The Chrysalis and the Butterfly

On April 16, we held an art exhibit entitled “Sinners and Saints” at Red Bank Community Church. We hold two exhibits a year, inviting artists from around the country to participate.

We had lots of great pieces for the show. Canadian Nobel Peace Price nominee Sharon Sargent sent us some of her remarkable courtroom sketches, accompanied by descriptions of each case. The sketches were hung on a clothesline with clothespins to create a piece she called “Dirty Laundry.” The depiction of murderers and rapists on trial fit well with our theme.

The exhibit started off with a great live “light painting” performance by Eva Flatscher and her accompanist Mavis Pan. Brooke Campbell also came down from NYC to favor us with her beautiful singing.

Local artist Sheilagh Casey contributed a really fun piece she called “Christian Training Kit.“ It consisted of a box with a mirror and a stone inside. It invited viewers to look at themselves and then cast the stone if they found themselves to be without sin.

One of the pieces I did was called “A Gallery of Saints.” It was a series of photographs that I took of members of our congregation and turned them into faux icons by adding a halo of gold leaf. In keeping with traditional portraits of saints, each person was photographed with some symbolic object to represent their identity: a mop, a plate of cookies, a bow and arrow, an apple, a Bible, etc. People were a bit surprised to see themselves depicted as saints—because we know we are far from it. Yet we also know that we are set apart for sanctification because of what Jesus has done, is doing and will do on our behalf.

In the middle of the room, I put up an installation called “Chrysalis.” It was essentially two white mosquito nets sewn together, hanging from the ceiling, forming a triangle with an opening on one side. Viewers were invited to enter it and invite God to change them. Below you can find a brief video of the installation.

Near the end of the exhibit, I noticed a little miracle. Even though there were no open windows in our space—and we are on the second floor of a commercial building with only one regular-sized door downstairs—a little white butterfly somehow managed to land on “Chrysalis.” It was oddly affirming.

IAM hangover.

Every year when I come back from the IAM (International Arts Movement) Encounter, my head can hardly contain any more input—and my heart is giddy from two-and-a-half-days of intensive stimulation. The IAM Encounter is not just a meeting of artists. Something happens there that is bigger than just the sum of its parts. There is a spiritual synergy—what some might call “ubuntu”—a chain reaction of sharing that taps into our collective potential.

Or, as philosopher of art Adrienne Chaplin called it during her talk, a “lift experience.”

The culture at the Encounter is one of inclusion and encouragement. Visual artists, writers, philanthropists, dancers, scientists, musicians and clergy come together to share their individual contributions to the re-making of the world as it ought to be. People talk about things like “re-humanizing” and “being generative”—which are really ways of describing the redemptive work that God is doing through people of faith.

Bruce Herman, an artist and lecturer, pointed out the contrast of artistic styles from someone like Damien Hirst (who barely touches his work) to Andy Goldworthy and Wolfgang Laib (who commit such loving attention to theirs). Nigel Goodwin, actor and graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, talked about the love we must show others. He left the stage to comfort an audience member who got all choked up at one point during his talk—directly demonstrating love in action. Mona Storling and her dancers related the story of the woman caught in adultery in a surprising way and with such visual force that it took my breath away.

Makoto Fujimura, the founder of IAM, shared with us his latest project: the illumination of the four gospels in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Li Young Lee read with humility poems that were saturated with love for God. They sounded like new psalms, with humanity meeting God in each line.

In addition to feasting on all these presentations, I got great joy from seeing old friends and making new ones from all over the world. IAM brings together such fascinating people! And they are so open to sharing about their journeys through the realm of faith and art. I was especially excited to meet a group of believers that are active in China.

Now I am back home, trying to digest it all. I am pregnant with vision—and bursting to create.

Preparing A Place

Bamboo forest in Huang Shan mountains 'feels like a sanctuary'

A group of Art and Design students from Beijing who heard my teaching on Infinite Creativity contacted me. They asked for some guidance as to how to combine their faith with their art. Currently there seems to be no precedent or teaching on that subject in China. The following is my first of five emails back to them.

The most important thing to me as an artist is to arrange my priorities and dedicate my work to God daily. Whatever I do, I do it unto God (1 Cor 10:31, Col. 3:17) That way, by the time I get to work on my current art project, I have already practiced communication with God. That communication does not always have to be verbal - it often is like a mental and emotional alignment with God's will - a preparation of a place in my heart for God to lead me through the project.

Then there is the physical place that needs preparation. No matter how big or how small the space is for me to do artwork, it has to be clear of clutter, preferably dedicated to doing creative work. I like my space to be quiet, others like to play music or thrive on the bustling street noise of a city. I like to work in the daylight hours, for others the shine of the computer screen is enough. Whatever your preference, prepare a place in your heart for God, and a place in your room for your work. It should be like a sanctuary where everything is dedicated to God.

Infinite Creativity

The very first verse in the Bible tells us 'God created.' He created the heavens and the earth and then - He created man. In His own image He created them. Male and female He created them.

Our God is a creative God and since He created us in His own image, it follows that we must be creative too. We are creative children of a creative God. God is the source of all creativity. Infinite creativity is flowing from Him now, as it did in the beginning, and it forever will.

When I spoke at the National Christian Teacher's Conference in China, I took the example of God letting Adam name all creatures He had made, to illustrate the importance of encouraging creativity in our children and students. God encouraged Adam to be creative and so perpetuated creativity in humans. It is our turn now to encourage others to be creative.

The response of the Chinese teachers was enormous. I set up a workshop with the following six stations:

Prayer

Drawing and Collage

Naming

Group Sculpting

Printing

Video

The room was humming with creativity. There was no holding back. Intense prayers were lifted up. All of the participants proudly shared their favorite artwork on video, partially giving their testimonies. I was left astonished at what God had intended for me to do all along. Now I saw the result - an immense release of creativity that was held back since the Cultural Revolution. It was super natural.

What do China's Christians have to learn about art?

This is a troubling title. It's a challenge I am faced with right now. I have been invited to speak at Christian Teachers' meeting in Guangzhou, China, and at a National Christian Teachers' Conference in an undisclosed location, also in China. Both are Underground meetings. The topic of my speech is: Infinite Creativity.

China has a rich art history of which I have to admit I am very ignorant. At the same time the believers in the house churches that I met last year can't wait for me to get back to them. They are hungry for anything that comes from Jesus. Isn't He the creator of everything?

The first thing that God does in Genesis 1:1 is to create. And today, He creates still. Every life, everything that is new comes from Him. He even breathes fresh life into those who are dead. The end of the story? A brand new, sparkling and beautiful Jerusalem, created and inhabited by God, will be coming down from the clouds. God is the source of infinite creativity and my goal is to connect the teachers at the conference to that source.