February 23, 2004
by Kelli Boylen
"William and Laura Gentry are creative people, and they aren't afraid to share it.
"We want to give art a better name. It is not just a luxury for the flaky," William says with a laugh.
"There are people who reject their own creativity because of the negative stereotypes," says Laura. "We hope to change some of that."
William is the pastor of the First Congregational Churches in McGregor and Elkader. He is also a writer, a photographer, a speaker and an intellect. Laura is the pastor of Waterville Lutheran Church in Waterville, Iowa and Our Savior's Lutheran Church of Lansing, Iowa. She is also a painter, a dancer, an actor and a singer. They reside in McGregor, and certainly find many things to fill their time.
"The Living Word" project started as a joke, they say. This artistic expression for themselves and others consists of people describing themselves in one word. Laura painted the word on a plain white t-shirt, and William photographed the 100 participants of the project in black and white. For the record, William's word is "and." Laura's is "if."
"It was empowering (for many of the participants)," said Laura. "They had the opportunity to define themselves." Some people picked words describing where they have been in life, others where they are at now, and some where they hope to be. Although the words are as varied as the people themselves, pretty much everyone chose a positive word. They hoped to publish a book of their compilation, but that is on hold for now.
One way they are currently marketing the work is through "Artist in Cellophane." This unique art-o-mat service created by another individual who also believes that art should be available to everyone. Using former cigarette vending machines, works of art are available in 49 locations across the nation. They are selling individual blocks of wood with a photo of a person with their word shirt on one side and a description of the project on the other. They recently received an email from a man in Ohio who purchased one of the little works of art, just the size of a pack of cigarettes.
Visitors to their website, www.thegentryjoint.com, can view the compilation, along with some of their other projects. Perhaps the project Laura is most proud of is the project "Seen but Rarely Heard: Voices of Adolescent Girls." Seeing a need to give teenage girls a voice, Laura created life size cutouts of 20 young women and talked to them about their thoughts. One side of the cutout is a painting she created of the young woman, the other side features the teen's views. She first displayed them at the Decorah Public Library, and now they are a traveling exhibit, which was recently in Cedar Rapids and will soon be at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque.
Laura says she considers the project an extension of her ministry. A sampling of some of the things girls had to say: - I don't think there's anything good about being a teenage girl, really. I mean, I've had a horrible adolescence because nobody was helpin' me out and I went through a lot of emotional stuff... and all I remember is all the bad stuff. - I'm just sick of like the fact that over the years in a male-dominated society, they just referred to God as a "He" and that's the way it's always been and that's the way that it's going to be as long as nothing happens... it shuts women out... - Do stuff for yourself, don't care about what males think... don't dress for them. When it's cold outside, wear a sweater, okay? - I admire women that speak out and follow their conscience and know that you don't have to conform. - I think it's just important that you can take all the horrible things that are happening and still have joy and keeping hope because in this world, it's so easy to be cynical and I'm cynical sometimes too, but I just don't think we'll go very many places if we don't keep hope alive.
Laura's works also include murals, and she continues working on a series of paintings titled, "Resurrection." In this series she is exploring the butterfly symbol and its meanings of rebirth. Laura enjoys the positive impact her artwork has on others, and the many meanings art can have for each viewer.
William also enjoys helping others gain a sense of self through art. "My creativity, when shared, can enable others to see something differently." He says one of his most enlightening experiences which expressed the power of art was when he shared one of his music recordings with a woman whose husband was in Hospice. He learned after the man's death how much the music had meant to the wife during his dying process. "I am very grateful for my blessings and gifts which help me connect with others," he says.
Other projects William has enjoyed are making portraits of senior citizens he has photographed, and infrared photography. William and Laura, who have been married eight years, admit they feed off each other's creative energy. "People always ask us how we have the time to do all this. We make the time," says Laura. To learn more about William and Laura Gentry and their creative pursuits, go online to www.thegentryjoint.com.
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