Hosts of Heaven and earth would pause to say, Here lived a great
streetsweeper who did his job well.”
SOME HANDY INFO
AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM (AVAM)
800 Key Highway • Baltimore, MD • 21230 • 410.244.1900
web: avam.org • facebook: facebook.com/theavam • twitter: @TheAVAM
OUR HOURS
REGULAR ADMISSION
* Open Monday Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as AVAM’s
tribute to teachers–FREE admission for all!
GROUP RATES*
10:00am–6:00pm, Tuesday–Sunday
Closed on Mondays,* Thanksgiving &
Christmas Days.
PARKING
Abundant metered parking on Covington Street
& Key Highway. Handicapped accessible.
Adult
Senior (60 & up)
Student
Children 6 & under
Group Rate (Adult)
Group Rate (College)
Group Rate (K-12)
$15.95
$13.95
$9.95
FREE!
$10 ea.
$8 ea.
$6 ea.
* For Groups of 10 or more people only.
AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM
PERMANENT COLLECTION GALLERY
is the official national museum for self-taught, intuitive
artistry! Since our opening in 1995, the museum has
sought to promote the recognition of intuitive, selfreliant, creative contribution as both an important
historic and essential living piece of treasured human
legacy. Don’t miss all three historic, renovated buildings
that house wonders created by farmers, housewives,
mechanics, retired folk, the disabled, the homeless, as
well as the occasional neurosurgeon—all inspired by
the fire within!
Ongoing • 1st & 2nd flrs, Main Building
THE VISIONARY EXPERIENCE:
SAINT FRANCIS TO FINSTER
Oct. 4, 2014–Aug. 30, 2015 • 1st–2nd flrs, Main Building
AVAM’s 20th original thematic exhibition champions
life’s grand “Aha!” and “Eureka!” moments, held
in common by Earth’s most dynamic and intuitive
“evolutionaries.” Featuring a centennial celebration
of Rev. Howard Finster, w/ illuminating works by
visionaries: Ingo Swann, Jimi Hendrix, Christine
Sefolosha, Walter Russell, R. Crumb, Paolo Soleri, Dr.
Robert Hieronimus, plus an exploration of inventive
new spiritual groups: Unarius Academy of Science, The
Source Family, & MORE!
DONALD PASS: THE HOPE WE SEEK
Feb. 28, 2014–Feb. 22, 2015 • 3rd fl, Main Building
AVAM’s celebration of the late British visionary
artist’s ethereal spirit paintings, inspired by his own
life-changing glimpse into the afterworld. Donald
Pass (1930–2010) was a well known painter of
lyrical abstract landscapes until the late 1960s when
he experienced a series of spiritual visions of the
Resurrection that radically and forever changed his
view of reality, and subsequently, his artwork.
Works selected from a collection that includes
visionaries such as Mary Proctor, Paul Darmafall, Mr.
Imagination, Emily Duffy, Ted Gordon, James Harold
Jennings, Deborah Berger, Wayne Kusy, & MORE!
JIM ROUSE VISIONARY CENTER
Ongoing • 1st fl: The Cabaret Mechanical Theatre
of London: a collection of whimsical, interactive
automta; Screen Painters Of Baltimore exhibit:
a celebration of the uniquely Baltimore art form with
full-size replica rowhouses displaying screens painted
by Baltimore’s finest & a documentary film that
shines a light on the artists and their desire to paint;
Kinetic Sculpture Race Vehicles (featured in our
annual East Coast Championship Race); DeVon Smith’s
Robot Family; Leonard Knight’s Love Balloon; Andrew
Logan’s giant sculpture of Baltimore icon Divine; 2nd fl:
Remembering Jim Rouse Into Our Future exhibit;
Thou Art Creative Classroom; 3rd fl: Large banquet
room for museum mega-events & private rentals with
access to the Bird’s Nest Balcony.
PUBLIC ART
Ongoing • Throughout Museum Grounds
A three-ton, four-story Whirligig by Vollis Simpson;
Nancy Josephson’s mirror-mosaic Gallery-A-GoGo bus; Andrew Logan’s Cosmic Galaxy Egg; Adam
Kurtzman’s Giant Golden Hand; David Hess’s Bird’s
Nest Balcony; Dick Brown’s Bluebird of Happiness;
the glittering Community Mosaic Wall–the work of a
wonderful apprenticeship program for at-risk youth;
Wildflower Sculpture Garden featuring Ben Wilson’s
wooden Meditation Chapel; Critters by Clyde Jones; Ted
Ludwiczak’s Stone Fountain Heads; & MORE!
UNARIUS STUDENTS Cosmic Generator 1981 Photographic print Courtesy of the Unarius Educational Foundation
PROGRAMS
&
EVENTS
2014:
THE VISIONARY EXPERIENCE: PREVIEW PARTY!
Thurs. Oct. 2 • 7pm • AVAM Members Free, $20 Gen. Public*
AVAM welcomes our newest exhibition with our always popular
Preview Party! Mix & mingle with exhibition artists, meet the
curators and some new visionary friends! Light hors d’oeuvres
and beverages, music, and fun! Special musical performance
by critically acclaimed artist White Magic! All ages welcome.
*Tickets on-sale @ Missiontix.com, more info @ AVAM.org.
EDUCATOR OPEN HOUSE
Thurs. October 16 • 4–7pm • FREE for Teachers!*
Educators of all kinds are invited to this inclusive event where
you can collect visionary resources for the classroom and learn
about the educational programming available here at AVAM.
Stop by to pick up our classroom-ready, interdisciplinary
education packet, try your hand at a visionary activity, and
receive a special guided tour through our new exhibition.
*RSVP to [email protected].
AVAM’S FREE FALL HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION!
Thurs. Oct. 30 • 4–6pm: FREE “Lumin-Eeries” Workshop,* 4–7pm:
FREE Admission, 7pm: FREE Flick: Ghostbusters on Fed Hill!
4-6pm: free “Lumin-Eeries” Lantern-Making Workshop in the
Barn! Monsters and their Mummies are invited to create their
own eerie luminary lantern, just BYO glass jar. 4-7pm: enjoy
free museum admission, then stick around for a free screening of
Ghostbusters at 7pm on Federal Hill! Don't miss the phantasmic
fun @ AVAM in conjunction with Free Fall Baltimore!
BAZAART: HOLIDAY ART MARKET
Sat. November 29 • 10am–5pm • FREE Entry!
AVAM’s annual Holiday Marketplace of original creations by over
50 regional artists and craftspeople. Painting, sculpture, paper
crafts, metalwork, jewelry, textiles, mixed media, and other work
that simply defies categorization! And don't miss the BAZAART
FIRST DIBS RECEPTION: Friday November 28 • 5:30–8pm
$20, $10 Members • Bazaart Location: 3rd floor of AVAM’s
Jim Rouse Visionary Center.
SOCK MONKEY SATURDAY!
Sat. Dec. 13 • 10am–2pm • *FREE Entry!
Don’t let the holidays drive you BANANAS! Relax by making
your very own Sock Monkey—a great last-minute gift, and just
something fun to do with the family. *FREE, but please bring 2
pair (clean & colorful) socks & your own scissors to get in!
WORKSHOPS:
SHINY HAPPY THINGS with Bob Benson: Sat. Oct. 11 •
11am–2pm • $50, $35 Members • 2015 dates T.B.A.
MOSAICS with Rick Shelley: Sat. Dec. 6 • 10am–4pm • $100,
$75 Members • 2015 dates T.B.A.
More workshops online @ AVAM.org!
CALENDAR
2015:
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY CELEBRATION
Mon. January 19 • 10am–6pm • FREE Admission!
A celebration in honor of the life & dreams of one of history’s
greatest visionaries. AVAM opens its doors for FREE all day!
Join us for guided tours, birthday cake, special performances &
more—all celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision & legacy.
KINETIC VOLUNTEER ROUND-UP
April 2015: *Volunteer Meeting dates T.B.A.
WANTED: The Brave, The Talented, The Mediocre, The
Unsuspecting Few... KINETIC VOLUNTEERS to help in the
grueling, all-day, general insanity of our 17th annual Kinetic
Sculpture Race! *More details coming soon! Visit AVAM.org
or call 410.244.1900.
17TH ANNUAL KINETIC SCULPTURE RACE
Sat. May 2 • All Day! (Race starts @ 10am) • FREE!
From AVAM—a race of wacky, imaginative, totally human
powered works of ART designed to travel on LAND, through the
MUD, and over deep harbor WATERS, constructed out of used
bicycles, gears, and parts, created by a lunatic genius who tinkers
around in the garage or backyard (Do you know this person?). The
machines can be simple, small crafts, piloted by only one brave
soul, or they can be over 50 feet long, extremely well-engineered,
sophisticated vehicles powered by a team of pilots. More info,
including Spectator's Guide @ KineticBaltimore.com!
VISIONARY PETS ON PARADE
Fri. July 4 • 10am (9:30am Pet Registration) • FREE!
The best dog-gone parade in town! Dress your pet & strut your
stuff. Animal fun! Animal prizes! Trophies awarded for Best
Costume, Most Patriotic, Most Visionary Pet, Owner & Pet looka-likes, Least likely to succeed as a Pet, & more! Friendly pets of
ALL kinds are welcome. H20 & baggies provided.
FLICKS FROM THE HILL
Thursdays in July & August • FREE Screenings @ 9pm on
Federal Hill • AVAM open & free 5–9pm on Flicks nights!
Grab a blanket, picnic under the stars, and watch a great
film selection inspired by AVAM’s current exhibition, plus the
museum is open & free from 5–9pm on Flicks nights! Flicks was
featured on Travel & Leisure’s list of “The World’s Best Free
Stuff!” Check AVAM.org for 2015 Flicks line-up.
THE VISIONARY EXPERIENCE: FINAL WEEKEND
Aug. 28–30 • Regular Admission Applies
This is your last chance to experience AVAM’s 20th original
exhibition, The Visionary Experience: Saint Francis to Finster,
featuring the illuminating creations of over 40 visionary artists,
inventors, scientists and spiritual pioneers. And get ready
for October 2015, when we unveil our next original megaexhibition—stay tuned to AVAM.org for all the details!
ESSAYS
CHELO AMEZCUA The Prophet 1970 Graphite, ink on matboard Courtesy of Cavin-Morris Gallery Photo by Dan Meyers
THE POWER OF VISION:
WHAT INSPIRED THE AMERICAN FOUNDING
FATHERS TO DREAM OF A NEW SOCIETY
by Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D. • 21stCenturyRadio.com
On July 4th, 1776, 56 courageous men dared to sign the revolutionary Declaration of
Independence. The act of signing marked each of them as an enemy of King George and
came at an enormous personal price. Several suffered imprisonment, had their lands
confiscated, their homes burned or experienced extreme retribution that extended to
their wives and children.
What forces could have so powerfully fueled their commitment to birth a new system of
government? Some surprising and unexpected answers include:
1. The first to sign, John Hancock, was given the Indian name “Karanduawn,” meaning
“The Great Tree,” after the Iroquois chiefs observed him debating in the Continental
Congress in Philadelphia. Karanduawn was the Iroquois symbol for their own
democratic, enlightened and unified system of governance. This ancient system of selfrule is what convinced the colonials they, too, could break free from monarchy and
rule themselves. The Iroquois system — attributed to the circa 1142 AD visions of
Deganawidah, a Huron prophet — was mimicked by the founders at almost every turn,
including separation of powers; sovereignty in We the People; and even the notion of
federalism. Jefferson, Monroe and Madison — the father of the Constitution — actually
traveled to the Iroquois chiefs for guidance on how to work the Articles of Confederation
into the Constitution.
2. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine were
among those founders deeply influenced by the Iroquois League’s charter and they
respected the eloquent Iroquois spokesperson, Canassatego. Franklin widely published
Canassatego’s speech of 1774, whereby the great leader encouraged representatives from
the Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia colonies to unite in a new harmonious vision
of governance, just as the original five nations of Native Americans had centuries before.
John Adams would later praise the ideals contained in the Iroquois Charter in his work,
A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States (1787).
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the power of vision (CONT.)
3. Many signers belonged to international fraternal orders that espoused the
brotherhood of mankind, and some were frequenters of the Ephrata, Pennsylvania
community dedicated to preserving the mystic teachings of Jakob Böhme, which
have also been linked to early Rosicrucianism. Washington relied most heavily on his
brotherhood among the Freemasons from whom he selected his top generals. Together
they were able to build a trusted network of secrecy and honor that instilled the
necessary courage and timing to win what should have been an unwinnable war.
4. The New World was a haven for countless religious sects fleeing Europe, breaking off
from the establishment church to try something new. Many women assumed positions
of leadership for the first time. One of them was Mother Ann Lee (1736-1784), leader of
the Shakers, who claimed many visions and revelations throughout her life, including
the then-radical notion that men and women should be treated equally. Predating her, of
course, were the Native Americans, many of whom on the East Coast had long honored
women with positions of power.
5. Perhaps most surprising to some would be the consideration of extraterrestrial life
expressed by several Founding Fathers, including Thomas Paine: “God has created a
plurality of worlds, called planets, which should be inhabited at every level. There is no
reason to believe that so vast a creation should be barren and lying in eternal waste.”
6. There is strong evidence that the founders used astrology to engineer the most
auspicious moment for the July 4th signing of the Declaration of Independence. Popular
almanacs of the colonial days reveal a widespread interest in astrology, and strangely,
three presidents died on July 4th: Jefferson and Adams expired within hours of each
other on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration’s signing, and James Monroe passed
away five years later, on the same day.
7. As a member of numerous secret societies, Benjamin Franklin was a utilitarian
occultist. He wrote about his belief in higher dimensions of existence, and this epitaph
he wrote for himself, though in jest, suggests a sincere belief in reincarnation: “The Body
of B. Franklin Printer (like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stript of
its lettering and gilding) lies here, food for worms, but the work shall not be lost; for it
will (as he believed) appear once more in a new and more elegant Edition Revised and
corrected by the author.”
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the power of vision (CONT.)
Some of the more visionary tendencies of the American Founding Fathers can be seen
in their use of the Eye of God and an Egyptian-style pyramid on the reverse Great
Seal of The United States. This, plus the obelisk shape of the Washington Monument
demonstrate an awareness of the humanistic ideals of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten
— the first deist leader. Their admiration for the ancient Greek philosophers’ dream of
a perfected society that dignified all its citizens is evidenced by the classic architecture
and ten-square-mile, diamond-shaped layout of our Washington, DC nation’s capital.
Although far from perfect, our American Founding Fathers set forth a noble vision of
government that continues to evolve, perfect and inspire others around the world today.
Reverse Great Seal of The United States. Image courtesy Wikipedia.
GOING NAKED FOR A SIGN:
NUDE—NOT LEWD—FOR GOD
“I shall go naked to meet my naked Lord.” — St. Francis of Assisi
By all accounts, young Francis was a privileged and handsome playboy, born to a rich
textile-merchant father. Awakened to spirit after a near-death illness and a stint as
a soldier, 22-year-old Francis took two bolts of fine cloth to raise funds to rebuild a
church for the poor. Angered, his father brought him to court on charges of theft and
rebellion against parental authority. In response to these accusations, Francis famously
proclaimed, “Now I can freely say, ‘Our Father who art in Heaven,’ for Pietro Bernardone
is no longer my father. I return not only my money, but also my clothes. I shall go naked
to meet my naked Lord.” Francis then removed all his clothes and walked through the
town to begin a life devoted to spiritual service, intimacy with nature and extreme
poverty.
This issue of clothes and spiritual honesty goes back to Adam in the biblical Garden of
Eden. God asks an embarrassed and stammering, post-forbidden-fruit-eating Adam,
“Who told you that you were naked?” Some believe this newfound self-consciousness of
Adam needing to hide his naked body from the one who made it marked the beginning of
humankind’s illusory distancing from our true natural and divine origins.
Nakedness has other fascinating biblical precedents. Both Isaiah and Samuel prophesied
in the nude under divine inspiration, with the Prophet Isaiah going publicly naked and
barefoot for three straight years. When old King Saul stripped off his fine robes for a full
day and night in the public presence of the Prophet Samuel to deliver his own prophecy,
the people took the king’s bareness as a sign to mean that Saul, too, might be counted a
legitimate prophet.
Quakers, especially early American Colonial Quakers, often “went naked for a sign,”
causing them persecution, arrest, whipping and other public punishment. Famed mystic
artist and writer William Blake cheerily greeted his publisher Mr. Butts while sitting
naked alongside his equally unclothed wife in the midst of their backyard explaining,
“It’s just Adam and Eve, you know.”
Spirituality expressed through nudity is far from being an exclusively western tradition.
India’s Naga Sadhus appear naked — or “Digambara,” meaning sky-clad — to best
express their focused renunciation of this world and a wholehearted devotion to their
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going naked for a sign (CONT.)
souls’ and thereby humanity’s liberation. Photographer Deepak Chowdhury captured
the Nagas gathered at a recent Kumbh Mela festival — the largest gathering of human
beings for a single religious purpose on the planet — as many of them stood with only
ash-smeared bodies, ready to sprint into the chilly sacred waters for a pre-dawn dip.
Perhaps all these seekers, ancient and modern, simply intuit a need for a more graphic
and honest acknowledgment of the fact that we are all born naked and naked do we
return. This contemplation of what we really are lies at the heart of the visionary
experience.
HOWARD FINSTER Super Powers (#4000 - 581) 1985 Collection of John Denton Photo by Dan Meyers
INGO SWANN The Light Bringer 1984 Oil on canvas
Gift of the estate of Ingo Swann in memory of the artist Photo by Dan Meyers
THE ART OF REMOTE VIEWING
“What is now proved was once only imagined.” — William Blake
If you think that the accounts of strange visionary experience and interests among
America’s Founding Fathers might just be hard to believe, know that tens of millions of
US dollars and 20-plus years of trials and research were invested in America’s own, very
real, remote-viewing psychic program, code-named “Stargate.” Remote viewing is the
act whereby a human being can be isolated in one location but project their awareness
to perceive a distant location, observe and then report in great and accurate detail all
the activities of that distant location as if the viewer were actually physically there.
Among those gifted in this capacity, none performed better or more consistently than
the magnificent cosmic painter, writer and psychic, Ingo Swann. Swann was assigned
a variety of remote defense targets as well as the location coordinates to perceive and
explore conditions on the moon and distant planets. Swann’s detailed accounts of otherplanetary conditions often conflicted with prevailing assumptions. As NASA space
technology and instrumental sensors improved, Swann’s remotely accessed reports
were confirmed as surprisingly correct. The US Defense remote-viewing program began
in response to Russia’s vigorous remote-viewing spy program. Both initiatives give
persuasive testimony that the very real visionary capacities of human beings are far
more fantastic and expansive than ever imagined.
HYPNAGOGIA AND THE
ART OF THE MAGIC NAP
On average, most of us spend about one third of our lives sleeping. The “sleepless elite”
constitute only 1-3% of the total population and have been found to have a mutated gene
called Dec2. The good news is that we can all learn to experience the creative power of
small power naps employed by many great and productive visionaries.
Reverend Howard Finster was credited with being America’s all-time most prolific artist,
completing over 46,000 original artworks. His New York Times obituary stated Finster
“slept in his clothes and subsisted on 20-minute naps, working around the clock.” On
the list of other famed artist nap-takers are Leonardo da Vinci and Salvador Dalí. Dalí
even illustrated a cartoon diagram to explain his nap technique, “learned from Capuchin
monks,” of sitting upright in a chair, metal key clasped in his right hand and positioned
just above a china plate laid face-down on the floor beneath that would “clang” to awaken
him at the moment deeper sleep kicked in, causing the key to drop. Dalí would then
quickly record the flashes of vivid imagery and thoughts freshly received in that magic,
in-between wakefulness and sleep state.
More enthused power nappers include: political leaders Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston
Churchill and US Presidents Abe Lincoln, J. F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and
“
Ronald Reagan; geniuses Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla; mathematician Paul Erdos;
composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Wagner; philosophers Aristotle, Ovid
and John Dewey, who believed people were at their most creative when “relaxed to the
point of reverie”; inventors Buckminster Fuller and Thomas Edison, who employed a
power nap to “dream” the solution to any big problem thwarted by his awake efforts in
the lab; and Baltimore’s own favorite poet Edgar Allan Poe, who described the “fancies”
experienced when “on the brink of sleep, with the consciousness that I am so.”
Where and how do you get your own best, most visionary ideas? Do they happen when
half-awake or in dream states; while showering or walking alone in the woods; when
driving concentrated on the road; when you find yourself fixated, staring up at clouds, or
down at some simple object, momentarily engrossed and distracted from “normal” life? It
takes dreamers to make dreams come true.
KATERI “TEKAKWITHA”
1656–APRIL 17, 1680
This icon honors the first North American Native Saint, Kateri. She was Mohawk, born
to a Mohawk chief and Algonquin mother.
After Kateri’s family died in a smallpox epidemic when she was about four, she was
adopted into her aunt’s family. Kateri survived the epidemic, but was left with severe
scarring and poor eyesight. “Tekakwitha” means “she bumps into things” in Mohawk.
As she grew, Kateri became involved with the work of the Franciscan priests and nuns
who founded a small chapel in the forest near her home. The more involved she became,
the more she knew she was called to serve God. Going against all that her Mohawk
people believed, Kateri decided she would never marry or have children and became
a Franciscan nun. The name Kateri is derived from the French name Catherine. Even
though she was ostracized by her people, she never hesitated to help wherever she could.
She would care for the sick regardless of the danger to herself.
Kateri died on April 17th, 1680, at age 24. About six hours after her death, it was
reported that all of her scars disappeared and her skin became smooth, and the people
could see how beautiful she was. Kateri was canonized in October of 2012.
Judy Tallwing
Kateri
2013
Mixed media
Collection of the artist
Photo by Dan Meyers
CONSCIOUSNESS:
LOCAL OR NONLOCAL?
Our vote is consciousness is truly nonlocal — not limited to the human brain and its
bodily senses, but rather consisting of some pregnant essence permeating all existence.
This understanding helps explain not only the brilliance of remote viewers, idiot savants
and moms who awake from sound sleep knowing their soldier children have just been
shot, but inventors, artists and writers who experience “receiving,” in an inspirational
flash, some amazing new inventive wonder. Author Saul Bellow observed, “You never
have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” Composer
Puccini credited God with gifting him the entire score of his most magnificent opera,
Madame Butterfly.
To paraphrase the Beatles, “There’s nothing you can think that can’t be thought.” We all
drink from the same ever-flowing well.
GODDESS AS A PHYSICS MUSE
Self-taught Hindu mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920) revolutionized
20th century mathematics and won the prestigious Field Prize, but credited his family
household goddess Namagiri as the real source of his theorems. He claimed Namagiri
would come to him in the night to dictate precise formulas. Fascinating has been the
discovery that several of his formulas look like excellent expressions for the theoretical
operation of stargates and wormholes — a class of phenomena unthought of at the time
Ramanujan recorded them!
SUNFLOWER AQUARIAN
Left: High Priestess –Aquarian Planet Necklace made for Isis Aquarian
c. 1973
Silver with diamond and precious stones
Right: Council Women’s Necklace
c. 1973
Gold and silver with precious stones
Both: Courtesy of the Isis Aquarian Archives
Photos by Dan Meyers
MYSTIC MAVERICKS
METAPHYSICAL GROUPS IN AMERICA
Among America’s indigenous peoples, spiritual revelation was widely prized and
cultivated. Vision quests and other rites of passage led to profound awakenings and
inner guidance, and elders were respected for their spiritual wisdom.
A great many of America’s newcomers fled Europe seeking a safe place to freely practice
their own non-mainstream beliefs. Once here, the ground was ripe for secret societies,
new religions and independent charismatic groups and leaders to flourish. These ranged
from Protestant groups out of sync with Europe’s church-state dogma to free love and
mystic communities whose values presaged those of more contemporary hippie culture.
For example, the largest US silverware company, Oneida, had its roots in 1840s upstate
New York, where charismatic leader John Humphrey Noyes instituted group marriage,
shared parenting and a communal commercial enterprise sufficient to sustain their
living together under one roof. The colonial Moravians likewise were about a lot more
than making cookies. Their spiritual doctrine was intensely love-based and welcomed
the equal fellowship and intermarriage of Native and African Americans into their fold.
New religions flourished in young America, perhaps none more successfully than the
Mormons, founded as the Church of Latter-day Saints by a nigh sci-fi encounter in rural
New York between an angel named Moroni and a young idealist named Joseph Smith.
These ruggedly individualistic spirited groups, often distinguished by their independent
channeled teachings, specialized clothing, devotional art, music and nonconformist
practice of community, have long stood as both potential threat and renewing force
to established authority and governance. Unbiased examination of their merits and
flaws can deepen and spice up our own understanding of what we choose to believe and
practice, reject or champion. Even the famed ancient Greek mystic philosopher and
mathematician, Pythagoras, founder of his own religion, was persecuted, and reportedly
died after his influential group opposed the powers that be. But even the glimpse into his
brilliant new way of seeing and understanding reality has endured to astound, outlast
and outshine the small-minded governance that dominated during his time. Mystic
visionaries serve as our spiritual evolutionaries. Few places afford such a diverse and
dynamic founding base for fresh rethinking of ideals and beliefs as does America.
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mystic mavericks (CONT.)
THE UNIVERSAL WORLD CHURCH
The Universal World Church was founded in Los Angeles in 1951 by Dr. Orval Lee (O.L.)
Jaggers, son of a prominent Assemblies of God minister. Jaggers was an immensely
popular revivalist and healer, once filling a 10,000 seat auditorium in Los Angeles for 28
days straight with hundreds of testimonies to miraculous, instantaneous healings. He
was a poet, singer, inventor of musical instruments and author of over 300 books and
booklets. His wife (and first cousin), Velma Jaggers, had a vision to join the ministry
in 1966. Beyond her healing work, she oversaw the creation of several elaborately
bejeweled Book of Revelation-based mosaic sculptures, as well as a number of films
and television programs depicting Miss Velma’s colorful theatrics, including sermons
delivered dressed as an angel soaring above the congregation on a wire, or arriving on
horseback, in a chariot or in a spaceship.
Both Jaggers made a number of proclamations and predictions that never came to pass,
but their ministry gained the attention of such notable figures as Frank Zappa and Elvis,
who reportedly pulled some of his tour backup singers from the church’s choir. Jaggers
and his wife died months apart in 2004, but devoted members have kept the church alive
(though in a much smaller capacity) to this day.
UNIVERSAL WORLD CHURCH: (Left) 6 Promotional Flyers, c. 1996-1998 •
(Right) Miss Velma’s Cape, c. 1970s • Both: Collection of Jodi Wille, Photos
by Dan Meyers.
mystic mavericks (CONT.)
THE SOURCE FAMILY
The Source Family lived together from 1971 to 1977 and were best known for their
enormously popular vegetarian restaurant, The Source. Located on the Sunset Strip
in Hollywood, it was frequented by notable musicians and movie stars (and featured
in the breakup scene in Annie Hall) and kicked off a national trend of healthy casual
restaurants whose influence can still be felt today.
The Source Family’s controversial founder, Father Yod (born James Edward Baker),
was a former war hero, judo champion, bank robber and visionary restaurateur, who,
after a spiritual awakening, formed the family of 140 young people who lived together
in the Hollywood Hills, practicing a radical lifestyle involving a raw food diet, intensive
meditation, esoteric rituals and home birthing. They made their own clothing, jewelry,
rugs and music, recording 65 albums in their home studio, nine of which were privately
pressed into vinyl. Yod fronted the rock band, which performed at local high schools,
and had 14 devoted “spiritual wives.” In 1974, due to pressure from the authorities, the
family sold the restaurant and fled to Hawaii, where Yod died months later in a hanggliding accident and the group gradually dissolved. But even through all the hardships,
most former members still consider the experience with the family as the most
extraordinary time of their lives, and a number of family members went on to success in
fields including natural foods, stem cell research and tech industries.
Left: OMNE & ISIS AQUARIAN, Source Family Beach Day, 1973, Digital print from slide • Right: SOURCE FAMILY, Ya Ho Wa 13, 1974, Vinyl record album •
BOTH: Courtesy of the Isis Aquarian Archives, Photos by Dan Meyers.
mystic mavericks (CONT.)
UNARIUS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
Founded in 1954 in Los Angeles by advanced clairvoyants Ernest Norman (a scientist,
engineer and author) and his wife, Ruth Norman (aka Archangel Uriel), the Unarius
Academy of Science is one of a number of organizations who promote spiritual growth
through clairvoyant guidance, meditation, principles of reincarnation and interaction
with spirit guides. Unarius claims that man is by nature psychic, and that the study of
Unariun principles quickens and enhances abilities which lie dormant in most people.
Ernest Norman channeled a number of books with messages from advanced spiritual
intelligences before his death in 1971. From that year to her passing in 1993, Ruth
Norman as Uriel led the group and authored over 80 books of poetry, autobiography and
philosophy.
An exuberant leader, Uriel encouraged radical creativity in all Unarius members
through intuitive painting and the production of past-life psychodrama “documentaries,”
made mostly in the late ‘70s through the early ‘80s. The films featured Unariuns in
otherworldly costumes and full makeup incorporating elaborate sets, guerilla locationfilming techniques, and ingenious no-budget special effects in order to channel and
reenact their previous lives together on Earth and other planets for purposes of spiritual
healing. This ambitious collective produced three feature films on 16mm and Super
8, and over 100 video productions, which have been repeatedly aired on public-access
programs across the country since the ‘80s. Unarius continues to operate out of their
Academy headquarters in El Cajon, California.
(Left) UNKNOWN UNARIUS STUDENT, Cape for the Peacock Princess of Atlantis, 1981, Peacock
feathers on fabric • (Right) KEVIN KENNEDY, Atlantis Rising, 1995, Acrylic on illustration board
• Both: Courtesy of the Unarius Educational Foundation, Photos by Dan Meyers.
PAULA RICH-GREENWOOD URIEL Cosmic Visionary New World Teacher 1985 Oil, acrylic and airbrush on canvas
Courtesy of the Unarius Educational Foundation Photo by Dan Meyers
HEAVENLY BODIES
Veneration of the bones of saints and heroes has a long human history that transcends
any one religion or culture. Be it the enshrined tooth of the Buddha or simply hairs
of a departed loved one woven into wearable Victorian mourning jewelry, it is as if we
collectively intuit that holding on to even a fragment of a cherished one’s DNA maintains
for us a palpable connection. Perhaps no devotion to the dead was more exquisitely
spectacular than that of nuns who spent years tenderly dressing and bejeweling the
bones of what were believed to be early Christian saints and martyrs discovered in
Roman Catacombs in the 16th century.
Shipped out as pro-Catholic PR to infer promise of great reward in the afterlife for those
who kept true to the faith in communities that bordered Protestant lands, these dazzling
skeletons were often the pride of their adoptive Catholic communities. Many had healing
powers and other miracles attributed to their presence. Eventually, their veneration fell
out of favor with the Catholic Church, and the jeweled skeletons were removed from
public display, destroyed or simply left to languish in storage. Fascinated by their history
and beauty, Paul Koudounaris’ discovery and photography of these lost treasures permits
us a glimpse into their visionary and glorious past.
PAUL KOUDOUNARIS (Left) St. Felix (Gars am Inn, Germany) (Right) Konrad II (Mondsee, Austria) 2011 Photographic prints Collection of the artist
THE WISE LOOK TO THE
ANCIENTS FOR THE NEW
“The more I study physics, the more I am drawn to metaphysics.” — Albert Einstein
The two founders of quantum physics, Nobel laureates Niels Bohr and Erwin
Schrödinger, were both avid readers of the ancient Hindu Vedic texts. A-bomb father J.
Robert Oppenheimer read them in their original Sanskrit, stating, “The Vedas are the
greatest privilege of the century.” When Oppenheimer stood witnessing the world’s first
nuclear test blast, he quoted the ancient Bhagavad Gita, stating solemnly, “Now I am
become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
Nikola Tesla and Einstein mined the Vedas for inspiration. Well before this more modern
crop of readers discovered these Hindu texts, Sir Isaac Newton and philosopher Henry
David Thoreau devoured them, too. At Einstein’s death, his widow revealed that her
genius husband’s favorite book was Isis Unveiled: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of
Ancient and Modern Science and Theology (1877) by the mystic and medium Madame
Helena Blavatsky.
In this age of Internet and public libraries, an open-24/7 grand buffet of humankind’s
most nutritious wisdom has been set out to be savored by more of us than ever before.
This same communal table anxiously awaits our newest creative employ of these tasty
ingredients to be added for the benefit and delight of those who will eat tomorrow.
PAOLO SOLERI
Macro Cosanti Tower
1964
Colored crayon, pencil, china
ink on gauze backed paper
Courtesy of the Cosanti
Foundation
Photo by Dan Meyers
ART AND PHYSICS SPEAK IN
THE LANGUAGE OF SYMBOLS
“Math is a perfection in expression, like ballet or a Shaolin class martial art.” — V. Guruprasad
Most of us assume that great artists and mathematicians are all highly academically
trained individuals. Not so! Doris Schattschneider of the Los Angeles Times wrote,
“Amazingly, lack of formal education can be an advantage. We get stuck in our old ways.
Sometimes, progress is made when someone from the outside looks at mathematics
with new eyes.” Some self-taught artists have likewise astounded and inspired many a
trained artist.
SENSATIONAL & UNLIKELY MATH INNOVATORS INCLUDE:
1. Marjorie Rice, a California housewife and mother of five, who sat at her kitchen table
and discovered 58 unknown geometric pentagonal forms to the utter amazement of
the math world. Rice had only one general high-school math course, taken two decades
before her achievement.
2. In 1846, Truman Henry Safford was a nine-year-old calculating prodigy. Asked by a
local priest to square, in his head, the number 365,365,365,365,365,365, Safford’s eyes
rolled up in their sockets, he bit his hands and fidgeted with his pants and boots, and in
less than one minute, without writing on paper, produced the right answer: 133,491,850,
208,566,925,016,658,299,941.583,255. Safford grew up to be a respected astronomer, but
lost his natural childhood capacity for calculation.
3. Jason Padgett, after a brutal mugging, awoke from his coma with a sudden, newfound
passion for, and mastery of, quantum physics. His original insights are now much sought
after by trained physicists.
As J. Robert Oppenheimer, “father of the atomic bomb,” observed, “There are children
playing in the street who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they
have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.”
Top: JASON PADGETT Relativity 2006 Pencil on paper, digital color Collection of the artist
Bottom: WALTER RUSSELL Untitled 1930 Oil on canvas Collection of the University of Science and Philosophy
Photos by Dan Meyers