Category Archives: art

House of Sticks

Posted on September 14, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Sculptor Patrick Dougherty says, “From childhood we already know everything we need to know about sticks.” We have a large vocabulary about what to do with sticks and how to make things out of them. We pick them up, make … Continue reading →

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Stickwork, part 2

Posted on September 11, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

This is week two of three of the sculpture project at Saint John’s University. I went back on Friday and helped with the second step of the project, which was the stripping of the saplings. Three days of gathering willow … Continue reading →

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Stickwork

Posted on September 5, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

One of the highlights of our trip in March to New York was a walk through the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, where we came across a large-scale sculpture made of twigs. I like this kind of nature-based art in the style … Continue reading →

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First Person

Posted on June 21, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Last night at the workshop I’m attending, we had a visit from Patricia Hampl, a wonderful memoir writer who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. She spoke to us about the first person, particularly the first person essay. Writing in the … Continue reading →

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Carpenter Gothic

Posted on June 16, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I work as administrator of a small retreat center, the Episcopal House of Prayer, in Collegeville, Minnesota. It was built in 1990, part of a strong tradition of ecumenical collaboration that happened at Saint John’s Abbey, who lease us the land on very … Continue reading →

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Memoir, or: Why Are You Telling Me This?

Posted on June 7, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

In 10 days I’m attending a week-long writing workshop for women who write memoir about faith. For all of us, the faith is Christianity, and Lauren Winner, the author of the books Girl Meets God and Still and a religion professor at … Continue reading →

Posted in art, poetry, writing | 5 Comments

Next: Now Playing Until September 9

Posted on June 3, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I just got back from a quick trip to Chicago. While there, I seriously lucked out and got to go to Grant Achatz’s restaurant Next for a preview dinner with my brother. My brother is a wine salesman and both a … Continue reading →

Posted in art, recipe, reviews | 4 Comments

Upholstery Field Trip

Posted on March 2, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

There’s a mysterious place known to everyone around here who has gone to Quarry Park; it looks like a castle and big glass building up on a gigantic pile of granite. We had heard that it was a school, and … Continue reading →

Posted in art, St. Joseph, the Farm | 2 Comments

Everything is a Story

Posted on February 14, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I googled Jonathan Harris tonight, looking for more information on the founder of http://cowbird.com. What I knew about him from reading his stories on cowbird was that he has quite a following, is prolific in terms of photography and storytelling (557 … Continue reading →

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The Furniture Studio

Posted on January 27, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

One of the things I love about Steve is his creative drive and vision. I also love that he just does things, though sometimes the scope of them scares me. I tend to fret and get overwhelmed easily by big … Continue reading →

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