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On March 9, we gathered at Quills Coffee in New Albany to hang out, and hear from Sojourn artists Amanda Nichols, Alan Vales, and Justin Vorel.   To start things off, Michael Winters presented a version of the following notes as a way to think about God as Creator and how we might make things in response to the way God makes things. This is part 2 of the notes. See part 1 here.

In part 1, we came to the conclusion that worship is the only decent response to a deepening understanding of God as Creator.

Can our artists’ work then express itself as worship in a plethora of contexts and styles?  We don’t need to place too many constraints on how this might work itself out, so I want to present some ideas of how our art might extend our Sunday gathered worship practices into the scattered public sphere.

NOTE: The artist’s images used on this post represent a reading of the artworks that the artists themselves in many cases may not intend or support. The images are used here without specific permission from the artists, but shown because these artworks may help us imagine possibilities growing from the concepts presented.  Each of these artists have lots of great art to share, so enjoy the links.

With always keeping God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit – The Creator before us, can we imagine art as…

Call to Worship – With our artmaking, can we bring attention to the goodness of God’s original creation in such a way that people want to praise God?

"Snake River" by Darrell Kincer

Darrell Kincer’s panoramic landscapes, which will show at The 930 this spring along with more of his photography, have a way of calling our attention to God’s creation.  Those who are quick to praise God will have plenty of reason to do so when they see these landscapes in person, or from their translation into photography by Kincer.

Confession – With our artmaking can we call attention to the results of our sinful misuse of creation and our creativity?

From the Midway series by Chris Jordan

Much of the best contemporary art is doing exactly this.  Chris Jordan’s entire career is built upon showing people how extreme our impact is upon the world’s ecosystems.  His work confesses that we have not been responsible with our power to effect change in creation.

Repentance –  With our artmaking can we turn things around in the opposite direction?

"The Meeting" by Chris Engman

Chris Engman’s mind-bending constructed photographs often make the viewer take a second or third glance to figure out what’s going on here.  If we think about repentance as a turning away and walking the other direction, this image can function as an illustration of repentance.  But like real life, it’s complicated.  What at first appears to be a mirror cannot be a mirror on closer inspection.  The artist introduces a photograph into the photograph and a million interpretations are at hand. We feel a little bit unsure of where we are and what exactly is in front of us, but we turn and move forward in faith nonetheless.

Assurance – With our artmaking can we assure God’s people that Christ is making all things perfected, despite the apparent chaos of modern life?

"Crossroads" by Rachel Durfee

Rachel Durfee’s print “Crossroads” can encourage us to believe that Christ is “holding all things together” and that there is order despite apparent chaos.  From the ground level on that interstate a driver would probably never realize the design that made everything work, but from the aerial God-like perspective, we see a signature that assures us that Christ is in fact over all things.

Passing of the Peace – In our artmaking can we offer hospitality to all of God’s image bearers?

"Please Disturb" by Candy Chang

Candy Chang is an artist who “explores making cities more comfortable and contemplative places.”  Her art projects encourage people to reach out and get to know their neighbors and collectively to make their neighborhoods better.  I think her public projects like “I wish this was” should be emulated or brought to our city as Sojourn opens our new building in Shelby Park.

Prayer for Illumination – In our artmaking can we ask good questions of God and the public.  Can we ask for help and acknowledge the mystery of it all? Can we open up spaces for connections between God and people, people and God?

Quaker Meeting House Design by James Turrell

James Turrell’s art is largely about light.  He grew up Quaker and Quakers have had great reflections on the metaphors of light, so it’s fitting that he designed a Quaker Meeting House.  This worship space literally opens a connection between heaven and earth.  By designing the space with white walls and the large skylight the color and mood of the room changes drastically with the weather and time of day.

Proclamation – With our artmaking can we proclaim God’s truth and retell and re-image the stories of scripture in compelling and faithful ways?

"Jonah" by Barry Moser

Barry Moser’s biblical illustrations re-image the figures and landscapes of the bible in such a way that we consider the texts afresh.  Seeing Jonah barely afloat not far from the giant whale helps us understand what Jonah was dealing with and thus makes us more able to process the story’s intent and purpose.  Like all good biblical art, these illustrations capture the human dimension so compellingly that we are more easily led into a spiritual understanding of the text.

Communion – With our artmaking can we bring people together to participate in actions that engage their physical senses, bringing them into a deeper reality?

"Portrait of Ross" by Felix Gonzalez-Torres

With “Portrait of Ross” Felix Gonzalez-Torres invites viewers to take a piece of candy from the large pile of colorfully wrapped candy on the gallery floor.  The pile starts as precisely 175 pounds of candy, representing the ideal weight of the artist’s partner, Ross, who died from AIDS before the piece was made.  When trying to cope with AIDS, patients lose weight drastically.  By inviting visitors to take a piece of candy the pile shrivels away and becomes symbolic of Ross’ struggle to maintain a healthy size.  The visitors then are partaking in something like a liturgical action mourning the AIDS epidemic and remembering those who have died.

Commitment – With our artmaking can we band together under Christ, putting our feet down and making a commitment to live faithfully?

"We are the Church" by Sojourn Visual Arts

We made this image to help illustrate and solidify the concept that we are the church.  The process of making the image helped concretize the identity of the participants as members of our local church.

Giving – With our artmaking, can we offer our time, talents, and treasures to others in life-giving ways, and also encourage others to do the same?

Jon Rubin works to cultivate community and provide unique experiences.  For FreeMobile he painted a big truck and then invited neighbors to drive the truck around for a weekend giving away their homemade goods or services.  ”The project publicly acknowledges the idiosyncratic hidden talents and resources of the neighborhood” and gives people an excuse to share those talents and resources.

Benediction – With our artmaking, can we encourage and bless each other to go out in the world to live our lives faithfully?

Documentation from "Manhattan Measure" by Gene Schmidt

For “Manhattan Measure” artist Gene Schmidt measured the length and width of Manhattan with yard sticks.  He laid one out at a time, never using the same yard stick twice.  This was a way of getting out into the city and getting to know every inch of the length and width.  In essence too, the process “drew” a huge, red cross onto the landscape of Manhattan, marking Christ’s authority over the city.

So I think there’s plenty of good work out there to be inspired by, whether or not it was made with a worshipful intent.  For Christians making art though, we need to work out the implications of living creatively before the Creator for themselves.  I hope these thoughts and images encourage you to do that, considering how the worship practices of Sunday may carry over into the public sphere during the rest of the week.

Amanda Nichols shares slides of her paintings and answers the question, "How has a growing understanding and appreciation of God as Creator affected your way of making things?"

On March 9, we gathered at Quills Coffee in New Albany to hang out, hear from Amanda Nichols, Alan Vales, and Justin Vorel.   To start things off, Michael Winters presented the following notes as a way to think about God as Creator and how we might make things in response to the way God makes things:

I want us to think about WHO GOD IS AS CREATOR,  WHO WE ARE AS HIS CREATURES INHABITING HIS CREATION,  and from that knowledge we can think about LIVING CREATIVELY.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1

The first thing we learn about God from the Bible -which is the primary way we know about God – is that God created.

“God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” – Genesis 1:26-28 (The Message)

What might we assume about the character of God from this passage?

“Let US”…  God created in and with community – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He must value working together.

“make mankind in our image”… God was willing to give of himself.  He seems eager to share his likeness.  He’s not stingy with his abilities or with his authority.  He’s willing to lend his authority to others.  He’s not a control freak.

What might we assume about the nature of human beings from this passage?

God is creator.  People are God’s creatures.

We have a job to do, a job description – to be responsible for the creation, to steward it, to rule over it.  We’re expected to fill the earth and subdue it.  By the grace and blessing of God, Adam and Eve – and by extension us – are expected to fill the earth with God-like creative acts – making babies, cultivating the vegetation, and making sure the animals are alright.

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:31

If this was all we knew about God, he’d still be worthy of our praise and our submission.

John starts his Gospel writing with a poetic retelling of the creation account.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:1-5

In this passage what is “The Word” referring to?

Christ

Who Created the World?

God who is one, expressed in 3 persons

Father

Son

Holy Spirit

What did God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – create?

Everything we can see.

And everything we don’t see – everything that exists.

What are some of the things God created?

Time

Angels

Sloths

Gravity

Humanity

Dinosaurs

Cellular Structures and systems of reproduction

Solar Systems

Galaxies

Universes(?)

What characterizes God’s original creation?

Goodness

unity despite apparent chaos

order despite unimaginable complexity

integration of beautiful form and economical function

trees adorn the landscape and clean the air

oceans are visually attractive and recycle the earth’s water

reproduction and ‘filling the earth’ / change

extravagant luxury

more stars than can be seen

birds of paradise

variety all containing the Creator’s signature style

macro/micro

God’s work as Creator is ongoing.  What work is the Creator now doing?

“He (Christ) is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” – Colossians 1

Christ is ‘reconciling to himself ALL things’.

“In him all things hold together” – Everything is dependent on Christ.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. – Ezekiel 36

“I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new.” – Revelation 21

As artists, we form new things.  Don’t you want to work on God’s projects of making things new? Don’t you want to participate in that with him?

No doubt, God is the one that does the work.  But we can give witness to it / call attention to his good work.

Now that we, his creatures, know these things about our Creator God, how can we respond?

Worship

By Mark Skelton

A few years ago I happily discovered a Blog entitled Diary of an Arts Pastor: A diary of ruminations and happenings of an arts pastor who never wanted to be a pastor and never thought he could be an artist. This titled resonated with me. I found David Taylor’s thought-provoking blog entries about the intersection of Christianity and the arts to be inspiring. He also had an insane beard! I shared the blog with my wife, and we both found ourselves checking it daily so as to read his latest entry. I remember reading through old blog posts and thinking, “This guy needs to write a book.” Apparently I was not alone in my thinking, and while he did not write a book, he did compile/edit a book and then contribute to it.

For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts, is the product of a symposium that Taylor put together back in 2008. Several of the speakers (Andy Crouch, Eugene Peterson, Lauren Winner and Jeremy Begbie) from the event with various backgrounds contribute chapters to Taylor’s book. Taylor and his counterparts seek to show that the arts and artists are needed in the Church.

It has been my experience in reading books about theology and art that the focus tends to be more on the support of these and/or the relationship between the two, rather than a more practical “how to.” For the Beauty of the Church is different in that it shows us how to engage the arts and shepherd artists in the local church. Taylor gives us clear vision and direction for creating art programs within the church and making the arts a normal part of church life. All the basics are covered: Andy Crouch speaks about the gospel and creating culture, John Witvliet addresses art serving corporate worship, Eugene Peterson shares how he has learned from artists as a pastor, Barbara Nicolosi writes on the shepherding of artists, and Jeremy Begbie casts a hopeful vision for the future. These chapters work together to provide an excellent variety of ideas and suggestions for cultivating art in the church.

No matter what your background is— artist, pastor, church member, art lover, I would recommend giving this book a read.

From The Gospel Coalition Blog:

Audio Recording by Harold Best

“What I want for artists is to go back to what it means to be a created anybody, to the extent that without hiding behind or depending upon their gift as artists, they can be a fully armed citizen, a fully discoursing citizen, who then are known by being a gifted anybody, an ambassador, as if God Himself were making his appeal through us. I plead with you, don’t just be an artist. The world is too full of those folks. Great, yes, as artists, but what are they as human beings?”

Harold Best visited us in Nov. 2010 for an event titled “Be Fruitful”. The purpose of the event was to offer an opportunity for spiritual and creative development for Christian artists, songwriters, and creative writers.

In his talk, he outlines some basic ideas about making art Christianly. Insisting on shaping a worldview based on Christ, rather than building a worldview out of any niche specialty, such as art, he continues to argue for demystified creativity. Shattering overly-romanticized notions of art, Best proposes artistic creativity that grows out of our basic identity as God’s creatures.

Harold Best is a writer, teacher, theologian, and musician. His books “Unceasing Worship” and “Music Through the Eyes of Faith” have had a major impact on the arts ministries of Sojourn. His new book “Dumbfounded Prayers” will be released in December 2010.

In this video Betsey Steele Halstead walks through basic elements of visual design and how they work in the context of gathered worship.  This is a great resource for thinking through how to work with the visual arts and design in an existing church building.