Charlotte MacDonald- Shrine

 I am really fortunate to not have lost any loved ones. But this made me at a loss for what to do for my shrine. I went out on a walk around W&L and stopped and some point. There I gathered three rocks and stacked them large to small. In doing that I reflected how it was a little reminder to those who pass that someone else had been there.

This stacking of rocks has been something that I have done since I was little. I loved taking walks and hikes on my farm and anywhere else. I don’t necessarily do this every walk, but every so often I will.

In doing this again at W&L I realized that this is what I wanted my shrine to be. It is always three stones that I find in the area I make the stack. I have always like the simplicity of it, how it comes from nature and that it doesn’t last. It is made for that moment and to exist until it is disturbed.

In making my shrine I decided that I would go out and find my stones and that they didn’t have to all come from the same place. This is the real difference between my shrine and the ones I commonly make on the side of a path. The first stone I found was the middle one. It is slate grey but has a slash of white at the end. This stone really inspired my search for the rest. I wanted the biggest stone, which rests on the bottom as the base to also be my base as my past. It is where I have come from and makes me who I am. The middle stone would then be my present, where I currently am. And the smallest will be my future. The middle stone is mostly slate grey so I chose the bottom stone to be a similar color. That represents that my past helps to define my present. The white is the future. It is a small part of my present so it exists, but it is not all of it. Then the future is entirely the white crystal because it is unknown and undefined.

This process was interesting because it has given a new meaning to something that I do and have always done. There was not a ton of meaning behind these three stone stacks before but now every time I build one it will be a little temporary shrine till it is disturbed.

My Shrine- Pauline Marting

When I was first confronted with the idea that I was going to have to craft a personal shrine for this class, I was completely at a loss for what I should make it to. Luckily, no one in my family has passed away recently, and I was too young to remember my last pet that passed away. Though I consider myself very fortunate in these matters, it did make my brainstorming process slightly more difficult. I finally decided to craft a shrine that would be a memorial to two things; first, my grandmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's ten years ago, and second, to the place that we would go for every spring break on vacation: a little island just south of cuba named Grand Cayman. For a year or so leading up to her diagnosis, my grandmother became incapable of remembering important details, like if she was supposed to pick me up at school. As her condition began to deteriorate, she could no longer accompany us on the long plane rides to the island, and it became more difficult for her to move around. Around the same time, the Ritz Carlton set up a resort in Grand Cayman, and with the Ritz came enormous amounts of tourists. Georgetown, the capital of the island, was completely overcrowded with people from cruise ships, and new malls and attractions were being built up all over the island. Only a year or two after we stopped going to the Cayman islands with my grandmother, we stopped going altogether as a family because we couldn't stand all of the crowds. The outside of my shrine is covered in pamphlets, postcards and photos from the island. Two of my grandmother's favorite attractions were the turtle farm and the botanical garden, though unfortunately the turtle farm was badly damaged during hurricane Ivan. Inside my shrine I have several family photos taken during our various vacations on the island, as well as shells that we collected from the beach. There is also a treasure chest of sorts which contains more shells and additionally, pieces of jewelry that my grandmother gave to me before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Finally, I have a CD from one of our favorite island performers, George Nowak. Under the name The Barefoot Man, Nowak lives and performs on Grand Cayman as well as on neighboring islands, and I grew up listening to his music. I even had the chance to meet him one night at dinner, and my first question to my parents was why he was wearing shoes if he was The Barefoot Man. It's very sad to me that the island that I grew up with and loved is no longer in existence; it also saddens me that my grandmother can't remember the many years we spent there together. This shrine really helps remind me though of the wonderful times that I had with her on the island, times that I will forever cherish. 

A memorial to my great grandfather

When I found out that I had to create a personal shrine or memorial, I began to think of past family members, who taught me something related to our class on memorials. The relative I decided to memorialize is my great grandfather. I was very fortunate as both my great grandfather and great grandmother lived well into their 90’s making them apart of my life through the first half of my teenage years.

My great grandfather and I always built things together. We built things of all shapes and sizes, but we always made them out of wood. During spring term a few fraternity brothers and I went to work building wooden benches. While building the benches I thought to myself, why not make one of these benches a memorial to my great grandfather. My great grandfather is the reason I knew how to make these benches, so I figured it would be appropriate. 

            I mentioned that my great grandfather and I would always build out of wood; there is a very specific reason for this medium. From as young as I can remember I recall going over to my great grandfather’s house, spending time helping him in his wood workshop. For my family, my great grandfather crafted tables, chairs, bedframes, drawers, etc. Most of the things he crafted at home served a practical application, which is one of the main reasons I chose the bench as my memorial. Woodwork was not only a hobby for my great grandfather, it was his job. The quote on the bench: “ In memory of the man who shared his passion and skill” serves a reminder that not only did my great grandfather love what he was doing, he shared it and passed it on.

My great grandfather worked as the president of Huckins Yachts, A company that dates back to the 1920’s, when it was founded by my great great grandfather. The Yachts were made out of wood all the way until the 1970’s; when fiberglass became the demand. I have also included photos of an old unfinished wooden hull, a yacht that was completed in the 1960’s, and a PT boat that my great grandfather had created for the Navy in World War 2. 

While a bench, fails in comparison to a yacht, the woodworking skills I used to create the bench are directly from my great grandfather, the man I miss and wanted to memorialize for our class.

- Chris

 

Shrine- Charlie Karp

           When we were assigned the project I knew that I would dedicate mine to my grandfather, or Pop-pop as I fondly referred to him. He passed away in 2010 at age seventy-seven from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS. The specific visual vocabulary used in the shrine commemorates the essence of what made him my Pop-pop and the sorrow I felt in his absence.

            The button down shirt is the largest component of the shrine and represents the well-dressed and shopping powerhouse, which was my Pop-pop, and my most distinct and personal memories of him. Pop-pop was not especially religious nor did he celebrate birthdays. Every summer my family and I traveled to California to visit him and our grandmother and every winter he came to Chicago to visit. It was our time spent together that he enjoyed celebrating. So, with each trip we would take a shopping day. He enjoyed passing on his love of shopping to my two sisters and me. We shopped with veracity that I have found to be unmatched by any other partner. It was particularly special because these days were often the only days of the trip that I had Pop-pop all to myself. Shopping however, does not solely bring happy memories. The last time Pop-pop and I shopped together, I noticed a change in him. He could no longer shop for hours, running to and from the changing room bringing more clothes or store to store. Instead, he spent this trip sedentary on benches and chairs, for the first time he looked his seventy-seven years, if not more. Later that month he was diagnosed with ALS. In the eleven months following his diagnosis he lost all of his motor function and passed away.  

            The gloves attached to the shirt are symbolic of Pop-pop’s love for beauty and for his garden. Pop-pop and my grandmother lived in the Napa Valley part of the year. Pop-pop took extreme pride in his heirloom tomatoes, olive trees and peach tree.  His labor of love in his yard provided for his family and friends’ nourishment, entertainment and aesthetic pleasure. 

            

            This shrine serves as a reminder of the memories I hold dearest of my grandfather. The shrine was built with my most comprehensive memory of him, our shopping as it spanned through out entire relationship. It then expanded to include my most important associations with him. There are many other items that could have been included but I felt that a simpler design allowed the most important memories shine through. After I finished the project I realized that the life-like nature of the design makes the shrine a little eerie. However, upon further reflection I have realized that my design encapsulates my Pop-pop better than any other design I read about in Crafting Personal Shrines or thought of on my own. 

Shrine - Julia Arena

I created this shrine in honor of my father who passed away when I was six years old. In the process of creating the shrine, I kept lists of possible objects to insert into the shrine. When decorating the lid, I made a point to choose three different types of photographs--one of my parents, one of my entire family, and one of me with my Dad. The image in the middle of these is one of my favorite out of all our family photos. It was taken the farm my Dad built and loved to escape to on weekends. Though we still have the farm, we almost never go out there anymore. 

When it came to choosing objects to place inside the box, I had to narrow down some of my choices. I thought it would be nice to put another image of just me with my father since this shrine was created by me for him. Also, I put the photograph of the two of us in the main part of the box because my father gave me the shirt under the photo and it creates the visual link I wanted to show between the two of us. The round photograph is an older one that I always keep by my bedside table. This particular photograph has traveled with me to camp, school, and back home. Strewn on top of the shirt are two rosaries. Though we are not Catholic, some of our friends came and said the rosary at my father's bedside right before he died. These are the rosaries they used. 

 This shirt is the most significant part of the shrine. My father brought it back from Spain for me when I was very young. Even though it was too big, it quickly became my favorite shirt. Looking at the shirt in person, it is very worn out and even has small holes. This shirt has a lot of deep sentimental value for me and I am very attached to it.

The most difficult part in creating the shrine was finding something to put all of the small trinkets and photos I acquired to honor my father. I made a list of his likes or of objects I associated with him. My father had a huge love for chocolate. When I say he loved chocolate, I mean he REALLY loved chocolate. THerefore, nothing seemed more appropriate than to use an empty chocolate box to contain the shrine to my father.

My Shrine to My Grandpa by Erica Schiller

   I know I've talked about my grandpa a few times in class, but I just want to say a few words about him before I start talking about my shrine itself.  My Grandpa Dom was a wonderful man, a member of the Navy and a Vietman veteran who was discharged with honors.  He and my grandma fit together like two sides of the same coin, and he was a warm, loving man who was devoted to his family.  As a builder who owned his own construction business, he literally built the roof over my head--my family's current home was built by him and his company.
   As the oldest of six grandkids, I remember him most out of all of them.  Even my brother, the next oldest, doesn't have nearly as distinct memories as I do.  So, I feel a unique obligation to remember him in a way the rest of my generation of the family can't.  His is the only major loss I've ever really experienced. 
   I decided to build a pocket shrine because I wanted to have something I could carry with me.  I went down to a small store in town and bought a hollow locket with crosses on all sides.  Grandpa was a devout Christian; his faith was important, and I wanted the shrine to outwardly reflect that. 
   Inside, I placed a small figurine of an angel representing love.  What I remember most distinctly about my grandpa is his warm, loving nature; he loved to give hugs and was never spare with his affection.  I always looked forward to seeing him because he always had a piggy back ride or a big bear hug for me, even when I got older and it was tougher for him to swing me around like he used to.  I also placed a quote from George Eliot inside, "Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them."  He is not yet gone from my family's hearts, especially not my grandma's.  She often says she knows he is watching over us.
   The last two objects I placed inside relate directly to specific memories I have of him.  I used to ride around with him on his tractor, helping him mow the lawn and tow vegetables down to the farmer's market.  I put grass clippings inside for this reason.  The most distinct memory I have of my grandpa is when he taught me how to skip stones one summer up at the cottage.  When I mentioned I'd always wanted to learn, but that no one had time to teach me (my dad was teaching full time and my mom was in school for her PhD), he took my hand and walked me down the road to the shore of the lake, and we skipped stones until it was time for dinner. 
   Finally, I painted the inside of the cover white, and wrote "D + J" in it.  My grandpa, Dominick, and my grandma, Jan, were always so close.  She was a very important part of his life, and I wanted this shrine to show that in at least some small way. 
   Making this shrine was very emotional for me, very solemn, but I did enjoy it. 

A Shrine to Life Down Under- Megan Fricke

When I was assigned with this project, it took me a while to decide on what I was going to memorialize.  Thankfully, none of my close family members or friends have passed away, so I decided to focus on a personal event that has shaped the person that I am today: life in Sydney, Australia.  My dad used to work for Pepsi and Frito Lay, as they are sister companies.  His job within these companies required us to move frequently and not just within the United States.  After I was born in Dallas, Texas, my dad’s job then moved us to Detroit, Atlanta, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dallas again, and then Sydney, Australia.  It was in Sydney that I lived the longest I had ever lived in one particular place, which was for four years.  My shrine includes pictures and objects that demonstrate how my time “Down Under” made me the girl that I am today.

I decided to construct my shrine out of a boomerang, which is an Aboriginal hunting device. I taped various objects directly onto the boomerang, such coins, the Australian flag, and various examples of common roadside signs.  My family and I moved to Sydney when I was in Kindergarten.  I had not yet learned how to use coins, so my first experience with money and using my own money was with Australian currency, which is vastly different than American currency. The flag represents my early experience with Patriotism in Australia, as I was very loyal to Australia and its culture.  The constellation shown on the flag is the Southern Cross, which can only be seen in the Southern hemisphere and was a sight that I saw nightly.  I knew that Australian National Anthem before I had learned the American National Anthem, and I still struggle with the words today.  The signs that I taped on the boomerang show the vast wildlife that was common in the country.  These signs demonstrate how assimilated I was in the Australian culture.

I then included many photos that identify how this lifestyle molded my current personality.  Living in this remote part of the world allowed my family and I to travel to various locations, such as Rural Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and China, destinations that we would have been extremely difficult to visit from the United States.  I also decided to include a photo of me feeding a sheep at a farm in New Zealand and a photo of my sister and me in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China.  I included pictures of my friends and me in front of Uluru, as well as pictures from my visit to an Aboriginal tribe, where the women showed me how they transported water from the river to their village. My early exposure to a wide variety of cultures as taught me to be understanding and fascinated with other cultures.

The other pictures focus on how my daily lifestyle and routine was changed.  I attended Pymble Ladies College and absolutely loved my time there.  Well, I loved everything about it except the uniform, so I included a photo of my “summer uniform”, which I loathed.  I didn’t include a photo of my “winter uniform” for my own sake (I had to wear a tie), but the photo I did include shows the emphasis on tradition and the style of the Aussies.  When I entered Pymble, I was placed into the Marden House.  Similar to what people around the world have viewed in Harry Potter, every girl belonged to 1 of 3 houses, to which we were completely loyal.  The three houses, Goodlet, Lang, and Marden, would compete throughout the year for the Champion Title awarded at the end of the academic year (which was in December, unlike in the U.S.).  Competitions were based on points, which were awarded during swimming competitions, field days, for good merit, etc.  I included a photo of me decked from head to toe in my house colors for the annual swimming contest. 

The picture found in the center of my shrine represents the most important event that took place in Australia and is continuing to shape me as a person today: the birth of my younger brother, Thomas Jackson (yes, he is named after Stonewall Jackson…).  I was in 3^rd grade and in the car on the way to school with my grandparents, driving through our neighboring suburb, Turramurra, when we got the call announcing that we had a new brother.  I will never forget meeting Jack in the Australia hospital, wearing the awful looking summer uniform that I hated.  I was so happy to have a baby in the family and this addition to the family truly shaped my experience in Australia.

Life in Sydney, Australia truly has shaped who I am today.  It taught me to be open to all cultures and really sparked my interest and fascination with travel.  Since living in Australia and traveling throughout this part of the World, I have been longing to continue traveling.  I spent a month living in an exchange program in France in the summer and I plan on studying abroad, my fascination and experiences in Sydney driving this desire to travel and experience new things.  

Insights- Megan Fricke

This class taught me how difficult it is to please citizens in America today.  A great amount of time, effort and money goes into planning these memorials, which serve to honor and commemorate American citizens and heroes, but there is almost always disappointment surrounding the construction and design of memorials.  Even the Vietnam Memorial, which gracefully honors each individual lost solider, some members of society were outraged and appalled with the design.  I think that it is interesting that this type of controversy occurs surrounding a structure that is meant to serve as a peaceful location for thought and reflection.  I also had never really put much thought into the items that are left at various memorial sites.  I thought that it was really cool to analyze the items left here and really appreciate the emotions surrounding the action of leaving offerings.

Shrine - Ali Burner

I would like to preface this post with the statement that I am not very artistic, so my shrine is a little rough around the edges. I made my shrine to my grandfather who passed away while I was in high school. I chose to make one to my father’s father, because he is the grandparent that I know the least about. I thought this would make the shrine making process a little more interesting. I used a shoebox for my shrine and I put a cardboard roof on it. I put the roof on to make it look a little more like the shrines in the book that we read, but I didn’t quite turn out the same. I decorated my shrine with the things that I remember most about my grandfather, in particular with the things he told stories about. He always told stories. Because of this, I put a picture of an oil well, the U.S. Army Seal, and a map of Alaska inside my box. These were the things he told us about the most. He worked on an oil well when he first moved to San Angelo, Texas after leaving his home in Kansas. My grandfather would always tell us about how exciting that was at the time with the oil boom, even though he wasn’t the one who owned the well. He also liked to tell us stories about the army, which he served in during World War II. I included the map of Alaska because that was the only place he ever vacationed to. He was an avid hunter, and would make the trek to Alaska about once a year for a big hunting trip. He told us many stories about running into bears. Now that I am older I am sure that many of his stories were not true. I also covered my shrine in newspapers. I remember my grandfather always had a stack of newspapers by his chair because he claimed that you had to read at least four different newspapers to find out the truth.

I also wanted to include some items that could be seen as offerings in my shrine. I thought this was one of the most interesting aspects of memorialization that we learned about in class. I have never actual brought an offering to a memorial site before, so I had to think about what to include in this shrine. I decided to include two of the things that most reminded me of my grandfather. These were corn and tobacco. However, I substituted matches in for tobacco because I had those on hand. My grandfather was a farmer, and he grew corn and cotton. I remember that every time we drove out to visit them on their farm we ate corn. We ate it with almost every meal, and by the time we left my whole family was sick of it. The tobacco was also an important symbol for my grandfather because he was always smoking cigars or a pipe, and when he could not do either of those he was chewing tobacco. He always smelled of some sort of flavored tobacco, and to this day whenever I smell a cigar I think of him. 

A Monument to a Devoted Pet Paul Reilly

The Process: Due to the fact that I don't have any pictures of my pets at school, I decided to improvise and add a nonfictional element from my childhood to the shrine. The subject that I feel best represents my cat at home symbolically is Pikachu from the kids tv show Pokemon. I based the monument off of several monuments we found in class. I felt the elevation change found at the Vietnam Memorial and the Stupa had a powerful effect. Descending into the Earth generated a somber and peaceful atmosphere. In order to capitalize on this effect I made Pikachu the central focus of the visitor through constructing a staircase that directly descends in front of the statue. The only visiable object from above the memorial is the pokeball which adds an interesting twist. Pokeballs are possessive objects which house the pokemon.  Even in death, Pikachu remains in the ever present captivity of his owner and memorial creator.

 

For myself personally fire is a powerful element and like the flame basins located in front of the Lincoln Memorial. In my picture the flames are eternally lit lighting up Pikachu by night. The flickering of the candles casts shadows of Pikachu at play. Like in life, Pikachu remains active even in death through his statue. On the Right side of the wall is an inscription written by his owner. Behind the pokeball is the remains of the dead pet. In order to create a floating effect of the pokeball and allow the remains to be seen I used a glass that is see through in order for it to be visible behind Pikachu and add an overhanging effect that those who wish to  touch the grave have to go underneath the power symbol represented by the pokeball. 

 The two cards used to focus in those who enter the underground area depict two aces, 1 can be viewed on each card. On each the cards is a heart and spades. The ace of hearts represents love and the ace of spades is a symbol of power. This power symbol of dominance appears on the wall and the pokeball. The intent of the power symbol at a shrine venerating a pokemon puts forward an agenda that hints a subjecting not only Pikachu but all pokemon. This idea I found interesting in the Shaw Memorial. On the outside of the memorial I placed dirt and grass. The memorial in my mind would be placed in a park where people (trainers) could take their pets (pokemon) to play and see the memorial even if they wouldn't actually visit.

Ritual: The corn left behind by visitors to the memorial symbolize the feeding of the pet. Nourishing the pokemons spirit and a gesture of kindness. These gifts are impermanent but allow the visitor to add to his connection with the Pikachu.

I was very pleased with the final effect. Unfortunatly I doubt I'd be allowed to light the candles in class but I enjoyed creating the memorial. Even with the nonfiction aspect to the shrine it resonated for me since I had 3 cats growing up around the same time I watched Pokemon on tv and played with my own pets. I tried to take into account the visual, ritualistic, and memorial aspects in creating my shrine.

Paul Reilly