I wonder if the blog is the place to ask and answer questions. Because I use Google Analytics, I know exactly how many people click on our blog... Which means I still don't know if it is a good place to discuss things!Our church runs an Art Gallery through our office. It costs us very little money (significantly less than one percent of our budget), and seems to produce an incredible number of blank expressions from artists, Christians, church members, and people who wander in from the community (which happens every time we have a show). These looks become even more furrowed when we start to talk about how and why we don't charge commissions.
The Gallery has several purposes (Missional, Theological, Relational) which would require more space than I would like to put into a blog (but I LOVE emails... ). I will summarize that we think artists are uniquely gifted in displaying things that are difficult to explain with words. This is worth supporting. In the books of Exodus and Chronicles, God commissions artists for the beautiful parts of the Tabernacle and then the Temple. Our community enjoys Art, and we enjoy participating and furthering art in Webster. I could go on and on.
I want you to come to the Gallery on Friday, April 17th because I think it is good for your heart. I know that it is hard to find a babysitter if you have kids (or adults that you don't like coming out with you). I know you're busy. I also know there is something about Art that often stirs the soul in places we weren't engaging while scrolling through Status Updates on Facebook, Answering emails, or when we were stuck in traffic. The show is through the local chapter of the Women's Caucus for the Arts, and it has a depth and richness I could (and have already) spend hours looking at and enjoying.
The above painting is by Lucian Freud, and if you have the time I think you should read this article from the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7979469.stm It is about what can happen when you happen upon some great art. It is short and enjoyable.
Please, if you have questions about the Gallery this is an okay place to voice them... And, show up on Friday. By the way, the food has been written up by a local Art Journalist as the best spread of any Gallery in St. Louis (Art Patrol).
-Matt
Thanks for the article. I spent much of my twenties having faith in God based on the beauty that surrounded me. I believed that only the divine could create the beauty of nature, art, and music. The foundation of my Christianity was my ability to interact with the world's beautiful things. Though I have a ton of work to do in my faith life, it is comforting to be surrounding by the part of my faith that feels rock solid that being that God is a divine planner that shapes emotions through art. I hope this evening is another moment to enjoy and validate those feelings.
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