{"id":7917,"date":"2020-05-19T07:22:58","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T12:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=7917"},"modified":"2020-05-11T14:50:30","modified_gmt":"2020-05-11T19:50:30","slug":"may-24-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/may-24-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"May 24, 2020–That We May Be One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ginger Litman-Koon, Mt. Pleasant, SC<\/strong><\/p>\n

Warm-up Question<\/b><\/p>\n

How do you see people becoming divided during the pandemic? How have you seen people coming together?<\/p>\n

That We May Be One<\/b><\/p>\n

The global pandemic has caused communities around the world to put social distancing and isolation measures in place. These measures have proven effective in keeping people apart, and, therefore, reducing the spread of COVID-19. Artists across the globe, however, have not allowed social distancing to squelch the unifying effect of art. Musicians began to share their musical gifts, either from their front door or through the web. One video of opera singer Maurizio Marchini performing an aria from his balcony in Italy, one of the hardest-hit countries in the world, went viral and brought joy to both his neighbors, as well as audiences across the web.<\/p>\n

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Photographers have also been employing their talents to lift people up and bring communities together. In Minneapolis, photographer Scott Streble began what he calls the Front Porch Project<\/a>, to document this memorable time in our shared history. No matter what our families, homes, or lives look like right now, one thing we can share is the experience of \u201cquarantine,\u201d as the national social-distancing efforts have been commonly termed. In New York City, the worst-hit metropolitan area in the US, artist Arina Voronova created a street-art campaign called Act of Love<\/a>, showing different couples sharing a kiss while wearing surgical masks. Her goal was simply to spread love in a difficult time. Her campaign is just one of many which uses art to lift spirits and create a sense of solidarity amidst the stress and isolation of pandemic.<\/p>\n

Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n