I have a confession to make. For all the writing and talking I do these days about art and how much I firmly believe it plays a central role in the way we interact with the world, I am not an artist. At least I don’t think of myself as being one. I don’t paint, I don’t draw, I don’t dance, I don’t write songs or poetry, I haven’t even picked up my camera for weeks, I create very little and what I do create is often of such poor quality as to be useless. Maybe I’m being a little hyperbolic in order to prove a point, but I think it’s an important point to make. You don’t have to be a great artist, a mediocre artist, or really an artist at all to participate in the arts. When I’m writing about creative expression, you can rest assured that anything I can do, you can probably do better.

Our society is very trained at this point to jump in with affirmations and platitudes about the quality of my photography or writing or what not. I’m very happy to accept praise, but what I’m trying to make clear is the point that while I am a competent photographer and writer, the fact that I can’t draw a straight line to save my life doesn’t have a negative impact on my ability to appreciate the work of other artists or to even participate in the creation of communal art projects myself. As I try to dance around the subject of what is and isn’t art in the course of writing my thesis, I want to say that I have a very broad view of what can be considered art. That is to say, I increasingly am defining art by the intent of the artist. I’m afraid I’m being rather obtuse so let me try to give an example.

I was having coffee recently with a friend who is also the worship leader at my church. I was saying that one art “installation” I would like to do at a church sometime actually is a removal of something. I want to have a church with a prominent cross up front remove that cross for a period of time. I want this to happen without explanation or mention at first. I want to see how people react and then I want them to express those feelings and reactions. I want the church to have a discussion about what the symbol of the cross and it’s reminder of Christ’s sacrifice means. If people react angrily and are offended by the removal of the cross then that should actually be a good sign, I would be afraid if no one noticed or cared that such an important symbol of the Christian faith was cast aside! But how is this art? I would argue this removal of a symbol is art by subtraction where as providing additional symbols or icons is art by addition. And as much as this is art, it clearly requires no artistic skill on my part.

So what am I getting at here. Well, I’m trying to argue different points to different audiences. To artists, wanna-be artists, and “creatives” I want to say that you should let your creative juices flow and see where they lead. As long as you are being contextually appropriate (animal sacrifice in demonstration of the Old Covenant is probably not something you would want to do on a Sunday morning) play around with the idea of art and what projects your community might be interested in or moved by. And if you are a church without any “artists”, don’t let that stop you! Certainly you have to be sensitive to the culture of your congregation and what you think they can have a meaningful engagement with but don’t assume no artists means no art. I’ve seen images printed on cheap copier paper in the church office then used amazingly in a sacred space display where people can reflect on an idea or theme. As cliche as it sounds, do a collage that contrasts make-up and car ads from Sports Illustrated and Cosmo with images of the floods in Pakistan from Time Magazine. Then put Amos 8:4-7 in the middle and ask people how their caring for their neighbor.

…ok, that last line might have been a little over the top, but I think you get the point. You don’t have to have Picasso in your church to incorporate art into your worship; and just because you aren’t Picasso doesn’t mean you can’t create for your church community! I’m certainly no artist, but that hasn’t kept me from encouraging and participating in the creative process. And who knows, maybe your attempts at creating for the community with reveal a latent skill or passion God has placed in your heart and open up a new and meaningful expression of worship you and the community can enjoy and be enriched by. Weirder things have happened. Trust me.

Filed under: Art, Church by Jonathan