#849 + 12 February 2019 + Abraham Lincoln ENTERED the world + ELEgancE #12 2019 Catherine L. Johnson + Henry Threadgill’s “CELEBRATION”

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE + FOR DETAIL

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

ELEgancE #12                                                                                              Catherine L. Johnson 2019

An improvisational performance of gold pencil on black paper.

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

HENRY THREADGILL

https://www.henrythreadgill.com/

X

X

X

Celebrating Henry:

A Threadgill Festival

https://walkerart.org/calendar/2019/celebrating-henry-a-threadgill-festival

15 February + 16 February 2019

@

WALKER ART CENTER

X

X

Walker Art Center  McGuire Theater 

15 February 2019

Henry Threadgill’s birthday

 

Philip Bither / Henry Threadgill / Michelle Kinney   (CLJ)

X

Henry Threadgill / CLJ / Anthony Cox  

X

 

Anthony Cox honoring Henry Threadgill on his birthday

acknowledging Threadgill’s improvisational gifts, inspiration and his legacy.

X

Anthony’s arrangement of Threadgill’s  ‘Paper Toilet’.

X

 

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

My maternal Grandfather,

Emil Cottor,

gifted me

Abraham Lincoln

bookends

when I was 7 years old.

X

A gift before my next scheduled

reconstructive orthopedic surgery.

X

My

beloved

Dr. Mark B. Coventry,

Mayo Clinic,

provided me

the life template of Abraham Lincoln

as a blueprint of living

a life of honor, respect, grace and vision

navigating

a life of adversity.

X

The evening before surgery was always a time of me entering a sacred space.

X

Grandpa Cottor,

after THE ceremonious “pre-surgery” dinner

my Mother prepared

attended by my sister and brothers,

Lynne, Bill Blake,

presented me

a wrapped box with satin ribbons.

X

I was a wide-eyed child:

everything was wonder and awe and fear and courage.

The box was very, very, very heavy.

I opened it slowly and carefully,

rapt with anticipation,

and

when I saw

the busts of Abraham Lincoln,

I was overwhelmed with joy.

I burst out crying an ocean of joy!

Crying was not easy for me – living in body casts stifled crying.

X

Grandpa Cottor KNEW Abraham Lincoln

was a signal,

a  secret code,

a dynamic symbol to me.

The fact of my Grandpa’s knowing

rushed

the feelings of being seen and loved

throughout

my body.

X

On 12th February,

  when I was home from the hospital,

my Mother,  Doris Cottor Johnson Omlie,

always had a birthday cake

celebrating

the life of my childhood hero.

 

X

X

X

X

GRACE LOVE.

AWE LOVE.

WONDER LOVE.

DIGNITY.

RADICAL HOPE.

VISIONARY.

INTEGRITY.

COMPASSION.

COURAGE.

Cœur.

 

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

Catherine Louise Johnson

X

Catherine –  meaning “pure, clear”. 

I was named in honor of my maternal grandmother:

Edna Catherine Strand Cottor.

My Grandma Cottor was an elegant and extraordinary force of life.

  She was confined to bed at 53 y/o with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Her body was frozen in the space of her bed.

Grandma Cottor’s remarkable creative intelligence

explored/ traveled the world and beyond.

Her body was frail and her presence radiated colossal. 

X

Louise – meaning “famous warrior, renowned fighter”.

I was named in honor of my paternal grandmother:

Florence Louise Knoblach Johnson.

X

Johnson – I kept my Daddy’s last name in honor of him,

Richard Harold Johnson,

who fought for me and my rights to thrive while living in hospitals

My Daddy was killed in a car accident when he was 32.

I kept the last name Johnson in honor of my Daddy’s brother,

William Henry Johnson,

a WWII pilot, who was killed at 23 y/o in his B-17

– safely returning his crew in his heavily damaged plane,

flying over the cliffs of Dover from a bombing mission.

He ordered his remarkable crew to bail out.

Uncle Bill’s faltering plane was heading toward a farmhouse

with a family waving their arms.

Uncle Bill, at 23 years old. made the decision to avert the farmhouse

and

he went down with his plane.

 

I was told, multiple times, 

by my Daddy’s family how they were 

PROUD

that I kept the name

JOHNSON

with fortitude, grace, honor and respect

of those before me

who lived their lives known

by the name

JOHNSON.

X

My beloved

– Johnson side –

cousin “sister”

and

niece to my Daddy,

Connie Cates Shella,

lived, persevered and endured

with

grace, love and valor.

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/847-she-in-the-dark-found-light-brighter-than-many-ever-see-connie-cates-shella-5-september-1954-23-january-2019/

X

X

X

I am aware,

at my age now,

I could be my Daddy’s parent

and

I could be my Uncle Bill’s aunt.

Yet, they are forever monumental to me.

X

I can only hope

I live the life

that echoes the names I was given

and

amplify the templates

I was provided as a blueprint,

a vision,

to rise

in my own life.

 

X

X

NAMING

“Words are things.

You must be careful, careful about calling people

out of their names,

using racial pejoratives and sexual pejoratives and all that ignorance.

Don’t do that.

Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words.

I think they are things.

They get on the walls.

They get in your wallpaper.

They get in your rugs,

in your upholstery,

and

your clothes,

and

finally in to

you.”

 Maya Angelou

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

 

WEARELOVEAWCCLJROLLEDDINMUDROLLEDINGOLDOVERANDOVERBEAUTIFUL

X
X
X

Read Full Post »