Estate of Buckminster Fuller Honors the Fuller Dome

The following story is shared from the SIUE News:

Solway Prints Bucky.jpg

SIUE Receives Prints of Original Buckminster Fuller Artworks 

February 15, 2018, 9:34 AM 

The legacy of legendary 20th century architect and inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller will take on even larger life at the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability (CSS-Dome), located on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, with the donation of a portfolio of the artist’s prints. 

The Estate of Buckminster Fuller and Allegra Fuller-Snyder (Fuller’s daughter) donated “Twelve Around One” to the CSS, which Fuller designed.  

“These 13 prints are rare artifacts and some of Fuller’s most iconic drawings,” said Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Rachel Stack. “Receiving this donation is just tremendous.”

“The donation was a way of honoring the good works being done by the Center on the SIUE campus,” said Benjamin Lowder, creative consultant at Fuller Dome SIUE and board member on the Fuller Dome Home at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

When Lowder learned that Fuller’s estate wanted to donate the prints to SIUE, he contacted the SIUE Foundation and the University Museum, where the prints are currently being stored until they are ready to be displayed.

“The silk screen prints are 30 inches by 40 inches,” according to Erin Vigneau-Dimick, collections manager at the University Museum. “SIUE has one of Buckminster Fuller’s own signed artist’s proofs of ‘Twelve Around One.’ A few notable other institutions which hold this portfolio include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum in New York City and Stanford University.”  

Lowder and Vigneau-Dimick have written a grant proposal for a Meridian Award seeking funding to frame and display the prints, which are expected to be hung in November, according to Vigneau-Dimick.

“I hope that by displaying these prints, and having co-curricular activities and information to go along with them, it will make people more aware of a bona fide genius, who was a part-time faculty member at SIUE, although he had a full time appointment at (SIU) Carbondale,” said Stack.

Fuller had this to say about his work at the Center’s dedication in 1971, “A sense of orientation of each human individual within the profound magnificence of Universe is provided by the Center's miniature earth.”

“The comprehensive scope of Fuller’s intellect makes his world view uniquely impressive in the 20th century,” said Lowder. “The modern era has been a time of specialization with great thinkers, and the public at large, choosing a limited field of expertise in which to specialize. Fuller bucked this modern trend by resisting specialization and maintained a globally expansive vision.”

“Through his observation and understanding of nature, Fuller was able to see the impending ecological crisis that we are currently experiencing,” said Lowder. “This vision had Fuller promoting a package of concepts that have come to be known as ‘sustainability’ as early as the 1920’s.”

“Fuller epitomized the ability of being able to take STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) and make it STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math),” said Vigneau-Dimick.

“Fuller was an artist, engineer, mathematician and visionary, among other things,” she continued. “The Dome is not just a feat of engineering but is a feat of aesthetics, as well.”

The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability is an independent, not-for-profit organization located in the geodesic dome designed by Fuller on land leased from SIUE. Fuller worked as a professor in the SIUE Department of Design from 1959 to 1972, and since 1971 the SIUE Fuller Dome has served the University and area communities as a place for multi-faith and interfaith activity. A variety of educational, cultural and social events are held throughout the year inside this landmark structure. Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Baha’i and Native American faith traditions hold devotions, celebrations and public programs at the Center. The Center’s vision is to preserve the Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome in Edwardsville, Illinois, as the physical embodiment of Fuller's philosophy. The Dome’s translucent “miniature Earth” is a beacon for global unity, providing a place for connecting the world’s cultural and spiritual traditions through their common concern for the planet.

The University Museum of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, founded in 1979, is a repository and interpretive center whose interdisciplinary collections include more than 30,000 two- and three-dimensional objects of fine art, architecture, history, ethnology, archaeology and the natural sciences.  The University Museum supports the instructional, research and public service functions of SIUE through the collection, interpretation, preservation, presentation and exhibition of objects which relate to the academic programs offered by the University to its students and the greater community which it serves.

Photo:
Erin Vigneau-Dimick, collections manager at the University Museum, shows one of Buckminster Fuller’s prints of ‘Twelve Around One.’

 

Fair Trade Gifts at the Dome!

The Plowsharing Crafts Sale at the Fuller Dome on Dec. 7th provided holiday shoppers with an opportunity to purchase some meaningful Fair trade gifts this season.

shoppers enjoyed browsing Plowsharing Crafts' Fair Trade gifts in the Fuller Dome

shoppers enjoyed browsing Plowsharing Crafts' Fair Trade gifts in the Fuller Dome

Plowsharing Crafts supports skilled artisans around the world by marketing their products in the St. Louis area since 1985. We are a ministry of the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship.

Proud Member of the Fair Trade Federation

plowsharing crafts flyer.jpg

2017 Celebration of World Faiths

Please join us for the Celebration of World Faiths, as we build bridges of understanding and compassion across our unifying faith traditions. This annual event, presented by The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability, is free and open to the public. 

CWF Flyer 2017.jpg

Native American Musician, Joanne Shenandoah, Live in the Fuller Dome

Joanne Shenandoah

Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Center for Spirituality and Sustainability 

Joanne_Shenandoah.jpg

 

Joanne Shenandoah is one of “America’s most celebrated and critically acclaimed Native American musicians of her time” according to the Associated Press.  She’s won more than 40 music honors including 14 Native American Music awards. Nominated three times for a Grammy, she won in 2006 for her work on the album Sacred Ground. Her original compositions combined with a striking voice enable her to embellish the ancient songs of the Iroquois using a blend of traditional and contemporary instrumentation.

"She weaves you into a trance with her beautiful Iroquois chants and wraps her voice around you like a warm blanket on a cool winter's night."
-Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist for The Band
  

Cosmic Sound Journey

Join us for an evening of cosmically inspired sounds as we journey to the stars! Weaving together breath, meditation, and guided journey deep within. We will utilize the power of Alpha/Theta states to bring our dreams into reality. 

Pati Pellerito • Himalayan Singing Bowls, Planet Gongs (Sedna, Chiron & Nibiru), Shruti, bells & chimes

Mark Holland • Native American Style Flutes including the infamous sub bass big boys!

Ben Von Harz • Hand pans

2017 Spirituality & Sustainability Awards Dinner

The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability presented their 14th annual Spirituality and Sustainability Awards Dinner on Saturday, March 25th. Each year the Center bestows two awards, one for Spiritual Leadership and one for Leadership in Sustainability. These dual awards reflect the Center’s mission to “promote humanity’s sacred connection to the Earth and each other.” The 2017 recipients are:

MCT Trails system – Sustainability Leadership Award - Madison County Transit manages 130 miles of scenic bikeways in the MCT Trails system that consists of 9 unique, inter-connected trails, created primarily from decommissioned railways.

Dr. Billie Mayo – Spirituality Leadership Award - Dr. Billie Mayo has just completed a year as Board President of the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis.

Student Honoree; Wolf Mark Veverka is also receiving a 2017 Sustainability Leadership Award. During his tenure as a student at SIUE, he has taken a lead role in student sustainability initiatives on campus.

The Center's Annual Awards Dinner Returns

14th Annual Awards Dinner

 Edwardsville, IL - The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability will be holding its 14th annual Leadership Awards Dinner on Saturday, March 25th, at 7:00 p.m. in the LeClaire Room on the N. O. Nelson Campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Edwardsville. Each year the Center bestows two awards, one for Spiritual Leadership and one for Leadership in Sustainability. These dual awards reflect the Center’s mission to “promote humanity’s sacred connection to the Earth and each other.” This year’s recipients are:

MCT Trails system – Sustainability Leadership Award - Madison County Transit manages 130 miles of scenic bikeways in the MCT Trails system that consists of 9 unique, inter-connected trails, created primarily from decommissioned railways. The MCT Trails system is one of the most extensive, user-friendly Class One bikeway systems in the country.  MCT Trails has preserved 1,500 acres of greenspace providing a sustainable recreation option for families. Jerry Kane has served as Managing Director of MCT since 1986 and he will be accepting the award on the agency’s behalf.  Through his 31 years of service, Kane has overseen the development and growth of the MCT into a world class multi-modal public transportation agency.

Dr. Billie Mayo – Spirituality Leadership Award - Dr. Billie Mayo has just completed a year as Board President of the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis. This organization strives to bring together people of faith for dialogue, celebration, service, and pursuit of social justice. Dr. Mayo has also been a facilitator for the World of Differences Program, the National Conference for Community and Justice Dismantling Racism Institutes, and the Leadership and Racism Program.

Student Honoree; Wolf Mark Veverka is also receiving a 2017 Sustainability Leadership Award. Veverka is a senior student at SIUE majoring in Geography with a specialization in Biogeography. He is past president of the Student Organization for Sustainability (SOS) and current president of Natural Connections, a sustainable gardens group on campus. During his tenure as a student at SIUE, he has taken a lead role in student sustainability initiatives on campus.

 

For reservations call Juli Jacobson (618) 650-3246 or email juljaco@siue.edu.

Tickets (partially tax deductible) are $50.

The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability is a nonprofit multifaith home for spirituality and sustainability efforts housed in the Buckminster Fuller dome on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus.

 

Native American Flute Concert, Live in the Dome

Arts & Issues and the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability present:

Autumn’s Child with Mark Holland

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability

Mark Holland performing with Autumn's Child

Mark Holland performing with Autumn's Child

Award-winning artist Mark Holland is considered one of the best performers in the world today on his instrument of choice, the Native American flute. His ensemble Autumn’s Child will present an evening of acoustic instrumental fusion--a hybrid of world, jazz, classical and folk styles described as “global chamber music.” Holland showcases the versatility of the Native American flute through this combination of instrumentation and the blending of musical genres which creates his one of a kind sound.

Holland started Autumn’s Child in 1995 and has released more than 20 CDs on his own label. He tours regularly throughout the country sharing his unique and skillful “playing from the heart” presentation. The concert will feature the haunting beauty of the Native American flute along with piano, guitar, bass, cello and percussion. Join us for this beautiful music in an intimate and stunning space. Seats are limited!

Sponsored by: Scott Credit Union

 

Set Your Intent for the New Year

Creating Space for the Sacred, with Shamanic Practitioner Mary Wolk Agnew and Sound Therapist Pati Pellerito

Patti Pellerito in the Fuller Dome

Patti Pellerito in the Fuller Dome

Through an afternoon of experiential & interactive exercises you will learn: 

  • Creating, Maintaining and Closing Sacred Space using various means 
  • Learn several modalities used by indigenous cultures to clear your personal space 
  • Working with the natural world to facilitate resolution of issues 
  • Create a personal Despacho, your own sacred “Feast for the Gods” 
  • How to weave Sacred Sound into your everyday life with hands - on experience with Singing Bowls 
  • Experience the healing qualities of a Sound Journey

Location: The Fuller Dome, Edwardsville IL 

Time: Saturday, January 28: 1pm- 5pm

Red Cedar Circle Brings Johnny Moses to the Dome

Pacific Northwest Coast culture-bearer and storyteller Johnny Moses

Pacific Northwest Coast culture-bearer and storyteller Johnny Moses

American Indian Culture-bearer to appear at CSS Saturday, Nov. 5

 

Pacific Northwest Coast culture-bearer and storyteller Johnny Moses will appear at the Center for Spirituality & Sustainability on Saturday, November 5 from noon to 3PM.  He will present stories, songs, and teachings of Native Northwest.  The event is suitable for all ages. Guests can attend all or part of the event.

Free parking is available on Saturday in Visitors’ Lot B.   The event is free of charge and donations are appreciated.

Moses will appear also on Sunday, November 6, from 1 to 3PM in Alton, at the store called It's Raining Zen in the Mineral Springs Mall, 301 East Broadway.

Johnny Moses has ancestry from several tribes of Washington and British Columbia. He is enrolled with the Coast Salish Tulalip Tribes near Seattle. He is a traditionally trained cultural practitioner and memorizer of oral tradition. In 2012 he received the Washington Governor’s Heritage Award.  

Moses and SIUE Professor of Philosophy Gregory Fields have collaborated for more than two decades. Their current project is a book and media collection under contract with the University of Nebraska Press: “Sacred Breath: Pacific Northwest Medicine Teachings, Stories, and Epics.”   Moses’ audio collection, produced by Fields, “Medicine Songs of the Four Seasons from the Straits and Coast Salish,” is forthcoming from Smithsonian Folkways.

The events are sponsored by the Red Cedar Circle of Southwestern Illinois: a spiritual fellowship and study group that meets at the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability. Meetings are held on the first Saturday afternoon of each month (except January and July), starting at noon.  All persons of open mind and heart are welcome to attend.  Moses first visited Edwardsville in 1996; this will be his sixth visit.

For information, contact Prof. Greg Fields: gfields@siue.edu   618.692-6492.

For maps, see siue.edu/maps