Featured Artists: Anthony & Sarah Yoder

Anthony ’70 and Sarah Yoder’s work will be on display in the Hillcrest Academy art gallery through the spring semester.  Please come and visit the gallery located next Celebration Hall.  Feel free to ask someone at the office to open the gallery for you. Everyone is also welcome to a reception following the spring production on Friday, March 24, 2023.

 

Anthony Yoder

Anthony grew up on a dairy farm SE of Joetown. He went to a one room country school, then to Washington Township, then on to IMS (now known as Hillcrest Academy), graduated with the Class of 1970. After graduation, he went to Hesston College for two years. Returning from Hesston he went to the U of I for a few years and dabbled in Art and worked with his brother Reagan in the Joetown pottery shop.  Anthony started painting houses in high school  as a part time summer job, that continued through his years till he retired from painting  in 2020. Since retirement he has been working as a dietary aid at Pleasantview.

Anthony and Sarah were married June 17, 1983. They have three children, two sons-in-law and four grandchildren.  Since 2020 they have been fellowshipping with the Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church congregation and have been very blessed with this connection with local believers.

Anthony helped his brother Reagan with an art show at IMS in the ’90’s  to raise awareness for the need of Celebration Hall.  Anthony did his second show in 2012 after Celebration Hall, was completed. This is now his third art show at Hillcrest Academy.

WORDS From Anthony:

I am a free-lance self-taught artist drawing mostly for my own interest.  As I read the Bible and meditate on God’s words ideas come to me that I try to capture then draw.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will help me share the scripture in drawing.  Writing and drawing are similar to me in that it helps me understand the message of the passage or whatever it is I’m trying to describe and trying to communicate to myself and hopefully to others.  Art is another platform to share the Gospel. My prayer is for the Gospel to go as far as it can.                                                                                                                                                                                          

A BIG shout out of “THANKS” to Bryn Hovde for giving me extra time to do this. Also, Lorene Bender for suggesting to Bryn, to show my work. Thanks to Darvin Yoder for his previous two invitations. Thanks to people like my brother Reagan and David Dunlap, the art instructor at U of I and others including my wife Sarah who given me  great encouragement and works alongside with me in my drawing  and painting. Thank-you to the pastors and leadership of L.D.C. at this time of my life.

Thanks to my brother Kim for making the frames and boxes and also to our Daughter Karissa and Son-in-law Brandon for their help getting things set up.  The BIGGEST THANK-YOU goes to GOD, The Mighty Triune God, To God be the GLORY, who brought me this far in my life.

Sarah Yoder

Sarah was born to an Amish family in Hazelton, Iowa and moved to Curryville, MO where she and her family lived until December of 1958. Then they moved to an acreage northeast of Kalona. In her growing up years she did farm life, housework, canning, gardening, etc. In her later teens she did child care and later worked for Mrs. Manville (from the Manville Heights), Mrs. Gilmore (like the Gilmore Hall).  She knew Mrs.Hancher (like Hancher Auditorium). In her twenties she did house cleaning and later worked at what was Sheller Globe for 10 years. 

In June of 1983 she married Anthony Yoder. Now they have 3 children, two son-in-laws and four grandchildren.

Sarah has been very involved with church activities, children’s ministries, and teen classes. She loves crafty things, sewing, gaming etc. She loves to do hospitality with Anthony and being involved with children and GRANDS. Sarah very much enjoys the fellowship of her Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church friends and the involvement in Sewing Circle and Ladies Bible studies etc.

Sarah has always needed to learn how to do things one handed, so “yes is always” trying to make things easier and continues to share her ideas with others.

Written by the artists and part of “The Last Resort, Class of “70”