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About Joshua 2
Joshua 2 was born in Cool Springs, Delaware into a religious sect of Pentecostal
people in 1960. He grew up in poverty in an extended family of church leaders:
prophets, elders, bishops and pastors who demonstrated intense faith and conviction
for the teachings of Christ and the virtues of a simple life devoted entirely and
exclusively to God.
Descendant of an original Dark Horse
Joshua's paternal grandfather, Elder Jacob Brittingham, was a faith healer and pastor
of the Mount Zion Holy Church, closely affiliated with Mt. Sinai Holy Church of America,
which was founded on the principle of equality between women and men. Throughout
his childhood, Joshua attended church several times each week and witnessed
incredible events considered commonplace and evidence of the power of God:
healings that restored sight to the blind, people speaking in tongues and “giving
themselves over to the spirit.” Elder Brittingham was one of seven so-called "Dark
Horses" in the Mt. Sinai Church whose mission it was to go into the "farthest and
darkest reaches of society" and" bring people to the light" for salvation of their souls.
Coming of Age
At home, Joshua (the second of eight children and the oldest boy) was responsible for
helping to raise his sisters and brother in the three-room house they shared with their
parents. At school, he overcame racial barriers and a speech impediment to become
a star in theater productions and a successful track and field athlete. His talent as a
visual artist also emerged. All the while, his parents and the church elders believed
that he "had been chosen by God" and would follow in the footsteps of his grandfather
and aunt, Bishop Ruth Batton, who assumed her father's position as leader of the
church. Joshua, however, yearned to experience a broader world. So, at age 16 after an
early graduation from high school and acceptance to the University of Delaware,
Joshua went against his parents' wishes and left home.
Natural Leadership
At college, Joshua was known throughout the campus for his acting, singing and
artistic ability. Joshua was also very active in the civil rights movement. He became a
leader of the black student union and inspired students of all races to join in the protest
against racism on campus and other problems facing the small minority of non-white
students. In his sophomore year, Joshua was initiated into the Beta Sigma chapter of
the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Always resisting categorization, Joshua advocated for a
community and a society where separations between people are destroyed in favor of
shared truth and an acknowledgement of the common human existence. His
leadership was respected and admired by students and faculty alike.
Artistic Expression
After several years at the University of Delaware, Joshua decided to move on in pursuit
of his calling as an artist. He attended the Philadelphia School of Art and Design and
later began a career as a visual artist at Bonwit Teller specializing in fashion marketing
and promotion of haute-couture apparel. This took him to frequently to New York City
where he worked in the fashion industry as an illustrator while also continuing to
develop his fine arts techniques by attending classes ranging from conceptual
expressionism to realism. Over the years, he has lived and worked in Washington, DC,
Smithburg, MD, Portland and Lewiston Maine, Charlotte NC, and North Attleboro, MA,
where he currently resides.
The course of Joshua’s life is shown in his works, which are filled with philosophical
and metaphorical narratives. As an artist Joshua is passionate about sexuality, moral
understanding, history, religion, pure nature, and social conditions. He made it his
purpose to capture and express through art the common struggles, pleasures, pain
and joy of all people. He paints whatever message is given to him and believes fully in
this calling. He tries to live a life where the directive is clear. Through his works, one
can witness the conflict that lies within all humans who seek truth.
Joshua 2 was born in Cool Springs, Delaware into a religious sect of Pentecostal
people in 1960. He grew up in poverty in an extended family of church leaders:
prophets, elders, bishops and pastors who demonstrated intense faith and conviction
for the teachings of Christ and the virtues of a simple life devoted entirely and
exclusively to God.
Descendant of an original Dark Horse
Joshua's paternal grandfather, Elder Jacob Brittingham, was a faith healer and pastor
of the Mount Zion Holy Church, closely affiliated with Mt. Sinai Holy Church of America,
which was founded on the principle of equality between women and men. Throughout
his childhood, Joshua attended church several times each week and witnessed
incredible events considered commonplace and evidence of the power of God:
healings that restored sight to the blind, people speaking in tongues and “giving
themselves over to the spirit.” Elder Brittingham was one of seven so-called "Dark
Horses" in the Mt. Sinai Church whose mission it was to go into the "farthest and
darkest reaches of society" and" bring people to the light" for salvation of their souls.
Coming of Age
At home, Joshua (the second of eight children and the oldest boy) was responsible for
helping to raise his sisters and brother in the three-room house they shared with their
parents. At school, he overcame racial barriers and a speech impediment to become
a star in theater productions and a successful track and field athlete. His talent as a
visual artist also emerged. All the while, his parents and the church elders believed
that he "had been chosen by God" and would follow in the footsteps of his grandfather
and aunt, Bishop Ruth Batton, who assumed her father's position as leader of the
church. Joshua, however, yearned to experience a broader world. So, at age 16 after an
early graduation from high school and acceptance to the University of Delaware,
Joshua went against his parents' wishes and left home.
Natural Leadership
At college, Joshua was known throughout the campus for his acting, singing and
artistic ability. Joshua was also very active in the civil rights movement. He became a
leader of the black student union and inspired students of all races to join in the protest
against racism on campus and other problems facing the small minority of non-white
students. In his sophomore year, Joshua was initiated into the Beta Sigma chapter of
the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Always resisting categorization, Joshua advocated for a
community and a society where separations between people are destroyed in favor of
shared truth and an acknowledgement of the common human existence. His
leadership was respected and admired by students and faculty alike.
Artistic Expression
After several years at the University of Delaware, Joshua decided to move on in pursuit
of his calling as an artist. He attended the Philadelphia School of Art and Design and
later began a career as a visual artist at Bonwit Teller specializing in fashion marketing
and promotion of haute-couture apparel. This took him to frequently to New York City
where he worked in the fashion industry as an illustrator while also continuing to
develop his fine arts techniques by attending classes ranging from conceptual
expressionism to realism. Over the years, he has lived and worked in Washington, DC,
Smithburg, MD, Portland and Lewiston Maine, Charlotte NC, and North Attleboro, MA,
where he currently resides.
The course of Joshua’s life is shown in his works, which are filled with philosophical
and metaphorical narratives. As an artist Joshua is passionate about sexuality, moral
understanding, history, religion, pure nature, and social conditions. He made it his
purpose to capture and express through art the common struggles, pleasures, pain
and joy of all people. He paints whatever message is given to him and believes fully in
this calling. He tries to live a life where the directive is clear. Through his works, one
can witness the conflict that lies within all humans who seek truth.
| “Beings whose existence does not depend on our will but on nature, if they are not rational beings, have only a relative worth as means and are therefore called “Things”; on the other hand, rational beings are designated “Persons”, because their nature indicates that they are ends in themselves, I.E., things which may not be used merely as means.” – Kant |
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