Institute for Philosophy & the Arts'
Salon on the Spiritually Creative Life

[Photography by Nathaniel Taylor]

THE SALON ON THE SPIRITUALLY CREATIVE LIFE

Our 29th Year Continues
... still on Zoom!

Please join Carol Soucek King virtually on
Sunday, March 9, 2025 Via Zoom
To discuss one of God's essential aspects
illuminated throughout her book
Under the Bridges at Arroyo del Rey

Possibility

With Main Presentation

Haven Lin-Kirk
Dean, Professor of Art and Design
University of Southern California

"BEYOND THE DIGITAL AND TRADITIONAL TOOLS: The Expanding Horizon of Human Creativity"
The real frontier of possibility lies in the uniquely human capacities for empathy, wonder, and curiosity, which no machine can replicate.

Scroll Down for:
Morning's Agenda
Speaker's Bio
Zoom Info
Today's Meditation, Lyrics & Poem
2025 Salon Dates/Themes

9:30 am Pacific Standard Time
Zoom Room Arrivals and
Himalayan Singing Bowls by Healing Arts Practitioner
Janet Martorello
 

10 am until noon – Program

Meditation on Possibility
with
Nan Rae
Artist/Teacher/Author

Brava! Nan Rae's new book, INSPIRED THOUGHTS ON LOVE, was launched Valentine's Day. Published by Laughing Elephant Books. May be ordered through Amazon.com.
For inscribed copies, order at NanRaeStudio.com

Opening Song

"Love One Another"
Melody and first verse by: Luacine Clark Fox, 1914-2002.
2nd and 3rd verse: Dean LeGrand Carlston
Dean LeGrand Carlston, DDS
Composer/Singer/Instrumentalist

Dean welcomes us to listen to and download his music at no charge by accessing his personal website: deancarlston.com

Salute to March Birthdays,
Highlights, & Prayers
with
Graham Lance Richardson
Retired Westside Realtor after 35 years.
Licensed Plumber & Gas Fitter.
Certified Welder to 100%.

Main Presentation:

Haven Lin-Kirk
Dean, Professor of Art and Design
USC Gayle Garner Roski School of Art and
Design, University of Southern California

Beyond the Digital and Traditional Tools:
The Expanding Horizon of Human Creativity

Premise: Technology, particularly AI, has reshaped the creative landscape, but it is not the heart of creativity - it is merely a tool. The real frontier of possibility lies in the uniquely human capacities for empathy, wonder, and curiosity, which no machine can replicate. These qualities define our ability to create meaning, forge connections, and imagine worlds beyond the known.

Music Interlude
by
Douglas Decker
Recording Engineer/Musician/Composer
"Reflect Thee"
by Douglas Decker / Maureen O’Connor

Poetry Reading
with
Patricia Ferber
Sculptor/Painter/Educator/Curator/Poet
"Creating Possibility"

Followed by Discussion

Opening the Discussion will be
Nino Wong, designer/business leader/Volunteer
Chairman of the Chinese Garden Docents,
Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens.

Ruth Weisberg, an American artist and Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California where she was former Dean of USC’s Gayle Garner Roski School of Art and Design. Her work is influenced by her Jewish heritage and its traditions, the human body, and feminist themes.

Gail Kennard, architect, supporter of scholarships – especially in architecture, runs her late father Robert Kennard’s firm which continues to serve as guiding light in the world of sensitively forward-looking community architecture.

Jan Furey Muntz, AIA, Architect, LEED AP, Consulting Architect/Architectural Historian. On camera moderator in the five films on Myron Hunt residences by documentary film-maker/photographer Curtis McElhinney.

Miller Yee Fong, architect, designer [The Lotus Collection designed by Danny Ho Fong and his son Miller for Fong Brothers Co. is represented in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art/ New York City, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art], book illustrator, longtime teacher of his beloved “Architect’s Sketchbook” at School of Architecture/University of Southern California.

All are invited to continue sharing thoughts on
Possibility.

until noontime

Finale
"When You Wish Upon a Star"
by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington
Susie Katharine Shaw
Actress/Vocalist

To conclude Susie will lead us in Richard King's favorite
Native American Prayer

Love Faith and Joy - Carol Soucek King, MFA, PhD, Founder
Please respond if attending:
kingcarol@aol.com or 626/449-1238

About Our Speaker
HAVEN LIN-KIRK

Haven Lin-Kirk is an accomplished artist, designer, and educator known for her significant contributions to the art and design industry. Of Chinese heritage and born in Taipei, Taiwan, she currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Lin-Kirk holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University of Fullerton and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Claremont Graduate University in California. For over twenty two years, she has held various positions at the University of Southern California USC, including her current role as the Dean of Art and Design at the Gayle Garner Roski School of Art and Design. As a Professor of Art and Design, she has also been a guest lecturer at prestigious universities such as UCLA, Cal State Northridge, Cal State LA, Mount St. Mary, and Scripps College.

With an impressive portfolio of work, Lin-Kirk's expertise lies in design, publication design, and art direction. Her list of clients includes well-known names such as LA Times, Ingram, Adobe, Pennzoil/NASCAR, Toyota, Fisher Museum/ Lita Albuquerque/ Robert Graham, and Random House. She has also been recognized for her contributions to the industry, receiving awards such as the National Endowment for the Arts' Access to Artistic Achievement, CGU's Travel and Research Fellowship, and holds 10 Maggie Awards for publication design.

Lin-Kirk was actively involved in various professional affiliations, such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), where she served as Co-Chair of Education, the LA AIGA Advisory Member, Board of Directors for Foundation for Arts Resources, Inc. (F.A.R.), Board of Advisor for the Armory Center, and USC Visions and Voice's chair. She has also served on panels and juries, including the National Endowment for the Arts' Visual Arts Panel and the Music Center's Spotlight Award.

As an artist, Lin-Kirk has exhibited her work, curated shows, and organized projects for various venues, including the Pacific Design Center's Emerge Series, Avenue 50 Studio, Salon Oblique, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Pacific Asia Museum, the Blue Sky Center, USC Visions and Voices, and A+D Museum. She is also an advocate for diversity and has participated in exhibitions and events that celebrate Asian and Pacific-Islander American heritage through the Los Angeles mayor's office.

Currently residing in Los Angeles with her husband, Lin-Kirk's recent work explores cultural identity, materials sustainability, mending, and foraging. Her passion for her art, design and craft, combined with her dedication to teaching and advocacy, makes her a prominent figure in the art and design community.
  

For the time being, the Salon will continue to meet on Zoom. When appropriate, we will meet in person once again at Arroyo del Rey.

For access to the Salon on Zoom:

This meeting is being hosted by Zoom.
There is no charge to use this service.

Before the Salon on Sunday:
You will need to either go to the Zoom website, www.zoom.us, and register for a free account to access this meeting through your web browser or download and install the Zoom application on your device.

If you download the application to your device, you do NOT need to register for a free account. To download the Zoom application, click on this link... https://zoom.us/download

For any questions or assistance,
email Curtis McElhinney at Curtis@curtisvision.com

Meditation, Three Songs, One Poem

Meditation on Possibility
by Nan Rae

Fear is the enemy of the possible. We are told that “all things are possible,” but we must believe. What exactly does that mean?

It starts with surrendering all our preconceptions to a loving Creator and trusting that this energy we call God has only the best for us…his creation…his children, and that we are to rely on this loving care.

A child will willingly jump from a great height into his waiting father’s arms, and this is the picture we are to remember when our faith is tested, or we become fearful. “Cast all your burdens on him, for he cares for you.”

The Apostle James said “we don’t even know about tomorrow.” If this is so, then how can we be so sure of a particular outcome? How much better to say with Jesus, “Not my will but yours be done.”

I know that it is easier said than done because the truth is we’re control freaks thinking that we can manage even a moment in time. The best joke is, ”Man proposes, God disposes!” In other words, we can make plans, but the ultimate outcome is determined by God, who decides what eventually happens, teaching us that we should trust in God’s will and purposes even when they seem contrary to ours.

I would much rather trust in Divine Providence, leaving the door open to the possibility of a good outcome rather than fearfully trembling at the possibility of a negative one.

Again, this is not easy, and the faith walk is certainly not for the timid. It requires strength and resolve to continually cast one’s lot with the possibility that the outcome in every situation will be good. If it isn’t, then the reason is to bring us to an even better place than we could even imagine possible.

The bottom line is that it’s all in casting one’s lot with the goodness of God. With the trust of a Loving Creator, surrendering to this source is the best possible stance we could ever take.

May our hearts be touched and open to all possibilities and not just the scenarios we create. Casting all of our cares on this Loving God knowing for a certainty that He cares for us!

Nan Rae Studio
e. nanrae@nanraestudio.com
p. 818-842-6489
f. 818-846-7201
nanraestudio.com

"Love One Another"
Melody and first verse by: Luacine Clark Fox, 1914-2002.
2nd and 3rd verse: Dean LeGrand Carlston

As I have Loved you, Love One Another.
This New Commandment: Love One Another.
By this shall men know ye are my Disciples,
If ye have love One to Another.

Forgive One Another, we all know error.
These things shall pass through the Gift of our Savior.
This Great Commandment to Sister and Brother:
Live in the light, love one another.

Be ever mindful, listen to The Prompting.
We have a purpose concealed in our longing….
Serve one another with love the Foundation;
for we are the seeds of God’s creation.

As I have Loved you, Love One Another.
This New Commandment: Love One Another.
By this shall men know, ye are my Disciples.
If ye have Love One to Another.

"Reflect Thee"
by Douglas Decker/Maureen O'Connor

(Humming)
Father Great Creator
Parent of Heaven and the Earth
We stand so proud as your Ambassadors
And we thank you that it is brought fourth
I need you everyday of my life,
I need you everyday in my life
Let me Reflect Thee,
Let me Reflect Thee,
Let me Reflect Thee
(Humming)
Holy Mother Magnet of Soul
All of your Beauty so Wonderful
Soft Cradle so Gentle and Fair
Being of Love's Eternal Care
I hold you so close in my heart,
I hold so close in my heart
I need you everyday in my heart,
I need you everyday in my heart
Let me Reflect Thee,
Let me Reflect Thee,
Let me Reflect Thee
(Humming)

"When You Wish Upon a Star"
By Leigh Harline and Ned Washington

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

"Creating Possibilities"
A Poem by Patricia Ferber

Sunbeams and moonbeams light the way,
through mystical passages, we encounter every day.

All that appears to be real may not be so,
like Alice in Wonderland when she fell through
the rabbit hole.

Change a color, a thought, a verse,
sing hallelujah when in a church.

Reach out to the mountains, desert sands afar,
the oceans deep, wish upon a star.

Turn left, turn right, look down,
look up to the heavens above.
Creating possibilities filled with moonbeams,
and sunbeams, lighting the way.

All 2025 Salon dates and themes

STABILITY
Sunday, January 12, 2025

GROWTH
Sunday, February 9, 2025

POSSIBILITY
Sunday, March 9, 2025

FAITH
Sunday, April 13, 2025

GRATITUDE
Sunday, May 11, 2025

HUMOR
Sunday, June 8, 2025

UNDERSTANDING
Sunday, July 13, 2025

KINDNESS
Sunday, August 10, 2025

HARMONY
Sunday, September 14, 2025

LOVE
Sunday, October 12, 2025

HEALING
Sunday, November 9, 2025

SPIRITUALITY
Sunday, December 14, 2025

Please let us know which salons you can attend by replying to KingCarol@aol.com or (626) 449-1238.

With all loving thoughts and hoping to see you soon!

Carol Soucek King, M.F.A., Ph. D.
Email: KingCarol@aol.com  
 

CAROL SOUCEK KING MFA, PhD © 2002-2022 All rights reserved