Sharon Bauer and Wayne Welke

00:08 Okay. My name is Wayne welke I'm 78 years old. Today is Sunday the 6th of

00:20 September and I'm at the storycorps location at Harvard University.

00:29 Read my relationship to my partner is that we're friends long-term friends long-term members of the same church and

00:41 Still friends after all these years.

00:46 My name is Sharon Bauer. I'm 72 years old. Today is September 6th, 2015. We're in the storycorps trailer at the Harvard Science Center Plaza and Wayne and I were KO congregate starting in the sixties and have been.

01:14 Friends and creativity all these years

01:24 So I'm I'm going to begin.

01:31 With remembering the long ago when Wayne and I were both finishing graduate school and came to University Lutheran Church here in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It had been founded as a mission to students at Harvard MIT and Wellesley.

01:58 And under the leadership of Pastor Henry horn at the time. It was maybe the most Progressive congregation anywhere and very attractive to students very open-minded and integrating all kinds of musical and other creativity and enter the worship Services Wayne came in 1961. I came in 1965. And by the time I came sister Caritas art and spirit were already an important part of this Lutheran congregation on the opposite Coast from where she was and so together interviewing other people who are around at the time. We've been trying to piece together.

02:58 What's up, the puzzle of how that came to be and the the exhibit at the Harvard art museums has really it has helped us a lot with that. So I'm going to ask you when

03:14 What was it like when you came and and specifically because you were a

03:21 Student of architecture say something about the architecture of what is fondly known as you neelu style and them which was a switch from what the congregation had originally envisioned that they would do it when they were making their plans back in the in the thirties, but the depression and the war got in the way and so their aspirations for a Gothic structure under on the landed in the middle of the Harvard campus where put aside and they worked with an architect by name of Arland Durham who designed I think journalism is a correct pronunciation who designed the modern this building rather plain to those who were seeking the ornamentation of history, but

04:21 Wonderful canvas units way for the invention of of of the members that that came to enrich it with with their own contributions in in Arden and other design. The building actually was the winner of the prestigious architectural prizes in Boston the Boston Parker Award in 1962. The building was designated as the most beautiful building in Boston. You do it in the previous years recent years at that time.

05:03 So it was a it was architectural it was it was important and it's it's own way when I came.

05:14 2 and join the congregation at the end of 61 beginning 62 one of the influential people. There was a pervy who had at that time already a friendship with Celia Hubbard and and to the Best Buy now, it's a friendship with with her sister critic at that time. And the weather was a very gregarious person. You couldn't be new in the congregation without without her. She she served as a as a associate for student work at the church and and made it her Point introduce everybody to everybody else. She she knew the Arts community in Boston.

06:14 Where that came from a strong interest and a passion for things beautiful and so that throughout her life art and and I was extremely important element and Beauty was something that that motivated her I would say it was part of her theology. So

06:42 I had

06:44 Certainly the the

06:48 I found myself influence bike like on his interest in the art and having been only in graduate school in Boston never have before she was a shadow 200 being introduced to a lot of things that we're going on in this area.

07:10 I am there also.

07:14 At the time despite the fact that the building was was Modern it also had certain attributes which reflected the historic way that that Protestant churches were organized which is to say there was architectural elements lower Dividing Walls her pair of pants that separated the chancellor area from the Nave and further of a communion real that separated the ultra from the chancel and there were a lot of us who were or at least a bunch of us who were motivated sufficiently by the the the contrary architectural elements to standing in the way of more open worship and more connection between the liturgical actions and the congregation's participation.

08:14 And in its own way whether we were directly or indirectly influence. It had a lot of parallels with Vatican II in the kinds of things that are happening in the Catholic church at the same time.

08:30 So that's a that's a lead into the

08:33 One of the stories within the story here, which is the parallel past that these two women were on both of them extremely gifted and charismatic women.

08:49 Seeking to serve within the church and

08:58 Being too much for the institutional Church of the time for the most part. So here's here's korita in California. I'm teaching at Immaculate Heart college and and we've learned in the late 50s and early 60s traveling pretty widely teaching and also I'm showing her work and then here's Constance parvi who was in 1955 and heard the first Harvard Divinity School class to admit women.

09:41 And after her graduation in 1963 was only able to get a appointment.

09:56 At MIT and she was very attracted to Karina. We know we couldn't figure out how did this happen, but it's a boat off gallery on Newbury Street, which is Wayne said Celia Hubbard.

10:17 Found it was a mecca for liturgical art and we know from speaking with some other congregants that the day went with Connie to meet carita as early as 1962. And then Connie was in California for a year in 1965 1966. So when it came to Boston and 1968, I I think they already had a pretty strong relationship and its fact I'm Connie pervy was instrumental in the Lutheran Church is commission created to do this.

11:07 Gorgeous serigraph New Life New Life New Life in those kind of neon pinks and yellows and and oranges and and that was prominently displayed at University Lutheran it in 69 and and then threw the the 70s and 80s. So it it's been fun for the two rustic can talk to people about how you know, how did this happen? How how did these these two women?

11:41 Get connected and Wayne you I think you have a stronger sense than I do have some of the the particular works that shaped our worship. And also you were on an Arts committees that was started in 1968. And so not only the actual works that the church-owned of Caritas but that the spirit of what she was doing. We're coming into our worship through this Arts committee. So what you say more about that besides the life New Life poster.

12:26 Kind of Harvey collected a number of pieces of art that created had had made and donated some of those to the two University Lutheran one was the print bread breaking and another was the prince entitled Drive.

12:55 I believe is titled love pitched. It's 10 the possession of them of the church and hanging in the in the church space. Now. In fact, the word pitched extent is is in the space that The Hobbit or shelter occupies during the winter months, So it's part of the

13:22 Part of the the enrichment of that space for for the people that are there.

13:33 The

13:35 I know I kind of had a number of other prints which were given to other people at at the time of her death. And I know other people who were at University of Lutheran in the 60s who went on to a choir creative Prince of their own rosemary repel or comfy.

14:02 Acquired one entitled. Yes to you and another I love you much both which were created after 72. She recalls and them so the the physical presence of of Caritas work is significant and all by itself. It was and influencing factor and it said a a kind of a graphic and artistic tone to the ideas that then came to be generated through the efforts of the Arts committee.

14:45 Eras committee was was founded the pastor Henry horn in 1968 and

15:03 Became a kind of a self-directing group. I was a part of it along with him with you and others that that for a number of years.

15:15 Kind of taking the spirit of of of creativity to appoint which may be made the the Elders of the Church of the latter believe we would get together and plan. What would be done in the chancel behind the Altar and executed on a Saturday leaving Pastor going to come in on Sunday to discover what we had done. This is very heretic all but thankfully the satellite of love a good as well as artistic sense. And so there may be some really changing I said the things that were there often not for more than the season sometimes only for one Sunday and

16:15 And the late 60s were sometimes the treatment of the ultra the sculpture which was hauled into place and sit there. It was a nice curve farming left other members of the kind Nation scratching their heads as to what it means and but of course I have to mean anything in the literal sense and I think you could see you in a lot of those kinds of not only is a spirit of it but the kinds of things that attracted we were attracted to the parallels to the kind of graphic style that that Creator brought to her work and

17:14 That we may not have succeeded at the lever level that she didn't in incorporating the significance of her face and and and more the death of her face. But sometimes we did and and notably there were some commissioned works that that in the later years came to be part of working John studzinski at Boston College was an artist that returned to a number of times and and his last piece that you created was a

17:56 7 ft 4 5 6 7 panel hanging for the entire East wall of hell.

18:09 That depicting the Risen Christ coming to release the souls from from from the underworld and a significant piece of art, which I got.

18:27 Pay a write-up in the Boston Globe at the time and so you can face the lineage of that kind of thinking in that kind of effort back to Harvey interconnection to create a cancer of the 1964 and 1965. Mary stay processions at Immaculate Heart College.

18:58 Is it that the the spontaneity the color the the celebration of the Sacred feminine link with the the prophetic concerned for for Injustice racism hunger I said the institutional Roman Catholic Church is just not going to tolerate this very long. This Woman's days are obviously and they were because she she left the college and the convent 3 years 3 years later than that, but it I think it's interesting that

19:45 Protestant church and embraced her working her spirit with with open arms. I'm thinking of it.

19:56 A prophet being without honor in her own country and one of the one of the revolutions that was going on then in addition to the Civil Rights Movement to the anti-war movement 2nd wave feminism was ecumenism and you were telling me earlier that the sense growing up so that as Protestant you you have to stay far from the Catholics they were they were

20:29 When I was even in college the middle 50s the the attitude between between lutherans and and and the Catholics were was one of not just separatism and distrust, but that's that history was not very far behind us at the time that the creatures work started to become part of our shared experience at a Lutheran Church, and the ecumenism was was

21:18 Maybe an attractive part it and in some ways of thinking that guy that was breaking the the boundaries between the two Church affiliations and end up looking for for good ideas and and new ideas across the cross that boundary line you hurt the the lectures Thursday night about the exhibit and said that one of the reasons that Creed if was just comforting or or an anomaly to the

22:01 Official artwork time was her work seemed too optimistic and I thought well, they totally missed the point. It was not about Optimus him. It was about Hope in the biblical sense. She's very much working out of a Biblical prophetic tradition and that you know that that crossed the boundary of denomination and and Protestant Catholic to wish I think the urgency of the times really brought the the prophetic activists and artists and writers into a new Unity the art World At Large trouble with with

22:52 At that time sister corita, because the establishment didn't know how to deal with with someone in a nun's habit established all of these young women in flower garlands, even to send degrees in the commentators at the panel discussion at the opening of the exhibit. I think for did not understand that. His work had a very strong theological component Gothic aspects the the optimistic messages the the anti-war statements.

23:48 Did not exist in a vacuum from from Curious point of view. Those were only the surface of an understanding with that was totally grounded in her Theology. And I think that that's one of the things that Drew us as lutherans to her work was that we understood where she was coming from with the ology.

24:23 Unlike unitarians where it would be an easier boundary to cross and some ways the centrality of the Eucharist so that when I hear bread breaking that the Barragan quote I hear something else it it takes this abstract theological concept transubstantiation right in it. If I'm using my fingers here, it makes itself it's this it's this bread that you can feel and you can hear when it breaks it and then they end up inside people and then also the Wonder Bread although I think it was you who said you can't hear Wonder Bread when you bring a squishy butt and then the the link with Hunger with with people being

25:19 Hungry for physical food as well as for spiritual food and it all came together in her work so powerfully that it was thrilling.

25:32 It. It was a

25:35 Left an impression on those of us, who are

25:39 Bringing our own artistic understanding to the congregation that left an impression on me.

25:46 As a as a architect and photographer and the freedom it which with which Curry to approach her graphic Styles in and her use the colors in order the use of forms in the and the way the alphabet was was reconfigured in re-imagined in order to make artwork which could be could be appreciated totally as an abstraction. Even if you didn't know the exact the Roman alphabet or any other words involved, so she was able to operate on so many levels with your work at was probably

26:27 No surprise in hindsight that it was so so attractive and so important.

26:35 Can can you say more about how it has affected your work as an artist hard to answer that in. I'm kind of a succinct way the

26:50 There is there's a freedom in in the artwork that that created Created that freedom to reimagine how things might be a lot of poster art and show screen art at

27:15 Are pop art contemporary is often much more predictable and and less in my opinion less from that time. Even less inventive for me. I was encouraged to to try to see the world in in in a different kind of way and

27:43 The work as an architect, that's

27:47 Is that means?

27:50 Maybe has less visible impact it has offered.

28:00 The inside of to look for new ways to image things are Imagine things in photography. It's more of a more easily change the transfer or not in the literal sense. But in a way of looking at people in in spontaneous situations in public situations and and looking for the interaction between people and and uncharacteristic been unplanned composition set ended up having significance has by virtue of the people that were that where they are living their lives in some some kind of event or another.

28:39 I know from me.

28:44 The her work release fed my my feminism and and the growing feminist restlessness within the church. So, you know on some level that it led to us finally calling Connie parvi in 1972. She was the first woman ordained in the Lutheran church-missouri atmosphere and also was the first ordination at Harvard's Memorial Church interesting. It's around the same time that karita was having this Triumph of the the Rainbow swash on the on the Boston gas tank.

29:33 That's so that that was bringing women more into leadership roles. It was changing the language of worship to be more inclusive and and then one of the fruits in our church was because it's Protestants. We don't have the Mary images. We don't have the the whole sacred feminine was just erased from the Protestant church. So up a group of us working for a group of us.

30:06 Only two of them were professional artist worked with the the images of Mary's it come through and the in the event reading stuff of Mary's learning that she is pregnant of her running to share the news with her cousin Elizabeth of of of Mary being great with child and then and then giving birth and so we created with much trepidation these four panels that are still used in the church. It's real snake that creates a background for the the Advent Services throughout December right story progresses into the final which one got culminates with the with the birth and I still have Goosebumps when I think of it. Okay, we're going to create

31:06 Panel facing into a woman giving birth. That's the Christmas to her. And how are we going to do this in a way that the congregation can live with that final panel. It's just a light bursting out of her womb and and erasing all boundaries and it has a strong scriptural basis some love of the light coming into the world and it's a very strong visualization in the entire series is as a life expectancy may be beyond what you had imagined that the one you created. It wouldn't upset too many people and I hadn't thought so much cuz this

32:06 Was by now 1989 of how much we had to sink a create account for freeing and empowering us do this kind of work.

32:20 And you know just opening a space within our congregation for making making the gospel message new and totally relevant again, and again and again looking looking to what what's happening in the world now and and what does it cost to do with Christian?

32:54 That work was created just a few years after credits death as it turns out on the motivations The Inspirations in such that that her work at initially brought 20 years earlier.

33:19 At some now and I'm feeling very moved by that.

33:30 Yeah.

33:33 Thank you. Korita.

33:38 Hi, I'm dancing to Connie and thank you, you know everyone who?

33:45 Who had the vision and courage?

33:50 Break these old forms.

33:55 Yeah, it's important and importance that goes on and was not really obvious at the time as maybe most things aren't.

34:07 The energy continues

34:12 And we've been motivated to do some research and

34:26 I have a in front of me at this little souvenir. It's a it's a lucite clear queue with little paint chips in it blue. Orange green red yellow purple and

34:46 They are from the gas tank rainbow swash and I I don't even know what you're going to look at. The gas tank was first designed by carita and and painted in 1971. And of course there was this great uproar because people were sure that she had hidden the face of Ho Chi Minh and the outlines of of one of these swatches of color and that wasn't completely a crazy idea because her work always have some kind of a political and see a logical message. But when whatever year that it had to be repainted some organization had the creativity to gather up these pieces and preserve them in lucite the paint chips.

35:46 And I didn't mark what was the organization because I assumed the course I would remember and you know, it's clear how much how much we don't remember unless storycorps and always with a sensitive.

36:15 For me gratitude

36:20 The ones who went before me I ate I walked in and such ignorance and innocence and 1965 and and hair were these riches?

36:32 Waiting for me.

36:44 You have about four more minutes if you want to last thoughts.

36:51 I don't know that have much that to add that we haven't already.

36:56 Talked about

37:00 But dumb

37:05 And I agree with your notion of walking your observation of walking into.

37:12 A situation in and becoming part of an energy and and I guess it's important to keep one's eyes open for that even maybe when when I was 22 or 25 or something that was more obvious that I was in a position to make changes and motivate to make changes, but I think that there are different kinds of ways that that

37:49 2

37:52 Introduce new ideas are fine new ideas, and and I enjoy finding new ideas. And and I

38:00 Enjoyed

38:02 Seeing them.

38:05 The circle closed with the exhibit of of Caritas work again that that I had first discovered in the sixties and now is maybe for the for the first time at the on the scale to be back in in the public eye and back in my awareness again it

38:29 So longer for 2, I'm really grateful that when you say the courage to make new changes. I will add that. I'm no longer Co congregate with you because when I was around the age the Creator was when she realized she had it had to leave her Convent. I left the church with the blessing of the church because my my feminism and my Christianity weren't cohabiting was changing.

39:06 Faster and it was actually with the blessing of I remember Krister stendahl saying to me when you pray to God the Father your Percheron yourself and it was it made me cry, you know that he got it and you know that

39:28 As it role model of of other other women having to leave an institution that no longer fit something. Well, encourage my personal I love getting together again. It's been very good and very good.