"Doorways to Democracy" Art Show Raises Awareness of Peaceful Activism
The handwritten and painted invitations for the June 7 “Doorways to Democracy” art show read:
“We are a collaborative community of artists, activists, and concerned citizens. We worked on this project to raise awareness of actions we take for our nations…. We hope you can join our conversation.”
Hosted by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, the project debut was a day of inspirational art, music, and camaraderie for local community members.
The creativity witnessed was the result of 20 artists transforming 20 salvaged church doors into powerful visual calls to civic action. According to the League of Women Voters, each of the 20 antique doors were once part of the historic community and dated back to 1891.
“We did the doors project about democracy because it matters,” said Faith McLuckie, an artist with Visability Art Lab in Rockville, Maryland. “A lot of people are disagreeing and arguing. I think people have to listen to each other.”
Faith began learning about Mattie during “Mama Peace Chat” sessions at Main Street Connect – an inclusive apartment and programming community – also in Rockville, Maryland. “Mattie wanted peace in the world, and me, too,” she noted.
So she decided to include a Mattie quote as the inspiration for her door. The quote she chose was “Ask someone what they want to talk about, and then listen… really listen.” (Mattie J.T. Stepanek).
Faith’s door features a person “listening” – with a hand on both their heart and at their ear. When viewers look through the window panes on the door, they see the Mattie quote – encouraging them to “really listen” to others.
“His quote was important to put on the door because he wanted people to really listen to what’s in other people’s hearts and minds,” she said. “Mattie enjoyed life, and also he enjoyed everyone in the community.”
On a side note, Faith also said that she used to be afraid of dogs, but she was inspired by Mattie’s courage in life. She knew that he had a service dog, Micah, and said that Mattie’s courage inspired her own, and now she is the proud owner of “Snowball” – a furry little canine addition to the family.
Photos from the June 7 "Doorways to Democracy" Art Show
