Digital Archivist: 2007

 

Armed with only a scanner and laptop computer, Bill and Penny spent several days in the summer of 2007 digitizing the records (personal letters, newspaper articles, photographs, and journals) related to the 20th century theologian Paul Tillich that had been collected over a period of years by Paul Tillich’s friend and student, Mrs. Jane Blaffer Owen of New Harmony, Indiana. The information was organized into three volumes for academic study purposes only: Part One of Three, The Life of Paul Tillich; Part Two of Three, Paul Tillich and New Harmony, Indiana; and, Part Three of Three, Exploring the Thought of Paul Tillich. The Table of Contents for each volume has been provided below. Copies of specific pages of the digital archive is available by contacting Mrs. Jane Blaffer Owen, New Harmony, Indiana or The Chicago Theological Seminary Library, Chicago, Illinois (see WorldCat OCLC Number 180767473). Special thanks to Mrs. Jane Blaffer Owen and the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation who made this digital archive possible.

 

BillRESSL.us

Bill Ressl … Box 504, Brookfield, Illinois USA … BillRessl@yahoo.com

The 2000s

 

Gallery of Labyrinth Art

Bill Ressl: Self-Taught Digital Archivist

Bill Ressl: Self-Taught Webmaster

 

In addition to following his academic call during the 2000s (including becoming an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Illinois), Bill continued artistic endeavors through the creation of labyrinths as well as continuing the development of web designs which he began in the 1990s. In 2007 Penny and Bill had the opportunity to digitalize the records of Paul Tillich in New Harmony, Indiana. Each is detailed below.

 

Labyrinth Art: 2002 - Present

 

Bill’s labyrinth art is influenced by the graphic design elements he learned from his father in the family print shop. He learned prior to computers (although has since picked up computer skills) - meaning he originally learned to draw and draft by hand in ink. Bill’s wife Penny raised Bill’s interest in labyrinths - those ancient paths that lead one into and out of an inner journey of discover. Bill recognized the power of ancient labyrinths (the Chartres, Reims, etc.) and enjoys bringing the labyrinth to life in the here and now. Starting with the simple tools of pencil, pen, and paper Bill enjoys bringing new life to the sacred paths and designing new paths to travel. As a member of Lyonsville Congregational UCC in Indian Head Park, Illinois Bill and his wife orchestrated several “Night of Prayer” events featuring themed labyrinth walks, centering prayer, private pastoral care, and opportunities for artistic drawing. Then for a class presentation on ritual process at Chicago Theological Seminary Bill created the “LifeQuest Labyrinth” as a way to explore one’s deeper self. Later in 2002 he created the 15’ diameter paper one time use “Call Labyrinth” for a special service during the Fox Valley Association of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ 2002 Fall Gathering held at LifeLink in Bensenville, Illinois. The “Archetypal Assessment Labyrinth” was created for a psychoanalytic and spirituality experiential class at Chicago Theological Seminary in 2007. Then in May 2007, after a visit to Tillich Park in New Harmony, Indiana he created the “Tillich Park Finger Labyrinth.” All are invited to click on each and take a walk!

 

Home … 1980s Offset Art … 1990s House Art, WickerArt, Illustrator …

2000s Labyrinth Art, Webmaster, Digital Archivist … Bill Ressl Pastor … Bill Ressl LCSW … Online Gallery Exhibition

Webmaster: 1991 - Present

 

Bill is a self-taught webmaster. Having worked as the Manager of the Technology Hotline with the American Bar Association earlier in his career, Bill has always seen technology as a tool, much like his trusty old Multilith 1250 single color offset press he printed cachets on in the 1980s. Shortly after establishing Penny & Bill’s Artistic Reed Creations with his wife Penny in 1991 a web presence was created initially with the assistance of an old college friend Mark Goldfeld. Since Bill has created numerous web pages (including this website) and encourages the church he serves to maintain a web presence. Below are three web pages. The first is from 2001 when The Penny & Bill’s wicker could be found online at WickerWeaver.com (from 1991 to 2003) as well as AmericanWicker.com BabyBassinet.com, and WickerArt.com (from 1999 to 2002). The second is for the Renovatio.org Bookstore (from 2004 - present), Bill’s online bookstore connected with the Renovatio Institute, Penny & Bill’s counseling center. The last is the homepage for this website, BillRessl.us (from 2010 - present).

The ebusiness of BillRessl.US © 2010 All Rights Reserved.

Part of The Penny & Bill Company, Brookfield, Illinois USA

Designed and maintained by the self-taught webmaster Bill Ressl. BillRessl@yahoo.com