Grant Henry AKA Sister Louisa
This interview is from 2008, before Sister Louisa opened her CHURCH of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium.
Grant Henry, aka Sister Louisa, aka The Happiest Man Alive grew up the middle child of Educators in THA South! Following the traditional path of Education and meeting all expectations of others, he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a focus on Hospitality, After marriage and parenthood, he received a Master’s in Education followed by pursuance of a Master’s in Divinity, Pastoral Care (when he got ants in his pants, and bored in life.) Marriage, children, & the fact that life is too short… catapulted him into saying “fuck it” and start expressing himself authentically, and artistically. “Sister Louisa” was born out of a need for Grant to process his thoughts of Religion, Politics, and Sexuality, having grown up in the proper South. “She” realized that art is not neccesarily pretty, it is more about the liberation & preservation of soul, making it visible for contemplation & lubrication for us to evolve. CHURCH is an outer expression of Grant’s inner fuck-up-ness.
Sister Louisa has been doing “her” art since 1996. She sold her art through her own art shows and she complimented her income by bartending at a bar in Atlanta, being voted multiple times as “Atlanta’s Best Bartender” through local alternative magazines, newspapers, and blogs. Sister Louisa’s alter ego, Grant Henry, was a regular character in best selling author, Hollis Gilllespie’s, columns during the last 15 years. Grant left his bartending gig to open his own bar, to combine his education and experience in the bar business in 2010. He searched for the perfect location (jammed tightly between Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and The Martin Luther King Center) to open his bar: Sister Louisa’s CHURCH of The Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium…Come On In, Precious! (taken from Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium’s Website).
Clint: How are you feeling today Sister, thanks for letting us do this little interview?
Sister Louisa:
Life is good.
I continue to be The Happiest Man Alive!
My kid is balanced,
I have all my material needs met,
I have great friends and family.
Lucious Lamar continues to please me.
What more could a Sister ask for?
SINCE I GAVE UP HOPE,
I FEEL MUCH BETTER.
Clint: Tell about a day in the life of Sister Louisa
Sister Louisa:
I enjoy my alone time,
going through menopause
and all is tough!
Seriously,
I live in the moment,
in order to feel
the current of the wind.
I like living
as a cork on the ocean.
I KNOW THERE IS A BALANCE,
I SEE IT WHEN I SWING PAST.
Clint: What currently inspires you to do your artwork?
Sister Louisa:
The comedy and tragedy of life
is my inspiration.
I am moved equally by both ends of the spectrum,
and don’t take either of them too seriously.
Life is a balance,
and I’m thankful that mine
has been revealed to me.
Having grown up in the Church
and now the Sister of my own Church:
Sister Louisa’s Art Gallery
in the Church of the Living Room
and Ping Pong Emporium
…Come On In, Precious!”
I have seen it all!
I love to play with the symbols
that we humans take
as representation of one’s faith…
…love delving deeply into
the humanity of Christ,
the Divinity of humans.
NOTHING HARDER THAN A PREACHER’S DICK.
Clint:
How do you like Atlanta compared to Louisiana? And where are your haunt’s around town, I’m mean where might we run into you?
Sister Louisa:
Atlanta is my home here in America.
Isla Mujeres, Mexico is my home in Mexico.
I go to
Danneman’s Coffee in the Old 4th Ward
in the morning,
lunch alone at Whole Foods,
or lunch with friends at Eats,
Thumbs Up, Fontaines,
somewhere…
Mostly I’m on my knees
in The Church of the Living Room.
GOD BLESS MY CRACKHOUSE PLEASE!
Clint:
Are you for Obama or McCain?
Sister Louisa:
Clint, that’s a stupid question!
The Soul of America
is in need of healing in order
to continue to be a positive part
of our goal towards World Peace.
Did anybody answer McCain?
JESUS LOVES GAYS, AND ATHEISTS, AND CRACKWHORES!
Clint:
How do you feel about your growing fame? Does this get in the way of your spiritual enlightenment?
Sister Louisa:
I am committed to staying whole
and I do that by
walking into the light
no matter what bent journey
that takes me on,
and….
no matter
what the Bitch says
about me!!!
FUCK FEAR!
Clint:
Thanks for doing this short little interview; is there anything you need to tell the masses? Anything you need to get off your chest? Confess maybe?
Sister Louisa:
Sin ISN’T cussing,
or sucking cock,
or having fun with your faith.
Sin IS not telling the truth at all cost.
Blasphemy ISN’T
saying “goddamnit”
or playing with
the stuff of God.
Blasphemy IS
seeing the light
and to not walking,
running,
or dancing
towards it
with haste!
God’s Love for Us,
and Acceptance for Us,
is Greater than
anything we can say
or do
to fuck it up!
WE ARE FREE TO FLY>>>
so…
GRIEVE IT AND GO!
