The Glen West, 2014 conference on the arts and spirituality was unlike any conference I had attended. It was the photography section that drew me, but there was much more to learn about than photography. For example see my review of the book The Burning Word here. The photography instructor was this great guy, Michael Wilson (www.michaelwilsonphotography.com). Here he is searching for a computer file to show us.
There was some special fun to be had in class at times.
For your reading enjoyment let me mention two books that Michael encouraged us to read, both by Robert Adams, Beauty in Photography and Why People Photograph. I hope to review both of these in a future post.
For a conference related to both religion and arts it is difficult to imagine a better place than Santa Fe. It is filled with galleries (none of which I had time to visit) and historic churches. I visited the Bascilica Cathedral of St. Francis twice, the first time only outside and the second time inside as well.
On a free day many of us went to visit some more historic sites like the El Santuario de Chemayo, a place known for healings and considered very sacred by many.
People have left many signs of their visit tied to fences and any other objects. The chapel area is full of crutches and other signs of healing, but no pictures were allowed inside else I would have received some.
I chose to explore the area around the sanctuary and discovered some interesting sites like this one:
Later in the day, after visiting Taos, we encountered this old bridge crossing the Rio Grande River. Who would want to drive across this?
Prior to the conference I spent a couple of days with friends in Albuquerque. The area is filled with native sites. We visited the Acoma site and learned about the people who have lived on high mesas for centuries.
People are small in those landscapes.
I conclude with a view from St. John’s College where the conference was held.
