The carvings of Harvey Paris, a nationally recognized carver of wood and leather, are on exhibit at the Easton Public Library through Dec. 24.
Using only a hand-held knife, Paris designs and carves works that illustrate the awakening and evolution of the human search for spirituality and meaning. While most of his carvings are based on Judeo-Christian teachings, they reflect the universal quest for life’s meanings. Paris is also the co-director of Jewish Family Service in Fairfield, Conn., a position he has held since 1983.
Paris, a master carver, uses his skills to shed light on the early and common Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions of wisdom.
The centerpieces of the exhibit, entitled Abraham’s Gifts, is a 14-page carved leather book. It illustrates Biblical stories from creation through the resurrection of Jesus. The Islamic chapters are not yet completed. This, along with the other carvings, shed light on how religious teachings and human yearnings helped elevate our views on meanings of life.
In this time of Covid-19, as the world seems to be spinning out of control, people need hope and direction. The exhibit is based on the hope that Covid-19 has finally raised human consciousness to the point that we can now work on overcoming historical differences and hatred to successfully work toward a collective solution to our world’s troubles.
While science will ultimately find a cure for the virus, only our collective wisdom can provide the direction we need to change the course that we are presently traveling down. The positives that we learned throughout history need to now become our guiding principles and the mistakes need to be avoided and overcome. Art in all shapes, sizes and forms often can help provide inspiration.
Hours and directions can be found at eastonlibrary.org. For further information or photos please contact Harvey Paris at harvey@jfsct.org or 203-209-2068
