Mesa, Arizona
2021
To explore artistry in the Bible and in Christian tradition in order to help worshipers experience art as worship and to give them opportunities to create visual art that invites worshipers into the Biblical story.
Provide a brief summary of the purpose and goal of your grant.
Our grant year focused on the role of visual arts in the life of worship. Through the year we sought to create opportunities for artists and all congregation members to take part in the creation and observation of visual art as an act of worship. This was all for the purpose of encouraging our body of artists, initiating a process of being more intentional with our spaces, and beginning to create a worship culture that seeks visual art, among other worship rhythms, as a way of connecting with God.
To do that, we set up an intentional gallery space, and prayer space that was both inviting and peaceful. We also embraced opportunities to retreat together and ponder our calling as artists.
What questions have you asked about worship in the past year?
- How do we allow individual artistic expression without sacrificing doctrine or theology?
- What is the place of visual liturgy in regular worship life?
- How can we create sacred spaces on our campus that visually foster worship?
In what ways has your project engaged your congregation so that it impacts the worship life and habits of the congregation?
This year presented for artists the idea that their talents could be used as worship and presented for congregants the idea that visual art has a role in worship. In our "Art Share" and "Artist Retreat," we were able to identify artists and initiate lasting journeys of processing what the Lord might have for them using their art as worship. In the "Stations of The Cross" exhibits, artists were involved in creating a visual representation of Jesus' journey to the cross, facilitating visual reflection for many congregants for the first time. The creation of individual art pieces within the Night of Worship in the book of Ruth put in place the idea that art can be a part of anyone's personal worship habit, artists and "non-artists" alike.
What criteria have you used to evaluate your plan to foster vital worship?
In evaluating our project, we have relied both on our own quantitative observations as well as feedback from artists, pastoral staff, and church members. Over 1,000 individuals from within and outside our church engaged in the "Stations of The Cross" exhibit, and more than 200 congregants of all ages took part in creating and showcasing art pieces during the Ruth Night of Worship. Our church staff encouraged us with stories regarding the impact the events had on their ministries and we have received overwhelming feedback from artists that they have been blessed and are eagerly awaiting more opportunities. We hope to gather feedback soon regarding ideas for improvement, and which opportunities would be the best to continue in coming years.
What issues have been your greatest challenges (or challenging opportunities)?
Through the year, our team ran into circumstances where we were "walking a line" between allowing artists to express themselves and guiding them more directly in art creation as a worship practice. We realized that our staff members involved in visual arts tend to approach art by executing a detailed plan with a clear theological message or purpose in mind. Many individuals in our artist community, however, approach art as a way to connect with the Lord in an open and unplanned manor, and yet others find visual beauty itself of high value in their experience of God and His creation. This challenged our team to rethink how extensively our spiritual lives can be integrated with artistic expression, even when the connection is not as concrete.
What would you like to share with other Project Directors?
Flexibility is essential for a successful project. As we learned more about our congregation and our artists, we understood better their needs and expectations, which required us to remain open to some changes of approach.
It is also important to remember that growth in the worship culture occurs over time, often not in just one year. While we did see a lot of excitement from our artist community and congregation about our emphasis of visual art in worship this year, we acknowledge that there is still much to come regarding what the Lord may do with visual arts in the coming years and decades. Even if our efforts feel like they have only small impact on worship culture, God can do a lot with just our initial steps.