On Tuesday I attended the funeral of The Revd Kathryn Robinson at St John's Leytonstone, where Kathryn had been curate and Associate Minister. Kathryn and I worked together for four years as Art Advisors for the Barking Episcopal Area.
When appointed as the Barking Episcopal Area Performing Arts Adviser, Bishop David Hawkins wrote the following in regard to Kathryn and her role:
The relationship of the arts to Christian worship, witness and ministry is not in doubt, and involves individuals and churches across all traditions. Whilst there are many examples of excellence and good practice in the Barking Area these are often uncoordinated and would benefit from support and encouragement. There would be benefit from sharing good practice and learning from other people’s experience, both good and less successful.
Last year I initiated a network of fine artists and sculptors under the title commission4mission. It has been my aspiration for several years to initiate a complimentary network of those in the Barking Area engaging with the performing arts. Over the past six years I have come across musicians, directors, mime artists and story tellers of different ages and ethnicities – including a number of clergy. I am aware there will be many more performers within our churches that as yet I do not know.
I have recently identified a self supporting clergy person, The Revd Kathryn Robinson who has experience and professional background in Research and Development and the creative arts. Kathryn is offering to the Barking Area, two days a week to help network, co-ordinate, and promote good practice around the Episcopal Area. She will continue to be supported by St John’s Church Leytonstone where she has served her curacy. She has the backing of her Training Incumbent, Raymond Draper, who is supportive of this project. It is well known that the creative arts, especially at community level, tend to flourish in times of recession. As you know Raymond Draper is our Diocesan Lead Adviser on recession and redundancies. Kathryn’s appointment would therefore complement his particular role within the Diocese. Kathryn will continue to serve at St John’s Leytonstone as an Associate Minister.”
Kathryn and I would meet at Horizon Patisserie in Leytonstone to plan arts activity. We realised early on that, if we worked with a group of churches in an area with an existing arts festival we could easily create church-based arts festivals and make use of synergies in marketing and publicity. This proved to be an exciting and effective model.
We began the Barking Episcopal Area Arts Festival in 2011 which involved quality events from a variety of Arts genre as a way of embracing and celebrating the performing/and visual arts and engaging with local communities, their people and arts culture. The Festival was organised annually but in a different part of the Episcopal Area each year and in parallel with already established community arts festivals. In 2011 the Festival ran in parallel with the Leytonstone Festival, in 2012 with the Woodford Festival and in 2013 with the Heart 4 Harlow Festival.The fourth Festival was called the H’Art Festival and ran in parallel to the Hornchurch Festival of Arts & Heritage.
It was a great pleasure to work with Kathryn, who was insightful, committed, caring and creative. She will be much missed by all who knew her.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walthamstow Acoustic Massive - Express Symphony.
