News - Local News

POSTED: Thursday, Feb. 05, 2009

Prayer wheel to carry Bellingham residents' hopes to Obama

If you'd like to see your written words of hope sent to President Barack Obama, potter Chris Moench has provided the opportunity.

In conjunction with Bellingham's Martin Luther King Committee and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, Moench hopes to see his presidential prayer wheel in the White House soon.

Moench's prayer wheel is available for the public to deposit messages at the Bellingham Public Library through Presidents Day, Feb. 16. The wheel will be displayed Friday, Feb. 6, at Blue Horse Gallery, 301 W. Holly St., but otherwise will be at the library.

Moench has created more than 500 prayer wheels as a commercial potter over the past decade. A graduate of Fairhaven College, he and his wife, author and wilderness guide Jennifer Hahn, live in Bellingham.

The presidential prayer wheel is a 2-foot high, barrel-shaped ceramic bolted to an iron turntable.

Question: What's the story portrayed on the prayer wheel?

Answer: It begins with a 233-year-old maple tree, symbolizing our country, growing beside the Salish Sea. Old Glory flies against the Cascade Mountains and the flag's stripes reflect in currents where orcas chase salmon.

The Nooksack River estuary appears - a great mixing zone of fresh and salt water near the earth's most fertile soil. The sun appears over snowfields on Mount Baker, and a raven wings into view.

President Obama is kind of like the raven, bringing the promise of light to dark times and illuminating work to be done. Framing the river are two raised arms with open hands. The story closes with a hopeful flock of migrating swans on the wheel's lid.

Q: What's your hope?

A: This prayer wheel is not just a gift from the people of Whatcom County, but a beacon of hope for all who participate, including President Obama. I don't know if he'll see the messages directly, but I do hope this prayer wheel can find a place in the White House where staff and visitors can come to appreciate the chance to spin it and take out a message from Whatcom County.

Q: Are your prayer wheels tied to a specific religion?

A: They're non-denominational and spiritual in nature. I created a wheel called "The Seeds of Compassion" for the visit of the Dalai Lama to Seattle last year. I met him briefly to present the prayer wheel.

Q: How did the Olympic Pipe Line explosion of 1999 inspire you to create prayer wheels?

A: I was standing above the easement of the pipeline on June 10, 1999, taking my usual walk through Lake Padden Park. I could see smoke from the explosion clearly. I didn't know what it was, but I later realized I was standing on the answer.

I found out I knew the families of two of the three young people killed in the explosion. I knew other people who had been working to improve the habitat of Whatcom Creek.

Q: So the explosion really hit you emotionally?

A: Very much so. I realized I wanted to create a response through my artwork. I spent a year considering it. I created a sculpture on a turntable; at the time I didn't think of it as a prayer wheel.

But as I created the piece, I realized I wanted to help people remember the event and to aspire to create a world where pipeline explosions didn't burn up our children, and then I began to think of my sculpture as a prayer wheel. I had it installed at Big Rock Garden for a year and people were able to write their thoughts.

Michelle Nolan is a freelance writer.