The Very Reverend Randolph Marshall Hollerith
Washington National Cathedral
Re: Keeping Faith, A Proposal
Dear Reverend Hollerith,
HELLO. My name is Christian L. Frock. I am an independent writer, curator, educator, and public scholar. I would like to create a contemporary art radio program/podcast for the National Cathedral on keeping faith, for people of all faiths, everywhere.
My writing has been published in many places, including public media, newspapers, books, and magazines. My work has mostly been free, a core value of my practice. My curatorial projects have been set outside of conventional galleries and museums. I am particularly interested in art in unexpected settings, and I have organized several projects in historic sites and public spaces. I came to DC with the hope of leveraging my career towards greater social impact in the capital, across the Republic, and around the world.
I relocated to Washington DC from California in August 2019, six weeks before wildfires swamped California and five months before the global coronavirus public health crisis swamped the world. Since then, I have steadily developed ideas for a variety show, presented as either old fashioned radio and/or a podcast, to bring Americans and our neighbors around the world together to confront our most pressing challenges, including climate change. As we approach our 250th anniversary as the world’s oldest constitutional democracy, I also want to think about how this program can galvanize our commitments to peace and freedom.
My unique ancestry has laid the groundwork for me to work in service to the notion of faith for people of all beliefs. On my mother’s side I am a descendant of many influential early American Christians and on my father’s side I am also a descendant of very influential German Ashkenazi Jews, including one who fled the German Holocaust to Palestinia and was part of the creation of Israel as we know it today. My ancestry is documented hundreds of years on both sides and there are many points at which one might theorize that I am also descendant of several Indigenous tribes. (Just one: My grandfather’s grandfather Albert C. Ellithorpe was hired by Lincoln to organize the first multi-racial Union front on the Trans-Mississippi Frontier. Ellithorpe was likely also descendant of the Narragansett.) Perhaps because of these many influences, I am an avowed Agnostic with a deep belief in the power of faith.
My work as a curator is defined by the root action (cura) “to care” and by an even greater belief in the Humanities as the universal language of peace. I would love to meet with you and your arts team to discuss bringing a new kind of art program to the National Cathedral. I would also like to bring you a beautiful poster created after both Moses and contemporary artist Barbara Krueger (two dynamic influences), produced and distributed by the Anacostia Coordinating Council after the Navy Yards Metro shooting death of 20-year-old Terry Clark in January 2023. I was given some to distribute and saved the last one to bring to you personally.
I visited the cathedral recently and was very moved by the new Kerry James Marshall stained glass windows. It was inspiring to see contemporary art make way for inclusion. I left hopeful that I might also be of service to the National Cathedral’s inclusive vision of peace. It would be a pleasure to meet with you to discuss the possibilities.
Thank you for your consideration –
Christian L. Frock
February 2024