#cha2015

The Commonwealth Honors Academy (CHA) is an exciting, challenging three-week academic, social and personal growth program for outstanding high school students who have completed their junior year. Each summer CHA has a theme around which the various activities and academic curricula are planned.

The 2015 theme was “The Road Ahead: Making Your Way”

In our course, we focused on religious pilgrimage journeys. Pilgrimage is a religious phenomenon virtually ubiquitous among faith traditions worldwide. A handful of major destinations like Rome, Jerusalem, and Mecca attract pilgrims from all corners of the globe, but the act of physically traversing a space in order to arrive somewhere sacred is an act that takes many forms and exhibits divergent characters. By nature, pilgrimage is a complex phenomenon whose study brings together a wide range of academic disciplines.

We explored a few key questions: How do we define pilgrimage? How is this definition made manifest in various cultures? What types of non-religious movements can fit into a pilgrimage framework? What connections can we draw between widely recognized pilgrimage journeys and experiences quite close to home? How important is place? What is the relationship between places near and far? What kinds of tangible objects hold meaning in these journeys? What symbolic meaning do they have?

In addition to a number of readings, class discussions, films, presentations, mini-pilgrimages, and guest speakers, we collaborated with the Murray Calloway Senior Citizens Center to share stories of important places and journeys from the lives of some of their community members.

CHA 2015 – Heidi Swapp Booth and Minc Video

If you are a regular reader of Craft Test Dummies, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Heidi Swapp.  Heidi has a been a fixture in the paper crafting industry for over a decade and has always been a never-ending source of inspiration for me.  Her products always trigger my creative side and prove to be incredibly versatile.  This year at CHA, Heidi did not disappoint as we got to see a plethora of…

CHA 2015 – Beadalon 3D Bracelet Jig

Hey crafters!  This year at CHA Beadalontook home the award the Top Product of the show for their brand new 3D wire bracelet jig.  You can make all kinds of fun bracelets with this clever tool!  I can imagine this being a must-have tool for any and all jewelry makers and beaders, from beginner’s to seasoned veterans.  Take a look at our video demo below from the show and let us know if you have…