Lately, I have come to understand that the value of any human being resides in his capacity to absorb and transform the elements received from the diverse schools of life. What a wonderful world!
In the beginning was The Word, and
The word was spread around the globe
In many languages
For the use of human beings.
Go and spread what you have learned,
For it will make humanity stand a little taller, and,
Your passage on planet earth
Will not be in vain
Honorees, Ladies and Gentlemen here present, it has been a pleasure to share the insightful values of what we’ve all learned on our mother’s knee:
Today, I would like to take you to another world and share the journey with some of the children of other cultures who like you, this day, are walking barefoot. Unlike you, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and the following one, they will still be walking barefoot to school, because of their poverty.
In many countries the child’s first pair of shoes is a gift longtime remembered and cherished. It is a rite of passage. I see that the purpose of your actions is to understand others. By doing this you are learning to see the world in a different way. So as you help others through this rite of passage, you, yourself are also maturing.
From the beginning, the creation of the sculpture revolved around the question “Who is to hold the cross?” We tend to see the death of Jesus through Michelangelo’s Pieta, the portrayal of Mary, the mother, holding the lifeless body of her Son. But in the reality of this journey, we are closer to the weaknesses of Mary Magdalene than to the holiness of the Mother of Jesus.
At the invitation of Rev. Greg Ronning, Marika gave a chapel talk to give tribute to Women’s History Month. The title of the presentation is “The Quiet Strength”.
Click here to see Texas Lutheran University’s YouTube video of the presentation: The Quiet Strength
Click here to hear the presentation:
Excerpt from presentation:
The title of my presentation is:
The Quiet Strength
The life of a woman is like a Carousel
This is a truth that follows a woman
from childhood, through puberty, to womanhood.
The sculpture you see here is “Carousel of Women’s Life.”
Twelve years ago, after a period of reflection, I set out with mallet, chisel, and wood to tell a story. The nature of wood is to guide the sculptor’s hands that hold the mallet and chisel. Thus it left six women on a raft floating on the uncertain seas of life searching to discover:
What is the life of a woman?
Is there a meaning to our struggle?
What do we bring to humanity?
From babyhood, to motherhood, to the dusk of life, this sculpture portrays the strengths and struggles of women to overcome the shackles of Madison Avenue appetites, the distractions of the flotsam and jetsam of this world, and the blasphemies of false prophets. They rise to the call to nurture, guide, and move humanity through uncharted waters.
This podcast is from Marika’s presentation to the Upward Bound Program students at the University of Texas at El Paso Union Cinema on Saturday, April 16, 2011. On the preceding day, Marika made the presentation at the Riverside High School, Ysleta Independent School District and then at the Chapin High School, El Paso Independent School District.
Click here to hear the presentation:
Upward Bound Program
Union Cinema
Upward Bound Students
Marika with Maria Yanar
Riverside High School
Marika receiving certificate of appreciation from Rick Boisselier and Melissa Barba-Espinosa
Dr. Richard Padilla
Riverside High School Students
Chapin High School
Teacher Ana Valdez and Chapin High School Students
Recently, Marika at the request of the University of Texas El Paso Art Department made a presentation to Professor Dave McIntyre’s class “Methods of Teaching Art”.
Marika urged the future teachers of Texas children:
“Along your path
As an artist: share ideas
As a teacher: encourage each creative spirit
As a creative person: continue to learn and appreciate life’s lessons.”
Marika Fine Arts 