Contemporary Art and the Church

Contemporary Fine art and the Church , Edited by W. David O. Taylor and Taylor Worley. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Academic, 2017.

Summary: Essays from artists, theologians, and church leaders participating in the 2015 Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) Conference exploring the conversation to be had between the church and contemporary artists.

The human relationship between the church and the art world has often been a tense i, peculiarly on the gimmicky art scene. Oft, believing people don't know what to make of gimmicky art, or they may observe it repulsive or fifty-fifty insulting when images of their faith seem to be denigrated. Contemporary artists sometimes come from church communities but have experienced rejection, or the disjunct between professed beliefs and lived experience. Then there is the group working in both worlds, and living in the tension between those worlds. These are the people represented past the essays in this book, which came out of a Christians in the Visual Arts conference in 2015, gathered to explore how a conversation might be had between these two worlds–a conversation made up of artists, critics, theologians, and church leaders.

There are 3 groups of essays, and then two concluding symposia and two final essays. The first group of essays explores what is meant by a conversation between the church and contemporary art. Wayne Roosa's essay seems to maximize the differences, that this is a conversation between strangers that will involve a posture of shut listening and receptivity to even sympathise each other. Linda Stratford responds that there are overlapping qualities between the two, commending equally an example the belatedly work of Andy Warhol, who turns out to have been far more than religious than many would have guessed. Jonathan Anderson draws on Paul Hiebert'southward work around bounded and centered sets and suggests the latter offers a model for intersection betwixt the two conversation partners around shared concerns of ultimate value. The final essay, by Bowden and Lettieri explore examples of what is existence done at a practical level through exhibitions in church galleries and other settings.

The second set of essays focuses on theology–God and contemporary art. Ben Quash opens with the provocative question, "can contemporary art be devotional art?" He considers three oppositions in this relationship, which he describes as a "marriage in arbitration," Taylor Worley responds by exploring how faith, promise and beloved shape our appointment with contemporary art. Christina L. Carnes Ananias explores some of the different means 1 might understand silence and nothingness in the piece of work of Yves Klein. Finally, in one of the well-nigh interesting essays in the collection, Chelle Sterns explores a "haptic pneumatology" (the feel of the Spirit through touch on, physical sensation) in the installations of Ann Hamilton. If her work is ever in my town, I want to see (and participate in) it afterwards Stern's description.

The third section concerns fine art and worship, Katie Kresser, an art historian, explores some of the theory of visual and spiritual perception around images and makes recommendations for art in the worship context that expresses shared apprehensions of truth of the worshipers rather than a mere personal expression of the artist. W. David O. Taylor affirms this but presses further in request, "Which Art, What Worship?" Allen Craft argues for an fine art that gives a congregation a sense of its "place" in the world. Finally, David West. McNutt contends that churches in the Reformed tradition shaped by Barth's accent on Discussion and negative view of images, may find support in Barth's ecclesiology for art in the church. I take to admit that I wasn't persuaded, simply that McNutt is far more knowledgeable about Barth than I.

The final section consisted of two panels, one moderated past Nicholas Wolterstorff, the other by Kevin Hamilton. The first might be described as "the style it was and how far Christians in the arts have come up." The second was a much younger group of artists working in public settings, describing much more, "the fashion it is." This is followed by an essay by Calvin Seerveld giving advice to recent grads–apprentice, do imaginative work rooted in one's humanness, and create works that reflect one'southward vision of "the city of God" in all of life. Finally, he argues that artists are jesters and ventriloquists. Cameron J. Anderson explores both the embrace of calling and dazzler in the pursuit of one'south art and the knowledge that grace solitary saves the world.

This is a pretty high level conversation, where we overhear serious thinkers and artists exploring the conceptual and imaginary worlds of the church and the contemporary fine art world. Apart from Bowden and Lettieri's essay, and the ii symposia, there was less on practical plan and more on exploring the commencement principles of such conversations. More important, it seemed to me a kind of rehearsal of how CIVA artists and church building sympathizers might extend these conversations, both in the direction of the wider church building, and the wider art community. This path-breaking work seems vitally of import if a existent chat is to occur, one that fosters new-found appreciation for the concerns of artists, and i that explores how a contemporary aesthetic might open fresh ways of apprehending the God nosotros worship and God's ways in the globe.