The
following blog offers a brief introduction to the topic of ‘Art in
Ministry’.
Art
as ministry is about looking at things more deeply. Artists who
contribute their spiritual gifts and skills to help people in the
church and in the wider community try to help us better relate to
God, social concerns, and motivate us to act.
| “God is the original artist and has given us gifts of creativity. It is the responsibility of artists to tell the good news with their art.” |
Many
churches would like to become more fluent in the use of the arts to
communicate truths about God more effectively–and that’s a worthy
goal. God designed the arts to help jump over barriers, slip past our
intellect, and penetrate our hearts and souls.
“Through
art, I’ve seen people be pulled into conversations they wouldn’t
normally have in the church.”
Just
imagine if your local church became the focal point in the community
to experience beauty, creativity, and spiritual transcendence. In
fact, hundreds of years ago churches were centers for these
experiences. What happened?
| Artists played a critical role in the early history of the Church—their work evoking longing and enhancing worship for many years. However, the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century and the Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries led to suspicion of emotional and sensual experiences. During this time, the Church came to associate art with idolatry and irrational thinking and thus distanced itself from most forms of artistic expression. In doing so, we lost a powerful means of transformation. - Visual & Creative Arts as Ministry |
There
are many ways congregations can better engage with artists in
ministry. For example:
-
Research the topic of ‘Art in Ministry’.
-
Invite artists to speak on Art, Faith, and the Bible.
-
Offer space for artists to work with members to create and exhibit their artworks in the church.
-
Consider hiring a part-time arts minister who will find ways to integrate art into church life.
Selected
Articles on Art & Ministry
Before
moving forward, take the time to do some basic
research. The following are
some selected articles
to get you started:
Art Needs the Church: How to create Artisan communities - United Methodist Church
-
Building community through Arts Ministry
Religious
Art Software & Tools
If
you decide to move forward, the following are links to some selected
free and open source software and tools for artists to explore and
use:
Art
of Illusion
- A 3D modelling and rendering studio.
Blender
- A 3D content creation suite.
Edraw Religious Clip Art and Free Catholic Clip Art
GIMP
(GNU Image Manipulation Program)
- Free
and
open source alternative to Photoshop.
Krita
- A full-featured, open source sketching and painting application
for digital artists.
Open
Movie Editor -
Designed
for basic movie making capabilities.
Scribus
- An open source desktop publishing system with and extensive
graphics tools.
Synfig
Studio
– A
2D
animation software solution for creating film-quality animation.
TuxPaint
– An
award-winning
drawing program for children ages 3 to 12. |
*
There are many other
free
and open source software (FOSS) tools available for artists. Read
Lake
Marion Artisans ‘Open’ Art Technology and
Best
Free Painting Software 2018 by TechRadar.
Let
us know if your church has established an ‘Art Ministry’ and send
us any constructive guidance and suggestions to achieve success.
Selected
Links
|
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