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| The opportunity for teaching a watercolor workshop at Common Ground Scotland www.commongroundscotland.com in Ayreshire, Scotland came about because of my previous and ongoing involvement as a teacher and participant at Common Ground on the Hill www.commongroundonthehill.org in Westminster, MD. The director and initiator of that program, Walt Michael, inspired Pete Heywood and his wife Heather, both musicians from Scotland, to establish a Common Ground program in Scotland –thus, my husband and I were able to be part of the first one in August of 2002, by the invitation of the Heywoods. As they say in the British Isles, it was a “brilliant” experience overall, but three things stand out in particular in memory. I was given the “garden classroom” in which to teach my class, composed of young and old, American and Scot participants. It was a traditionally British formal garden, so we spent our unusually warm days under the trees, among the exquisite plants, and next to stone arches and walls. Absolutely lovely!
On many afternoons, Pete had arranged for all the CG participants to travel to nearby castles and historic sites (it was Robbie Burns country after all!). One afternoon, many members of the Common Ground Gospel Choir that had been developing during the week under the incredible leadership of Shelley Ensor, gathered in a rotunda-like central room of an old castle. They began singing “We Shall Overcome,” and within minutes, Americans and Scots, visitors and staff, black and white, all joined in the harmony of the song, the place, and the moment. The acoustics of the room and the heartfelt emotion and voice of the singers made it an unforgettable experience of human unity. Another realization of the truth of “Common Ground” as more than a program title, occurred when southern Appalachian and Ayreshire musicians, artists and poets gathered one afternoon to share stories, visuals and music about their coal mining heritages. The expression of pride, fear, loss and love of the occupation underscored an immediate shared experience between the participants from opposite sides of the Atlantic. The similarities of life in the coal mining communities were astounding and gratifying. These trips abroad teach me, to an increasing degree each time I travel, that we, as human beings, are much more similar than we are different, no matter our origins and environment. This concept is what I strive to teach my students back home. |
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