Proceeds benefit community organizations and schools. On May 22, 2011 an EF5 tornado smashed into Joplin, Missouri destroying lives, homes and businesses. It was the deadliest tornado on record since 1950. Over161 people have died with more than 1000 injured. Many stories have been told about how Angels may have protected friends and loved ones of Joplin. These stories inspired the creation of Ang
els for Joplin. Since June 2011 Tricia Courtney, a Joplin artist has created over 275 angels from the tornado debris. The artwork is available at Cherry's Gallery and Custom Framing in Joplin - 10th & Main (at the Gryphon Building) and at Cherry's Art Emporium on the Square in Carthage, 417.358-2707. And at Local Color, 10th & Main in Joplin. They will be posted for sale on the Angels for Joplin page. Tricia will contribute a portion of the proceeds from the sales of “Angels for Joplin” to various charities and organizations. Angels have been donated to special causes such Joplin Area Catholic Schools, St. Mary's Elementary School, Art Feeds, Spiva Center for the Arts Tornado Relief Fund, Joplin High School Class of 1966 and the Audubon Society and other community organizations. Two angels were made for Joplin Extreme Makeover for the Nevin's Family
Some of this information has been taken from an article written by Mary Morse Larson (my sister) for Cloth, Paper and Scissors magazine. published in December 2008. Revised and updated October 2011. Old rusty metal, bits of twisted wire, broken pottery, smashed forks and spoons and bottle caps, plus rusty bolts, nails, and nuts are just a few of the items my sister calls "treasures." As she walks, bikes, explores, she finds objects that may look like discarded junk to most people, but to her artistic eye, each piece is a part of a puzzle making up a recycled masterpiece. With a degree in Fine Arts, Tricia is an oil painter, plus the creator of her own line of children's characters "The Buzzlewics." She also is the manager of the Rose Gallery of Fine Art - rosefineartgallery.com
She first became inspired to create recycled mixed media assemblage art in 2005 while walking with Jo Mueller, Spiva Center for the Arts director. Crossing through an alleyway, they found a few handfuls of rusty metal. Her first angels were created for the “Artful Ornament Auction” 2005 at Spiva Center for the Arts. Original, one-of-a-kind artist-made ornaments that were donated by the artist for a silent auction to benefit Spiva. Around that time, our father had passed away. While walking next to a railroad track one day with her husband Richard, Tricia noticed several pieces of metal in the shape of E’s and smiled thinking about her dad (Elliott Morse)... she felt he was spiritually inspiring her to create more angels to help benefit others. Our dad was well respected throughout the community and known for his giving of time and talent to others. After that day she built and angel for herself...sort of a healing process to help with the loss of her dad. It was an angel inspired by her dad’s strength of faith and was a symbol of his incredible gift to his family as a father. In this piece he was the angel and he was holding his little girl Tricia. Tricia soon began creating angel after angel (over 90) in his memory, to soothe her broken heart. She donated them to Spiva Center for the Arts and to various charities in her hometown. (She still continues to donate various pieces to charity events and centers.) Tricia has always been the tomboy, who hung out with her twin brother and his friends, never fearing to get dirty and messy. So, looking for scraps that are headed to a landfill, in parking lots, down alley ways, or on abandoned railroad tracks, is an exciting adventure for her. In fact, she's become quite fanatical about it! Many times I’ve been on the phone with her while she is taking a walk, only to have her exclaim "Mary, you’ll never guess what I found!" and she will proceed to tell me what it is and how she envisions using it. In June of 2007, Tricia and I collaborated to create Lemon Oak Studio and opened our Etsy shop to sell her artwork online. We are 1300 miles away from each other, she being in Missouri and I being in Arizona. The name was derived from the lemon tree in my yard and the oak trees in hers. Lemon Oak Studio created not only angels, but flower pots, flowers and crosses out of found objects. In 2009 Tricia was featured at the Strecker-Nelson Gallery in Manhattan Kansas. For this particular exhibit she created large abstract pieces, a few of them that were left after the show are currently being shown at the Rose Gallery of Fine Art in Joplin, Missouri. In 2010 Tricia decided she would begin devoting more of her artistic time to her oil paintings. She is represented by 4 galleries and keeps busy painting for them and attending art shows. In the Spring of 2011 Tricia was beginning to prepare for the Midwest Gathering of the Artists an annual September show held in Carthage Missouri. She had also just been inducted into the Women Artists of the Midwest by Hawthorn Gallery in Springfield and was preparing for an October show with them. And then tragedy struck on May 22th, one of the worst tornadoes in history hit Joplin, Missouri. After the tornado Tricia was overwhelmed and saddened by the lost of life and property. Although her immediate family did not lose their home, so many of her friends and family members were affected. While out helping them she thought about the enormous amount of destruction the tornado caused. Some of her friends suggested that she make angels out of the tornado debris. At first she didn't feel she should, Tricia didn't feel it would be appropriate. But after she started hearing all of the miracles concerning angels during the tornado, she was inspired and began to feel how important it was to build them. Tricia started "Angels for Joplin," and since late June2011 has created over400 angels. Angels for Joplin are sold at Cherry's Art Emporium on the Square in Carthage, 417-358-2707 and at Local Color Gallery and Art Studio, 10th & Main, Joplin. Proceeds have been donated to various charities and schools. Tricia and her husband Richard and her sister Roanna began picking up debris at several locations where they helped. Family visiting this summer from Arizona volunteered to help too. Debris has been picked up in several places throughout the path of the storm. In particular St. Mary’s Church, Parish Center and Elementary School (the Courtney’s two daughters attended) Tricia has created several angels using pieces from this area. Some of the pieces on the angels were inside the storage unit that burned down on 4th Street in Joplin about a week after the tornado. They were given to Tricia by Jo Mueller, the director of Spiva Center for the Arts and her husband who had their home damaged by the tornado and had put all of their most precious & important items there, thinking the brick building was a safe place....:(
Healing process
Many, many people have responded to Angels for Joplin. And it wasn’t long before Tricia was getting special requests for angels. Several people have brought her items from their destroyed or damaged homes wanting her to create an angel for them. Many are in tears, overwhelmed with the tragedy and the loss. But they are coping, they are going on with their lives and feel so much gratitude for the people that came to Joplin from all over to help with the recovery effort and that is bring hope to Joplin.
