“Holding the Light.” 16×16″. Acrylic on canvas. ©Amy Livingstone
From my June newsletter:
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
-Emma Lazarus
As we witness the ongoing assault on our immigrant communities, Emma Lazarus’s poem came to mind and the beauty of Lady Liberty—holding her torch high and welcoming the stranger to these shores. I imagine my grandmother on a ship that brought her here from Sweden and seeing this “Mother of Exiles,” as she approached her new homeland. We are all immigrants. Coming from all directions seeking refuge and new possibilities, as symbolized by the compass at the center of the mandala. I chose the copper as the Statue of Liberty is made of copper and it is also an ancient metal favored by the alchemists that has healing properties.
“Any act of courage is a flame lit against that darkness. . . .Every time you refuse to let the world look away, you light a flame.” -Noor Pahlavi, speaking at the Oslo Freedom Forum recently. She is the granddaughter of the last Shah of Iran and has lived her life in exile. You can view her inspiring talk here.
May we each hold the light, the torch, and find the courage to build the necessary bridges to ensure a peaceful and just world for all. This is my hope and my prayer.
The painting will need to be digitally scanned and prints will be forthcoming.
With love and solidarity,
Amy
