IHM: Ministry of the Month March 2009

Ministry of the Month - March 2009

IHMs In Action

Sister Judy (left) and Keyonsis Olds show the "Glorious Flutterer"
they created for the Dallas County Arts Alliance Butterfly Project.
It's on display in Selma's historic district.
Sister Judith (Norma Jean) Kaiser, IHM, wears different hats in her ministry.

She tutors and serves as art director for the St. Edmund Learning Center (SELC) in Selma, Ala., where she works with both children and adults in art and literacy programs.

She is also a gifted and prolific artist.

Sister Judy's art features vivid, bold colors and subjects as diverse as chili peppers, frogs, wolves,
and a "Southwest Treasures" collage. Her work has gained recognition. The Selma Art Guild honored her as the "Artist of the Month" in January.

Primarily self-taught, Sister Judy loved to color and draw growing up in Detroit.

"I used to get upset because my drawings didn't look like what I wanted them to," she recalls. She didn't become a serious artist until she arrived in Selma 15 years ago and enrolled in art classes.

A few summers ago, she was encouraged to enter a picture for an Art Guild calendar, and her work was among the 12 selected. "My work has been kind of snowballing ever since," Sister Judy notes.

Last summer, she participated in "The Diva Art Show," featuring works by local women artists in Selma. Her "Southwest Treasures" collage won first place in a division of the Selma Art Guild's Juried Summer Art Show. She has also received numerous art awards at the Central Alabama Fair.

Since Sister Judy first started taking lessons, she has become very versatile, working with a variety of media, including ceramics, oil, pastels, watercolor, pencils - even Sharpie markers.

"I see my art as a ministry because it brings a diverse group of people together," says Sister Judy. "Art helps people find their God-given talent and builds self-esteem and confidence for both children and adults."

Recently, Sister Judy was among three dozen artists chosen to paint butterfly sculptures for the Dallas County Arts Alliance Butterfly Project. The five-foot-tall wooden butterflies are placed throughout Selma's downtown historic district. She worked with SELC art teacher Keyonsis Olds on the butterfly, "Glorious Flutterer."

If you would like to partner with the IHM Sisters in support of their ministries, secure online giving is available.

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