Unscripted with Teresa Ridley Yarbrough

Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
Ink Spot Contributing Writer

Sharing her “gifts” through creative expression

The heavens declare the glory of God: the skies proclaim the work of his hands”
~Psalm 19:1 NIV

This scripture (above) accurately describes today’s guest in UNSCRIPTED. Teresa (Ridley) Yarbrough has been involved in art work for as long as she can remember and has a remarkable gift that she shares with our community through her visionary work in mural paintings and her studio aptly named: Expressions Studio Gallery. I was very fortunate to spend a few moments with her recently, and found this soft-spoken creative woman to be very passionate when speaking about her “gift” and those that motivated her to pursue it with rigor and relevance.

A Fort Wayne native, Teresa’s artwork is displayed primarily online but our city has been graced with her “latest” treasure being revealed (February 26th) in Turner Chapel Church (as seen in the photo). You will begin to see and understand “why she does what she does” through her murals, and why this particular piece brought out deep passion and meant so much for her to do. After being given the green light by the church, and funded by benefactors, Teresa set out to make this particular piece appealing and meaningful to the church and those that would be viewing it on a regular basis. “Being the first black church in Fort Wayne requires the church to lead during a time when we as a nation have made progress, but we have more to do by manifesting a sense of inclusion that gives greater life to our community, The power of the mural is that it is captured within the walls of God's house, and it will speak to for years to come about the power of God, and the ability of people to overcome life's challenges.” ~Kenny Christmon Pastor, Turner Chapel AME Church

UNSCRIPTED: Thank you so much for allowing me into your creative space today!

YARBROUGH: “It’s my pleasure! Thank you for selecting me as a guest!”

UNSCRIPTED: Share with us the “Teresa (Ridley) Yarbrough Story”  leading us to do this interview and for you to pursue an interest in art?

YARBROUGH: “Well, I’m an artist from Fort Wayne and years ago my interests lead me to start my own (online) art gallery “Heart & Soul Originals & Prints”  where I would do mainly portraits to commission work. Now I’m called Expressions Studio Gallery. I was hired to do the mural for Turner Chapel Church which is one of the very first murals that I have been asked to do which was very exciting for me especially knowing the church’s rich history that even includes some of my ancestors.

After moving away for a few years, I came back and was very fortunate to have someone (Ms. Karen Staton) speak on my behalf when a mural project was first mentioned being done here in our city. I joined up with a few of the city’s great artists to paint a mural on Pontiac Street that came to be called “The Truth Mural” so thank you Karen for entrusting me to be a part and helping to open those doors”

UNSCRIPTED: Share with us the inspriration behind the fantastic mural that you painted for Turner Chapel. The design and creation of it fascinates me. Were you guided, or did they just give you free reign and say go to work?

YARBROUGH: “Actually, it was a little bit of both. There was some guidance on this piece as there was a previous mural already in place in the church that was covered.  When I was approached, it was shared with me that Pastor Kenny Christmon wanted something that better depicted the church. So, what I did was research what the AME church was, and what it’s philosophy was based on. What I found was, that it's based on the Trinity (father, son, holy ghost) salvation story. My mission was to see how I could display this in my mural, and keep the congregations focus on Christ, which I believe that I did. The mural displays (the image of Jesus), the dove (depicts the holy spirit) and the clouds intertwined in the light shows that (God) is in ALL of this along with the 3 crosses symbalizing our salvation. The guidance was that Pastor Christmon wanted something that was welcoming and reflected more of what the church stood for.“Teresa's sense of spirit, creativity, and excellence are captured within the mural. She represents the best of our community, and her work speaks for itself.” ~ (Pastor Christmon)

UNSCRIPTED: Share with us the “process” that goes into your thinking for a major project like this. It must be tedious to take this on and have a strategy to complete.

YARBROUGH: “Well, in this particular project because there was an altar involved with choir stand stairs in front of the wall which made things tricky. My partner Ron Lewis and I used scaffolding (on wheels) to assist us. The computer illustrated image (created from a phone app) was projected onto the wall and a line drawing was then traded  onto the wall. Then the actual painting began until the project was completed.”

UNSCRIPTED: I have to believe that your “faith” played a major part in your taking on a project like this. Tell me how important was it in regards to this project.

YARBROUGH: “I was brought up in a Lutheran church and I'm a firm believer in the Holy Trinity as a basis for my faith  since I was young. I now associate with the Baptist church as a place of worship that I’ve tried to live by. Even the in the other mural projects that I’ve done, my faith comes out in various ways throughout those pieces as well.”

UNSCRIPTED: Taking on a project like this must be very time consuming, how much time did you allow yourself from start to finish on this particular piece?

YARBROUGH: “Time frames vary from piece to piece. Much of it depends on how much scaffolding and other equipment that I’ll need, whether it’s an indoor or outdoor piece, and other more intricate thoughts. It usually takes 3- weeks to a month and what works in my schedule timewise. (40-50 hours if you needed actual time). This mural took a little extra time to complete.”

UNSCRIPTED: If you could share with me (as we close) who would us say is your “muse” that gives you inspiration to keep moving forward?

YARBROUGH: “Fort Wayne has so many talented people who work in the arts and I certainly respect them all, but I would have to say for me it’s Theopolis Smith. His talent and the way that he displays it in such an effortless manner really makes me strive to get better at my craft and how I approach it moving forward. I just admire his talent and drive!”