A few random notes on art & aesthetics

Random note # 1 comes from our friend, Darrow Miller, of Disciple Nations Alliance:

That God is the first and perfect artist is attested by the beauty of creation.
The fact that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
establishes the metaphysical foundation for all of the arts (painting, writing,
composition, sculpting, dance, etc.) and for human creativity. Beauty
enriches our lives and brings a sense of wonder to the human soul.

. . . the biblical worldview sees the universe as ultimately beautiful and
elevates the heart, the mind, and the human spirit. When people recognize
beauty, they experience joy, pleasure, and perfect delight pleasure; they exalt
the creator of the beauty. They are encouraged to mimic the First Artist by
creating beautiful music, poetry, dance and rhythm, cloth, paintings and
lyrics.
http://disciplenations.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/the-universe-is-ultimately-beautiful/

Random note # 2:
I spoke today with the leadership of the Phoenix chapter of the International Arts Movement (IAM) http://www.internationalartsmovement.org/, Chad and Nate.

Although IAM is not explicitly a Christian organization, all the leadership (both locally and at headquarters in NYC) profess a clear faith in Jesus Christ. [For any who have been a part of The Truth Project http://www.thetruthproject.org/, you might recall the Japanese artist in Tour #11, Makoto Fujimura. http://www.makotofujimura.com/ . He's the founder of IAM.]

IAM's mission: "IAM gathers artists and creative catalysts to wrestle with the deep questions of art, faith and humanity in order to inspire the creative community to engage the culture that is and create the world that ought to be."

Art, Faith, and Humanity. . .to engage the culture. . . sounds like something we in the church should be doing, eh?

I look forward to seeing how ACWI and IAM might partner in the future.

Random note # 3
Just discovered this organization; looks intriguing:
http://www.byfor.org/ - By/For encourages artists to create sacred worship art by the church, for the church. As they say, "Patronage of the arts is an ancient idea, and By/For thinks it can be a modern one too. Churches can support artists in their communities and reclaim their historic role as patrons of the arts."

There's definitely a place for Christian artists to interact beyond the Christian subculture, but at the same time, the church needs better art, too (don't get me started on my rant!)