‘Masonic fine arts festival coming to Virginia’

     
Ah, the first day of Spring is near, but looking ahead already to Autumn we see the Association of Masonic Arts will hold its second Apollo Festival, a celebration of the fine arts in Freemasonry. From the publicity:

We are beyond excited to announce that the Association of Masonic Arts will be holding the second Apollo Festival, a gathering of international Masonic Artists, from September 28 through October 1 at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.

The greatest Masonic artists from around the world all in one place. We hope to see you there!


And:

Courtesy Henry W. Coil Library & Museum

Apollo, as depicted on the frontispiece

of Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723.

In the history of the Freemasonry, Apollo appeared on the frontispiece of the Masonic Constitution from 1723, engraved by our extraordinarily talented Brother John Pine.

In honor of our beginning and all reach symbolism related to Apollo, we decided to choose Apollo for symbolic presentation and patron of the World Festival of Masonic Arts.

The first Festival of Masonic Arts was hosted by Grand Orient of Brazil from 15th to 20th of September 2015 in the capital Brasilia. It was organized under the personal patronage of MW Marcos Jose da Sylva, with the invaluable help of our Grand Ambassador RW Brother Paulo Alves Koo, and Honorable Ambassadors Jose Arimateia Soares de Almeida, Jose Eduardo de Miranda, and thousands of Brazilian brethren, supporting the Festival.

Do visit the Association’s website to learn more about this, and to see the lengthy, and presumably impressive, roster of participants. And get to Alexandria to enjoy this festival! Judging from the international presence of the Association’s membership, there is no telling where future events will be held, so take advantage of the convenience of attending in Virginia.

     

‘Yesterday, today, and tomorrow in the new Journal’

     

Issue No. 25 of The Journal of The Masonic Society is reaching members’ mailboxes now, so here is my latest reminder to you to join the Society and start enjoying the benefits of being part of a dynamic Masonic fraternity that thinks highly enough of you to publish the best magazine in the English-speaking Masonic world.

Of course I cannot be unbiased.

In this issue of The Journal:

In “Worthy of Being Worn: The Importance of Masonic Regalia,” Patrick Craddock—a one-man cottage industry in the design and manufacture of Masonic aprons and other textiles—renders an illustrated history of the evolution of what we call “the badge of a Mason.” Patrick, whose apron enterprise has been so successful he has been able to make it his livelihood, explains the artistry and industry of 19th century aprons, and takes us to the present day with the importance the “Observant Mason” assigns to this highly personal ritual garment.

In his “From the Editor” Column, our Executive Editor, Michael Halleran, who happens to be Grand Master of Kansas in his spare time, suggests “colonization” be employed to save struggling lodges that are short on manpower. In colonization, participating brethren of nearby lodges petition for affiliation in the troubled lodge “with the express purpose of revitalizing it.” Once elected to this plural membership, the “colonists” take up the labors of remedying the problems the lodge faces. It won’t work in every case, Halleran concedes, but it can be a more attractive option than consolidation or, naturally, going dark.

Checking in from Down Under, Kent Henderson brings us up to date on “How Masonic Education Has Transformed Freemasonry in Australia,” in which he notes real life examples of how the Craft there made candidate comprehension of Masonic ritual and symbol key to his advancement to the next degree. Not sweaty haste to push through as many as possible to prop up lodges with fresh blood—which we all know does not work—but instead thoughtful instruction and measured progress. Kent knows about such things. If you are keen on these European Concept and Traditional Observance movements, you owe Ken and his brethren at Lodge Epicurean a round of drinks, because they pioneered it all at the close of the last century. Get the magazine to read exactly how man-made miracles are wrought in the Land of Oz.

Speaking of Masonic education, those of us who may not be able to visit San Francisco any time soon have the benefit of hearing from Adam Kendall, Collections Manager and Curator of Exhibits at the Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum at the Grand Lodge of California, for his highlight of the upcoming exhibition there titled “The Masonic Art of Education.” This will showcase historic tracing boards, modern tracing boards painted by Angel Millar, floor cloths, Magic Lantern images, and other visual arts the fraternity has embraced over the centuries to explain this thing of ours to initiates.

And speaking of timeless customs, author John Bizzack of Kentucky remembers “Nine Lost Traditions in Freemasonry,” in which he guides us through elements of lodge life that recall a much larger time. Some of these you may have seen (Chain of Union); some you may have heard of (Purging the Lodge); and others may be news to you.

In the back of the book, José O. Diaz of Ohio State University leads us on a tour of the library of Lancaster Lodge No. 57 in Ohio. This ain’t some locked barrister bookcase of untouched 100-year-old Mackey books. Lancaster Lodge’s library has survived inundations and conflagrations to pass to posterity its treasures, and Diaz tells a most inspiring story.

Throughout the pages, this issue of The Journal delivers Letters to the Editor, Book Reviews, Masonic Collectibles by Yasha Beresiner, and other attractions that make The Journal of The Masonic Society the most accessible periodical you’ll find. Membership in the Society confers much more than the quarterly Journal. Check us out. Everybody says it’s the best $39 you’ll spend in Masonry.
     

‘California streamin’ ’

    
Bro. Adam Kendall should be cloned, and his clones deployed and employed at Masonic museums everywhere. Until then, he is sharing his great enthusiasm for the history, symbolism, and material culture of Freemasonry via the web, so those of us who cannot get to San Francisco may benefit yet from the Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum’s vast collections and the amassed expertise of its caretakers.

From the publicity:

History Comes to You

The Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum of Freemasonry has just announced the first in a series of online Masonic history webinars. On Tuesday, March 19, from 7 to 8 p.m. PST, the Library and Museum will present “Invoking the Muses: Understanding and Appreciating Masonic Material Culture.”

The webinar will provide a historical overview of the aesthetics of Masonic decorative arts, and their essential role within the research of Freemasonry and fraternalism. Attendees will learn how to create meaningful narratives for their lodges’ histories, as well as tips for displaying Masonic artifacts.

This free online course will be hosted by Adam Kendall, collections manager at the Library and Museum. To register, contact akendall(at)freemason.org with your name and primary e-mail address.

    

‘A physical representation’

     

I feel like I’m the last one to have seen it, but just in case, let me bring to your attention the Grand Lodge of California’s excellent short film that was posted to YouTube two months ago. Titled Emblems of Innocence and Honor: The Masonic Apron, it runs just about ten minutes and does an excellent, credible job of explaining the evolution of the Masonic apron, thanks to interviews with Dr. Aimee Newell of the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington, Massachusetts; Bro. Adam Kendall, of the Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum of Freemasonry in San Francisco; and Bro. Patrick Craddock, proprietor of The Craftsman’s Apron.

The title of this edition of The Magpie Mason quotes Craddock. In the final minute of the video, he explains his role as a craftsman of bespoke Masonic regalia. “I want to create aprons that a brother says ‘This is me. This is a physical representation of my commitment to the Craft.’ ”

I guess there’s no sense reading about it when you can watch it–and I’ll spare you my obligatory rant about New Jersey Masonry, where no lodge or brother has the freedom to commission aprons that speak to individuality. Enjoy.