Belief and action

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

Today’s blog is the first of a series based on thoughts that came out of the terrific “Art, City, and Society” Forum, hosted last weekend by New City Arts Initiative in Charlottesville, VA.

If you’ve read very many of my posts, you know that I closely follow arts policy – the area of arts practice that looks at how communities, institutions, and governments engage with and support the arts through funding, educational initiatives, community development projects, and other programs. So I was particularly excited to see that one of the sessions at the Forum would have guest speakers from the arts policy world, addressing the question “Why do the arts matter?”

You’d think we would have answered that question, many times over, right? So why ask it again at the Forum? Why would policy people, in particular, be asked to tackle it? And why do I keep asking it on the pages of this website? Continue reading →

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Art in Action

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

I’m knee-deep in research for my white paper, “A Model for Moving Forward,” which will eventually be a book chapter but for now is sort of my “manifesto” for how we can talk about what we do, as artists and leaders who hover over the intersection of faith and the arts.

The premise I’m working with, in the paper and in all of our advocacy work, is that unless we know what we’re doing – i.e. how the arts work – we can’t talk about why we’re doing it. And unless we can talk about why we’re doing it, we can’t engage support for it. And we need to engage support for it, in order to be able to do it better. Continue reading →

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eJournal, v. 2

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

In this edition:

  • Case Studies: Fire Exit Theatre; Harrison Center for the Arts
  • Interview: Art collector John Kohan
  • Books: The Social Impact of the Arts; new books by C&A members
  • Gatherings: Member Gatherings
  • Blogs: Recent C&A posts
  • C&A News: Spring is a Growing Season Continue reading →
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Preview: A Model for Moving Forward

Posted on March 19, 2012 by

This is a preview of an article I’m hard at work on for the next C&A eJournal edition. I didn’t want to take time away from it to write a fresh blog, so I thought I’d just drop the first few paragraphs of the current draft here as a preview. You may well see changes before the final version. Please be praying for me as I seek to wrap it up, along with a couple of book summaries that need to publish along with it, so that I can get it all out to the eJournal mailing list by the end of the week!
–Luann 

I get to talk to a lot of people – from all over the world, working in all kinds of leadership, ministry, and art-making activities – about what they see going on in the faith-and-arts movement. Over the last couple of years, I’ve heard several people say the same thing: we’re at a turning point. They – and I – believe that turning point is about moving from a journey of analysis and understanding into a more practical arena of making things happen. What I’ve heard, and said, sounds something like this: “We’ve pretty much got this whole faith-and-art thing figured out, theologically and historically. Now let’s do something with it, and about it. “ Continue reading →

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Another way of arts leadership

Posted on March 9, 2012 by

I’m still catching up on my blog and listserv reading – okay, now I think it is actually procrastination – and found a great post published by The Guardian (UK newspaper/media company) “Culture Professionals Network.” This week they’re focusing on women in arts leadership. Continue reading →

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Art as a tool for communities

Posted on March 8, 2012 by

I’m taking a break today from working on an article – well, actually, it will probably be a series of articles – on “the value of the arts.” I’ve been catching up on some blog and listserv reading about this topic (since I’m somewhat obsessed with it) so I guess it’s not technically procrastinating….

This advocacy question is a huge area for many working in the arts today, and although there are slightly different angles/issues within the church than in the larger arts community, the conversations tend to sound remarkably alike.

More on that soon.

But as part of my research I found two recent articles I wanted to suggest. They discuss one arena in which the arts’ value is being recognized. Arts leaders, as well as government officials and other community leaders, are mobilizing around the arts as powerful tools for community renewal. Continue reading →

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“Now, why are we doing this?”

Posted on February 27, 2012 by

This guest post is by Rev. Dr. James D. Kearny, Jr., Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church in Seattle.  

Our church puts on a play each year to raise money for the youth mission trip. My wife and I were professional theatre people before our call to pastor churches, so we have fun putting on these small productions—especially surprising the audience members who come, understandably, with extremely low expectations.

This year was different. We were unsure of whether or not the youth were going on a mission trip and only a few youth were in the play. Early on, an adult leader asked the question, “Now, why are we doing this?” Without the practical motivation of raising money for a worthy cause, what’s left to support all the expense and bother of putting on a show? Continue reading →

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February eJournal – New format!

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

This is the online version of our monthly eJournal. To receive in your Inbox, click the link in the column at right, or join us as a member!

In this edition:

  • Gatherings: Upcoming NYC Gathering March 10; Member Gatherings
  • Case Studies: Master’s Academy of Fine Arts; the Limner Society
  • Articles: The Art of Submission; The Gift of Leadership
  • Books: Member Recommendations
  • Blogs: The Moment Hits You; Member Blogs
  • C&A News: New Year, New Look Continue reading →
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The moment hits you, part 3

Posted on February 17, 2012 by

You’ve probably seen something like this:

What makes the center squares look different from each other when they’re actually exactly the same color? Context.

In my “The Moment Hits You” blog series, I’ve been looking at the factors that give a work of art impact, and why that’s something we need to understand as Christian leaders in the arts.

And, just like the center squares above, things look different ways in different contexts. Sometimes the moment hits you in the wrong way. Continue reading →

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The moment hits you, part 2

Posted on February 4, 2012 by

Last week I wrote about arts “moments” that impact us, stop us in our tracks, turn us in new directions, force us to listen and look in new ways.

Impact. Stop. Turn. Force. Listen. Look.

Going back to that blog: stunned, aroma, sneaking up, revisits, move me, put ourselves in its way, take risks, create, worship, open up a space, turned the page, drawn in, opened, stood before, said “thank you, Lord.”

Get where I’m going here?

Here’s my philosophy about how art* works – which you’ll be hearing a lot about from me in the next weeks and months – and why art is uniquely needed in the Church, and art created by the Church is desperately needed in the world: Continue reading →

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