Mary Bright
Mary Bright, born with Down syndrome, attended Beaver Run School, then Camphill Soltane, and came to Camphill Village Kimberton Hills when she was 25 years old. She celebrated her 50th birthday with us this year. Within a few years of coming to CVKH, Mary began weekly cello lessons with Veronika Roemer, a musician, coworker and householder. Even before that, in 2000 and 2003, Mary had the extraordinary chance to perform in Carnegie Hall with the CVKH bell choir in performances arranged by the Camphill Foundation.
Mary made remarkable progress on the cello, learning to read music and taking her cello home on weekends to play for her family and their guests. Her father, Joseph Bright, a board member, spoke of Mary’s shyness and self-consciousness about her speaking. “If someone said, ‘Mary, I couldn’t understand what you said, could you repeat it’, she would freeze up. But her ability to play cello gave her a voice that she could control. Instead of struggling to communicate through words, she would play cello.”
In addition to her music, Mary’s life at CVKH has included strong involvement in the Weaving and Fiber Arts workshops. Writes co-worker Sumin Dai, co-leader of the Weavery, “Mary is one of our most dedicated weavers, who weaves methodically using fine threads of wool, cotton, or silk. In Mary we see perfectly that the heart of a crafts maker lies not in the finished project, but in the doing, and the satisfaction that comes with being deeply immersed in the process. In the Weavery, Mary finds space for the continuous practice of mono tasking, for the simple pleasure in making, for quiet self-expression, for being centered in a rhythmic movement of body and breathing. As for the products, they’re not hung up in a space for distant admiration, but they’re being used - as scarves, clothing, table runners, etc., everyday items that get used, touched, and loved.”
Sumin herself, a psychotherapist, communitarian, and musician, had a fascinating journey to Camphill Kimberton. Sumin is from Xiamen, China and did her undergraduate studies in Beijing, where she volunteered at a Waldorf Art Therapy institute for children with autism. It was there that she first heard of Camphill. She came to Camphill in 2016 and returned in 2019, where she is now a householder. Sandy Bardsley tells us that Mary’s knitting has been used to “yarnstorm” the tree outside Fiber Arts.
Sandy, a board member, recently became a householder after years of volunteering. She is also Professor of History at Moravian University. Sandy writes, “Knitters are sometimes divided into process knitters and project knitters — those who knit for the love of knitting and those who are focused on the product. Mary is definitely a process knitter. She knits before breakfast, at rest time, and in the evenings.”
It is Mary, Sumin, Sandy and others who make Camphill Village Kimberton Hills so extraordinary. Mary and the other 42 villagers and Sumin, Sandy, and the 60 other coworkers and family members live and work together, receiving deep satisfaction from contributing their work for the good of the community and receiving its support. The result: an intentional life sharing community, a dream come true for families and villagers, and a beautiful place to live and work.
