Archive for the 'Christianity' Category
Zoe Murdock is author of Torn by God: A Family’s Struggle with Polygamy (my review here). I first got in touch with Zoe on Twitter (follow her here). She mentions a lot of her bio and her Mormon upbringing in her answers that follow, so I won’t reproduce them here.
MW: Most of my readers know very little about Mormonism and have never been to Utah. What do you think are some of the misconceptions about Mormonism that should be cleared up from the start?
ZM: My first-hand knowledge of Mormonism is based on my childhood experience. I pretty much stopped attending church when I left home at 19. However, I did a fair amount of research while I was writing my novel, and I have read and thought a great deal about the LDS Church, and its various fundamentalist off-shoots, in recent years.
When I see Mormons represented in the media, or in film, or in programs like HBO’s Big Love, I recognize the image and the storyline, but it is almost always a limited and stereotypical view. The problem arises because Mormons are generally portrayed in the context of their past. Mormons today are a diverse group of individuals, much more so than in the past. I recently read that today only 12 percent of Mormons live in Utah, and less than half live in the United States. My novel, Torn by God: A Family’s Struggle with Polygamy takes place in the late 50s. Utah was much more homogeneous at that time, especially in a small town like the one I grew up in where very few people were non-Mormon.
I think the reason these stereotypes persist is because when it comes to the LDS Church, the past is much more interesting than the present, especially for today’s media which always looks for something titillating or controversial. The Church has been trying to move away from some of its more controversial originating doctrine. They have tried to play down the media’s incessant tendency to draw a connection between the mainstream Church and off-shoot groups such as the FLDS, but they can’t seem to escape the past. I think I know why. What we have is a modern day church trying to evolve. The problem is, they are trying to evolve away from doctrine (for example, polygamy) that were originally represented as coming directly from God. Polygamy was presented as an essential practice if a man was to reach the highest degree of heaven (in Mormon lingo, the Celestial Kingdom). Here’s a link to a site that covers Joseph Smith’s revelations regarding Celestial Marriageand polygamy.
I’ve heard they don’t talk about polygamy in Mormon Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School anymore. In fact, I’ve talked to a number of past members who became angry and disenchanted when they found out they’d been lied to about such things. For example, some grew up thinking that Joseph Smith had only one wife, Emma.
When I was a child, we knew all about polygamy. We knew it was practiced in the past, and we knew it would be practiced in the next life. But we also knew it was grounds for excommunication (and against the law) if you practiced it in this life. It was kind of an odd concept because we lived around people who practiced polygamy: the main enclave of the FLDS (Warren Jeffs’ group) was just up the road. We saw the FLDS kids as weirdos, and yet they represented our past and our future, so in that sense we were weirdos too. Even among good Church members, there seems to be some confusion as to what to believe, but most of them accept and live according to what the current prophet tells them. This issue of doctrine changing in the Mormon Church is central to my novel; the father, Michael, represents a member of the church awash in the confusion caused by the Church’s attempt to change.
If the LDS Church ever does overcome its polygamist past, they may become just another religion. If so, the Media may well lose interest in covering them to the extent that they now do. But then, there’s always their stand on homosexuality, which is bound to keep them in the news for some time.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Zoe Murdock, LDS, polygamy, religious fiction writing’
I was listening to two podcasts today: Ravi Zakarias’ Let My People Think and Paul Washer’s talks from Sermon Audio, and I wanted to share some things I learned. One of the speakers on the RZIM recording told an interesting anecdote about Voltaire. Though arguably an anti-theist, Voltaire did not want his housekeepers to be atheists.
Paul Washer pointed out, correctly I think, that much of Christians’ mental images of Jesus probably derives from Cecil B. Demille films.
Washer took this to be a bad thing — Hollywood’s cheapness and oversimplification — and then proceeded to describe his own experiences in Peru, and took the way poor Peruvians would flock around a visiting doctor (out of absolute need) as a better approximation of what it would have been like in Jesus’ day. Peru is surely no Middle East, no matter how compelling and inspiring Washer’s experiences are.
I have no problem with Washer’s interpretation, I am just convinced that he is doing the same thing Demille would have done. Whether one draws from one’s own experiences or one creates art which aims to personalize the bible, I think there is a lot to be said for mapping out one’s own life over the biblical narrative.
Artists shouldn’t put down pastors’ visions as inferior, and it is my opinion that pastors should not privilege their own visions over those of religious artists. Both parties stand to learn a lot from each other.
I read the July 27 article titled “Church Official and Wife Beaten, Robbed in Gaza” with interest. The entire story is worth reading (and is short, though quite disturbing), but I think the final paragraph is worth noting in full:
Christians in the Gaza live in a kind of no-zone between two worlds, often caught in the cross-fire between Palestinians and Israelis. Neither side openly interacts with the small number of Christians in the area.
In honor of John Calvin’s 500th birthday (this Friday), here is a reference to idolatry (the real kind, not the metaphorical).
All too often, it seems to me that the only kind of idolatry that pastors talk about is the metaphorical kind (greed, materialism, etc.), rather than the literal second commandment. (Aaron Dailey, one of the elders of lifeconnectionchurch.net, agrees with me.)
But it turns out that Calvin requested to be buried in an unmarked grave in a common cemetery in Geneva to avoid idolatry. (Though this open letter to Calvin claims he held greed to be a chief form of idolatry.)
Dresden is delisted. The Cleveland Museum of Art has Hindus singing its praises. An original Gutenberg bible goes on display in the Jersey City Heights (and the BL has put the world’s “oldest bible” online). Now that Michael Jackson has passed, there is still Orlan, and here’s a sort-of Catholic angle on her “art.” A profile of Mormon Artist magazine. Artists are trying to save the world (Wilde be damned). Wendy Rosenfield continues to promote Twitter. And Malaysia: the new fashion center of (you guessed) “Islamizing clothes.”
Ria Brodell, “St. Anthony Finds G.I. Joe’s Gun,” 2009, gouache on paper, 11 x 15 inches. judirotenberg.com/
Looking at Boston-based exhibits in anticipation of an upcoming visit, I noticed a show of Ria Brodell’s work at Judi Rotenberg from the show “The Handsome & The Holy” (through July 11). Presumably, G.I. Joe would be the handsome, and St. Anthony is the Holy. See also “He-Man and St. Michael Find They Have a Lot in Common” (link) and “He-Man is Introduced to G.I. Joe” (link), which I am guessing are relevant in deciphering Anthony and G.I. Joe.
I’m not sure if this is relevant, but Brodell’s monks wear brown robes, which might relate to St. Francis’ “beast colored” tunic (and St. Anthony was a Franciscan). In terms of the violent element (G.I. Joe’s gun), there is a violent element to the St. Anthony story — he became a Franciscan to die a martyr like five other martyrs whose bodies were carried to his monastery en route to burial. Most importantly, he was the “finder of lost articles.”
There is clearly more to this painting than I have uncovered so far. Brodell’s other works invoke guardian angels and many self-portraits collaged upon other famous figures. I’m also working my way through Brodell’s website, but I thought I’d share the image above.
Link here, for my review of the show Reclaimed: Paintings from the Collection of Jacques Goudstikker at The Jewish Museum until August 2.
[UPDATE: Did anyone else notice Obama refers in his Cairo talk to “Holy Koran” and “Holy Bible” but simply “Talmud” and “Torah” sans the “holy” epithet?]
I just finished listening to the Obama Cairo Speech, and was particularly interested in this part:
I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, “Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.”
It seems to me that this is an area where art can help us find common ground. In the President’s words,
It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation.
Reminds me of the beginning of this piece I wrote on Islamic art (more on the anti-Muslim letter here).
The abhaya mudra gesture from Buddhist and Hindu art figures prominently in William Safire’s “On Language” column, though Buddhist scroll-painting techniques are elsewhere facing threats from modernity.
“Art museums have two central roles they can serve when the world is going to hell in a handbasket,” is just one of the lovely aspects of this great piece on museums and edginess/self-censorship.
MFA Boston gets to a keep a Kokoschka (I grew up loving), which a court said had outlived the statute of limitations, and might have been “legitimately” acquired by the Nazis. (There is also other good news in the Mass. art world.)
First porn literature festivals, and now asking for more sex in the arts? The eroticism of UK-based arts coverage. This reminds me of what may art teacher says is the test of good painting: something you’d want to take to bed with you.
An attempt to explaining what’s the big deal about the Mona Lisa, without once invoking the code.
According to her website, Nadia Janjua’s art draws from her faith. “One day after prayer, while I was making supplication, I became distracted by my hands, and how multi-colored they were,” she writes, “these were the hands that Allah had given me: dark under the nails, brown on the outside, white on the inside, and a blended line of distinction down the profile of my hand.” I first came across Nadia on Twitter (follow her @njARTitectr), and here is the result of our conversation…
MW: You talk in your bio about artists’ capacity to use their hands to create with Allah’s will. Does this mean you identify as a Muslim artist? What does that term mean to you?
NJ: I identify as an Artist, who happens to be a Muslim, an American, a Pakistani, a Kashmiri. My faith and religion are an indistinct part of everything I do, and I don’t feel I need to categorize myself as a particular type of Artist because of that.
I have a broad interpretation of the term “Muslim Artist,” or “Islamic Artist,” which relates more to my ideas of what exactly “Islamic Art” is. As an initial clarification, “Islamic” cannot be used in the same way as “Christian” in Christian Art, or “Buddhist” in Buddhist Art, for historically it’s always transgressed ethnic and geographical bounds. It was more so about culture, then religion. For me, the term “Muslim Artist” really implies a certain relationship between human and his/her surroundings.
In my statement about artists’ capacity to use their hands to create, “with Allah’s will,” I meant to emphasize the latter part of that statement: “with Allah’s will.” While we are the vessels through which the physical creation of art occurs, I wanted to make the distinction that in my belief, only God can ultimately create, and give us the ability to create inanimate work (inanimate in a biological sense, not spiritual).
MW: There are quotes (I believe from Hadith) about the Prophet condemning artists to the fire. How do you respond to these verses, particularly as an artist who works in a naturalistic mode some of the time?
NJ: Well, there are a few clarifications I’d like to make first. Muslims believe the Prophet Mohamad (peace be upon him) to be a messenger sent to humankind by God, needless to say, similar to Prophet Jesus, Moses, and Joseph (peace by upon them all), for example. The Prophets did not condemn anyone to hellfire; they communicated prohibitions or theological pronouncements to humankind through God’s revelations.
Traditionally, Islamic Art attempts to display Divine beauty by detaching that beauty from this world, basically, from things that figurative art attempts to represent. There is an abstract nature to it and it represent ideas, rather than objects. The Prophet’s prohibition of making images had to do with forbidding the practice in pre-Islamic and early Islamic times of worshiping these images, forms, and idols. In Islam, there is no space for worship of anyone as a partner to God.
Nothing about art has ever been literal or straightforward; it is its inherent nature. At best, I will say Islamic art, or the view of art in Islam, for Muslims, is that it’s neither tangible nor spiritual, it is something in between. It attempts to represent a vision of God’s presence in the world, simultaneous with His incomparability to anything in this world. In essence beauty is always to be connected with the Ultimate One who Created it.
Continue reading ‘10 questions for Nadia Janjua: artist, arch. designer’
A couple of weekends ago, I had the opportunity to see “The Generational: Younger Than Jesus” at the New Museum in Manhattan. Carrying the tag line “50 artists from 25 countries all under 33,” the show, which the museum is hailing as “the only exhibition of its kind in the United States,” seemed very unfocused to me.
The show — like many others I have seen that are essentially parking lots for contemporary art, sculpture, assemblage, and installation — demands a tremendous amount of time and effort on the viewer’s part in reading large amounts of wall texts to understand the works.
A Rembrandt’s worth of a thousand words is nice precisely because it is visual rather than textual, and as such can be quickly deciphered, but I’ve found many contemporary pieces, even after I’ve clocked in the appropriate background research, remain ambiguous despite my having suffered through the catalog and the posted materials.
I believe many viewers jump to conclusions too quickly and denounce all modern art as useless without putting any effort into trying to listen to the works, but I also wonder where so many artists get off arrogantly thinking they can require their audiences to invest so much to understand them. This kind of self-centered approach is so Gen. Y.
The Gen. Y artists in “Younger” talked a lot about themselves, and not at all about Jesus. I was simultaneously thrilled that Jesus was being placed front and center in the show, and disappointed that the exhibit did absolutely nothing in the way of educating about Jesus or faith. The title struck me as false advertising.
In fact, the exhibit website doesn’t reveal a thing about Jesus (or how, if at all, he impacted the artists), beyond invoking him several times in the exhibit name. The viewer is meant to assume Jesus was 33 when he was crucified (as this Wiki page argues), though this could be fleshed out more (e.g. here).
The show left me wondering if the museum was being offensive in focusing on Jesus’ age, as if he was inexperienced, and his worldview was irrevocably shaped by his youth (though Karen Sue Smith, in her great review of the show, argues the title does not mock).
I also asked myself what Jesus, who was the master of metaphors, would think about all the theories that surfaced in the show. For the most part, I decided, Jesus’ parables are concise, purposeful, and blunt. He could have taught the artists of “Younger” a thing or two about communication (and perhaps even carpentry).
I am not going to say anything about the individual works (see this arforum piece for a good synopsis). They didn’t strike me as anything wonderful to write home about, but I encourage everyone who has the opportunity to see the show to do so, because it is an exciting enterprise, and I like how the museum is trying to bring younger perspectives to its audiences.
What initially excited me most about the show’s title was its promise to balance Gen. Y (and its narcissism, ego, and complicated identities) and Jesus (the exact opposite). If there had been an effort to navigate that balance I think the show would have been far more exciting.
Image: AIDS-3D OMG Obelisk, 2007 MDF, electroluminescent wire, steel, hot glue, acrylic paint and fire. Source: New Museum.
BYU’s museum displays a hanger-sculpture without worrying it’s not Mormon, an associate pastor claims Kentridge for spirituality (noting, as I have, Kentridge is Jewish), and beliefnet covers Star Wars’ 10 commandments (HT: RNS).
Oprah helps bring diversity to an angel museum, Woody has to prove he commands $10m/ad (to fight an unauthorized rabbinic impersonation), and more controversy surrounds the Pope’s past run-ins with the Hitler Youth (and here), which is ironic given his recent denouncement of hijacking religion for political pretexts, amidst questions what the heck anti-Semitism is anyway.
Part I; Part II. Rev. Gerald R. Johns Jr. is pastor of Providence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Per his website, he received a B.A. from Southwestern College and an M.Div. from Texas Christian University. You can follow him on Twitter, where I first “met” him, @JerryJohns.
MW: There have been some recent controversies in which Christ has been depicted in chocolate [my interview with the artist Cosimo Cavallaro] and earlier with animal and human excrement. To what extent do you think artists — whether Christian or not — should be required to treat Jesus respectfully in their art?
GRJ: I can’t imagine why anyone would be required to produce art within parameters. Artists should by nature freely express. While many may not find the art to be in good taste I don’t think art should be limited. Whether or not someone chooses to purchase it or display it is up to them. In a sense artists paint, sculpt, draw, and create in order to be appreciated by an audience. If what they produce does not inspire an audience then so be it.
I suppose another area of controversy generated around this type of art has been whether the National Endowment for the Arts ought to be funding such projects. That is going to depend on who is on the granting board for the NEA. It is their best judgment whether the art evokes something, will garner a following or makes an important statement or breaks a boundary that is revolutionary. (I think there is more to be said on this, and would be glad to follow up more.)
MW: You recently joined Twitter, where you join quite a large number of ministers, priests, and pastors using social media. Why do you think Christian leaders are embracing new media at a much quicker rate than other religious leaders?
GRJ: The evangelical churches that brought the church into the 21st century in relation to media are probably leading the way. They saw some years ago that introducing media into worship would draw people. There are lots and lots of folks in the pews who eschew technology in their homes and certainly in their worship. I would also say that ministers are relational and community-oriented. We don’t have lots of opportunities to gather and talk about our parishes and leadership and stewardship and frustrations. Add to that the people we knew in school are mostly scattered around the country and Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn become for us a tool for interaction with one another. Most of the Pastors I know are looking for ways to build community, to reach young people and they are not afraid of technology. Social Media does raise concern among Pastors because it offers opportunities for predators to locate and take advantage of people who have low esteem.
For part one, see here. Rev. Gerald R. Johns Jr. is pastor of Providence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Per his website, he received a B.A. from Southwestern College and an M.Div. from Texas Christian University. You can follow him on Twitter, where I first “met” him, @JerryJohns.
MW: It seems like some Christians point to St. Luke drawing the Virgin while guided by an angel as not only permission to create sacred art, but also an encouragement to do so, while others adopt a more let’s say minimalist approach to religious culture. Is it simply a question of a debate over whether that episode occurred?
GRJ: I don’t know that I have enough information to give an answer to this question.
MW: To what extent do some churches downplay the visual arts for political reasons (like distancing themselves from Catholic churches)?
GRJ: It’s hard for me to answer this one because of my perspective. I have been on the progressive side of the church since I was baptized. I could speculate and say that in the free church movement in the United States there is a definite Catholic “backlash.” Part of my religious heritage includes exposure to the A Capella Church of Christ. There are some, not all, in that movement who believe that the Catholic Church is a cult. I have heard that line of thinking in many places. So, I could speculate about art and say that in those traditions where Catholicism is anathema, those who are career artists would likely stay away from the sorts of sacred art which are prominent in the history of the Catholic faith. It seems to me — but again this could be because of my perspective — that religious art these days is not sacred art in the way we think about classic art. Religious art, it seems to me, is more about the person of Jesus and depictions of him that would show his power for salvation or over demonic forces.
MW: Who are your favorite Christian artists? Do you think there is a such thing as Christian art per se?
GRJ: Never thought about this before. I tend not to see the world in terms of Christian/ non-Christian. I don’t patronize businesses based on whether they display a fish or not. So, I don’t know that I have ever considered who my favorite Christian artist is. I will say that French impressionism touches me and so does the art of Native Americans.
MW: To what extent did Texas Christian University address Christian art?
GRJ: I was at Brite Divinity School which is a part of TCU. The school offered a class titled, “The Intersection of Art and Theology.” It was a truly wonderful experience to be in that class. I live in Lexington, Kentucky, now, and Lexington Theological Seminary is located here. They have intentionally filled the building with art. It may be sacred and it may not. There are quilts and prints and lithos. A wonderful idea that makes the space more interesting.
MW: Can art-making ever overlap with prayer? Could it ever be a substitution for communal prayer?
GRJ: There has been a surge in using the potter’s wheel as a prayer tool over the past generation. I have attended large assemblies where the wheel was placed in the room and a potter was making art while worship was occurring. At our regional assemblies in KY we are blessed with a couple who use art as a prayer form during worship. They progressively paint on a blank sheet that is back lit during the assemblies. It may not so much substitute for public prayer as it might enhance it. Then again, maybe the making of art can become itself a community prayer. Why not.
Part three to follow.
Story from WorldNetDaily. Loyal readers might recall that bad things tend to happen when Obama is depicted as Jesus in art.
“A fireman kisses a statue of a Virgin after recuperating it from the tower of a Barroque church that was destroyed during the earthquake that hit the Italian region of Abruzzo. Photo: EFE / Ettore Ferrari.” Article here.
It’s not a painting, but this must be the painting of the week: a Jesus made of Lego pieces.
Here are the details:
Where: Sweden
How tall: 5.9 feet
What: copy of Thorvaldsen’s ‘Resurrected Christ’
How long: 1.5 years in the making
How many pieces: 30,000
Read the entire article in The Christian Post.
According to the article, Jesus looks white on the outside, but colored Lego pieces were used underneath. Reminds me of Matt. 23: 25-28:
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
and Luke 11: 39, “And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.”
Also, Lego’s motto is “Only the best is good enough,” which sounds very biblical. Or am I reading too much into it?
Holy relics have the power of “the tantalizing possibility of concrete proof of that belief, setting up a battle between reason and devotion,” argues Peter Manseau in his WSJ article “Faith, Proof and Relics,” which asks why relics, which are after all physical objects, carry “such enduring spiritual fascination.”
Manseau is on the right track to point out that some of the conspiracy theories involving the relics are “coming soon to a Dan Brown knock-off near you,” and he cites research that dates the Shroud that allegedly bears Jesus’ facial imprint twelve to thirteen hundred years too young. But then his argument gets a bit mystical when he tries to account for the objects’ endurance by separating them from their stories:
Belief — any belief, whether in God, the Resurrection, even the Force — requires a partial abandonment of the rational … there are some things that can be explained only through acknowledgment that proof is not always the highest good.
And therefore:
There is no rational need to write a poem or to paint a picture, and there is no rational need to believe, which is to search for something meaningful in the enigmatic markings that define our lives.
Manseau makes the math seem simple. Irrational (art) + irrational (belief/faith) = irrational (relics). That Jesus rose from the dead is certain, because it is impossible, Christian author Tertullian would have us believe, and Manseau cites his apologetic argument in support of the claim that “Faith fashions itself as a challenge to our assumptions, our expectations — and relics are an embodiment of that challenge.”
Image: A false relic from Indiana Jones (site).
The Shroud then is about a paradox between belief and science (”the need for proof”), and Manseau suggests this tension is what “the Shroud is really about: our divine aspirations bound up with our mortal concerns.” Therefore it shouldn’t bother us that many relics masquerade themselves as the Shroud, since they are just examples of “a religious economy” wherein relics were an easily counterfeited currency.
Manseau concludes with the broad argument that
the mystery of the man remains. Divine or not, he is drawn on our collective imagination. Whether the image was made through the first-century equivalent of photography or the 14th-century equivalent of Photoshop is of lesser importance than the fact that it is a testament to the individual struggle with death and its meaning. No matter our level of belief or unbelief, it is an image that insists we not look away.
This argument is quite right (despite some very petty comments responding to the article), but an insistence that we not look away is not enough, I think. The relics are either true or not true, they are not both true and not true. Sure some believe in them, while others do not. I think they have probably endured not because of the tension between belief and non-belief that surround them, but because many believe them to be authentic and actively keep their memory alive.
The struggle of the relics interests me far less than the face that many consider them holy items that touched the body of Jesus. That is enough for me to keep my eyes glued to them, though of course Manseau is well within his rights to be drawn to another aspect of the relics.
22 works of an unknown Jewish Art Deco artist (who fled the Nazis) are discovered in an attic. An 1851 painting titled “Christus Consolator” is discovered in a church in Minnesota.
I first encountered “Peter Lamb” on Twitter (follow him @peterlamb), where his bio reveals that he is based in Texas and is “Founder of LambCreek [website] — Christian graphic design services, lover of Christ, married to my sweetie for 30+ years, my favorite 3 letter word is Dad.” I normally write a bit more of an introduction, but Peter provided his own, so I will let him speak for himself. I have only edited lightly for style.
PL: Let me say at the outset that I like these questions. They are exactly the kind of heart issues Christian creative types ought to be wrestling through. I will endeavor to answer each as honestly as I can. You are correct. I don’t like tooting my own horn. But sometimes it is necessary to explain background in order to understand the context from which one shares. I have 30+ years in the advertising and graphic design world. At four very different advertising agencies I served as an art director and creative director. Interspersed in the middle, I have had two graphic design firms. My current firm LambCreek focuses on the “Christian market” for some very pragmatic reasons. I am still vice president and creative director at an advertising agency by day. By using a pseudonym (Peter Lamb) and serving the Christian market, I can freelance with integrity and not be in conflict with my “day job.” I am unable to show huge bodies of my agency work from the past 10 years due to conflicts of interest. How’s that for transparency?
MW: According to your Twitter bio, LambCreek is a “Christian graphic design service.” Graphic design often has a lot to do with marketing and self-promotion. Doesn’t that often clash with Christian ideals of humility and moderation?
PL: Graphic design does have a lot of self promotion in it. Truth be known so do all creative arts. Show me one artist of any kind that doesn’t use self promotion in some way. It may be as simple as hanging your work in a gallery or putting it up on a website. Isn’t that a form of self-promotion? It’s just more “artfully” acceptable in some circles.
Ah, but the sticking point to your question is how to promote yourself with humility and moderation? Hope I don’t get too “out-there” for some of you.
To walk in those two very narrow paths, one must have a sure footing of faith in God that He has made you and called you to do what you do. Secondly, one must learn to walk in His Spirit. By that I mean, it is a relationship with Him. He doesn’t often lead you to do the same thing exactly the same way twice.
You see we have a false idea of what true humility really is. I once heard true humility defined as being like a powerful racehorse that is so attuned to its master’s direction, it will turn or stop with the slightest pressure of the ride’’s leg.
So with that kind of “humility” before Him, an ear to His leading, and the assurance that He has made you and called you to do what you do keeps one straying too far, or for too long into the morass of chest pounding self promotion bravado.
It is also worth stating quickly here that I have found when I do too much self-promotion, it is often rooted in fear and not faith. For example I am a self confessed SEO junkie. Grasping for that “golden three at the top of Google” can be a highly addictive form of self promotion. It is not bad in and of itself, but too much is impulsive and not faith driven. At those times, one forgets that He will take care of me if I will only trust Him. What I often tell clients is true for self promotion as well — “with God all He needs sometimes is a ’stick’ wielded by hands of faith.”
Lastly, the best and most Godly form of promotion is found in Proverbs 27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”
As for the amount of self promotion I intend to do this year — My personal desire is to do a whole bunch less push of me and a whole bunch more of encouraging others. Then let God bring the increase.
MW: What are some of the unique challenges that face Christian designers?
PL: We for the most part are imitators of the style and trends around us. This is not necessarily bad when one does what they do as “communication” through design, where the message supersedes the medium in importance. But as Christian artists, more often than not, we are really boring and mediocre in our work. Granted, some of this is budget driven. Some is laziness.
Some is that the Christian market itself can be way behind in styles and tastes. This can be tough on designers whose whole bent is originality.
Continue reading ‘INTERVIEW: Peter Lamb, Christian graphic designer’
Denying anti-Semitism won’t make it go away, one writer says (in a Jesuit magazine).
Without a spokesperson, American Muslims face many challenges.
Has the postmodern become “post-secular”?
A president of a Jewish cultural institution advocates for Jewish art in trying economic times.
More than 200 Buddha statues have been stolen from temples in Savannakhet, southern Laos. An expert says the statues often house relics, and some temples are built around them.
Toward a Christian (and idolatrous) angle on “Watchmen.”
Stories like this have been telling of Lenten technology fasts. Orthodox Jews endure this sort of Robinson Crusoe ordeal every week, of course, but how are Christians coping? Some are using the time to look at religious art. But this time isn’t only about Lent and the Jewish fast of Esther. The Baha’i need to be part of this conversation too.
Speaking of Esther, the Jewish holiday of Purim (coming up on Tuesday) is based upon the book of Esther, which has been represented in Renaissance paintings, sculptures, movies, paper cut calligraphy, and even as a graphic novel. The (future) Jewish Art Museum of Minnesota has been all over the story of Esther and art. See here, here, here, and here. My own posts on Esther here and here. Good thing Esther had the good sense to get painted by men, or she’d have fallen prey to this trend.
Art and crime. Dutch police recover 8 works stolen 22 years ago; thieves steal steal a 16th century work by Lucas Cranach the Elder from a Norwegian Lutheran church. Isn’t if funny the Boston Globe initially tells readers a Renoir and a Pissaro were stolen, and only later reveals there were greater names involved like Brueghel?
An Ill. pastor is tragically shot and killed as he preached, which apparently isn’t so infrequent for this line of work. Meanwhile, an Orthodox Jewish (did you know they now have a TV station?) website applauds an Israeli rabbi for shooting down a “tractor terrorist.”
Think ancient religious texts have no relevance today? Think again. Folks who impersonate scholars get arrested over them, and Gehry draws inspiration from the Talmud.
UPDATE: For more Esther, see Richard McBee’s piece “Esther in Venice - In search of Images of Esther” in The Jewish Press.
Gary Susman (LinkedIn page, Twitter handle, and Facebook page) is an editor, writer, and critic, who served most recently as senior writer at Entertainment Weekly. He has contributed to the Village Voice, The Guardian (UK), MSNBC Online, College Music Journal, Rough Cut Online, Mr. Showbiz, and People Magazine, and he has interviewed more than 500 of the “top names in the arts and entertainment” for some of his thousands of articles, both print and online. Somehow, he also finds the time to blog at Pop Culture Warrior. I noticed on Gary’s LinkedIn page that he is a member of a group for Harvard Jewish alumni, which inspired me to reach out to him for this interview. I had also seen his byline many times before, as I’m sure many of you have as well. We talked about the future of art journalism, censorship, and what the secular arts community thinks about religious art.
MW: You have 20 years of experience writing on the arts, and are a member of the LinkedIn group for Harvard Jewish alumni group. To what extent do you put the two together and write about Jewish art?
GS: It’s not something I go out of my way to do, but when an assignment comes my way, I’m happy to take it on. For a few years, when I was living in Boston, I regularly covered the Boston Jewish Film Festival as part of my film beat at the Boston Phoenix.
MW: Do you think there is any such thing as Jewish art? If so, what does it entail?
GS: Certainly, there’s Jewish art, if you’re talking about content of specific interest to Jews. If you’re asking if there’s a Jewish aesthetic, well, that’s a lot harder to say. If there is, it’s easier to identify in literature (drawing on, say, Talmudic inspiration) or comedy writing/ performance (a stylistic line that can be drawn back through Catskill comics to wedding tummlers) or music (such as klezmer) than in visual arts.
Movies present an especially difficult case. Neal Gabler’s book about how the Jews invented Hollywood suggests an auteurist aesthetic that belongs not to the writers or directors but to the studio moguls, but that aesthetic is one of self-negation, as the Jewish moguls went out of their way most of the time to avoid specifically Jewish content (lest they call attention to themselves as Jews) and foster instead an ideology of assimilation into what they perceived as white/Christian-American virtues and aspirations. (Even an early movie as overtly Jewish as “The Jazz Singer” is more about assimilation, show business, and the general immigrant experience than about the particulars of Jewish life in America.) J. Hoberman wrote a fine book about Yiddish-language cinema, which, as produced in America before WWII, followed similar tropes as Hollywood movies despite a different cultural context (much as African-American independent film, made by such filmmakers as Oscar Micheaux, did in those same years). Today in Hollywood, Jewish filmmakers are free to wear their Jewishness on their sleeves as a cultural badge, but does that make, say, Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up” any more of a Jewish film than “The Jazz Singer”? As I said, a lot to explore here, much of it murky.
MW: Many have noted that Jews seem to be over-represented in the arts. Do you think there is anything to that claim?
GS: What do you mean by “over-represented”? Too many? Who’s to say how many is too many? Certainly, Jews are represented out of proportion to their numbers in the populace as a whole, much as they are in law, accounting, medicine, and other professions whose prerequisites of advanced education mesh with the Jewish cultural emphasis on learning. I imagine art’s potential to allow the artist self-reinvention (or self-concealment) also appeals to Jews navigating the perils and benefits of assimilation.
Continue reading ‘9 questions for Gary Susman, arts journalist, editor’
This is the fourth installment in a series. See parts three, two, and one. I posted the following question on LinkedIn: “Boston College recently introduced religious art into its classrooms. To what extent should religious art be allowed in the workplace? Do you have religious art in your office/workspace? If so, what kind? Do you support its presence at work, or is it offensive?” Jack Siegeli s the owner of Dankev Environmental, which is “a Marietta Georgia based consulting firm designed primarily to provide a cost-effective environmental solutions to local and national clients.” Jack is a licensed professional geologist with over 15 years of environmental consulting experience. Connect with him on LinkedIn here and check out his blog here. His response is below.
Jack Siegel: Art is art … sometimes it offends, other times it pleases. I went to a liberal arts college. My English 102 class used the Bible as “Historical Narrative” and my art history class spent a great deal of time on Renaissance artists that all they produced were religious works. I think Steve said it best, it really depends on the kind of business and the culture of the staff. If you put the art up for art’s sake there shouldn’t be a problem. However, if it looks like, “conversions down the hall,” you may want to rethink it.
This is the third installment in a series. See parts two and one. I posted the following question on LinkedIn: “Boston College recently introduced religious art into its classrooms. To what extent should religious art be allowed in the workplace? Do you have religious art in your office/workspace? If so, what kind? Do you support its presence at work, or is it offensive?” This response comes from Alex (who asked that the last name and affiliation be withheld). All that I will add is Alex holds a JD from a prominent law school.
Alex first wrote:
I would like to point out that “Boston College is one of the oldest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States.” U.S. News and World Report ranks Boston College 34th among national universities and BC welcome page. As such, introduction of the religious art in the classroom is quite appropriate.
I replied asking why Alex thought so many people were still opposing the introduction of crucifixions despite the school’s Catholic identity. Here’s Alex’s second reply:
The main reason why I think the religious art in the educational institutions that have strong religious affiliation, such as Boston College is appropriate is: Their affiliation with the religious establishment is clearly communicated to the visitors and potential employees. Therefore, a reasonable person should expect that there will be religious references displayed throughout out the facilities. As such, it is the visitor’s or a potential employee’s choice to visit or affiliate himself/herself with the institution. This is true, as long as, these institutions do not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of l964 that prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion in hiring, firing, and other terms and conditions of employment, or is determined to fall under Religious Organization Exception.
Please note that I did not do sufficient research on whether or not the aforementioned institutions fall under the exception. Also, please note that I am a strong advocate of the First Amendment Right of Free Exercise AND Establishment clauses.
Hanging photos of your rabbi on a wall isn’t idolatry. more.
Bravo to BYU’s Museum for valuing research an undergrad student is conducting on one of its religious works. more.
On one Jewish artist’s “love affair” with Prague. more.
A new book on Flannery O’Connor is unsurprisingly packed with Christian art references. more.
Rev. Gerald R. Johns Jr. is pastor of Providence Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Per his website, he received a B.A. from Southwestern College and an M.Div. from Texas Christian University. You can follow him on Twitter, where I first “met” him, @JerryJohns. Below is the first question I asked him in my interview, and the other responses will be forthcoming.
MW: From the pictures on the church website, Providence Christian looks like a fairly standard building architecturally, and there doesn’t seem to be any artwork hanging inside on the fairly bare-looking walls. What role do the arts play for the Disciples of Christ?
GRJ: Providence is an almost brand new building. We moved in in Nov. 2007. We moved from the historic building and location in Aug. 2006. The congregation tends to look back rather than forward. It’s a trend I have unsuccessfully tried to alter. The art in the old building was very old. There was a white, blonde Jesus knocking at the door and a portrait of the same sort of Jesus that was so large it could scare you. To have bare walls at the new building so far is a victory (small, but significant).
The walls in my office contain a watercolor of my home city of Tulsa and two Monet prints (plus my very impressive diplomas 8-) ). I don’t believe the people at Providence think very much about art in the building. That is probably true of many Disciples churches. However, all of our seminaries are adorned with fantastic art.
At Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, the structure itself is artistic. There is an intentional curriculum that combines art and theology. At Lexington Theological Seminary the walls are covered in art. There are few blank spaces. This was an intentional project started about 15 or so years ago. At Regional and General Assemblies the visual aspects of worship are as emphasized as the spoken aspects. Another thing about Providence itself related to this, we have done a big musical production every year for the past 15 years. Our music is traditional and we from time to time have instrumentalists from the local philharmonic bring additional music to worship.
And finally, we try to be more dramatic in the presentation of the scriptures during Lent and Easter. And finally with the standard architecture, yes, it is fairly standard. When designing the building we were looking to maximize the amount of space we could build. Design and creativity took a backseat. It makes me sad that we couldn’t do something more architecturally significant with the design.
According to the Christian Post, 3/4 of the Israeli Jewish population wants to block church growth in Jerusalem. The study (JIIS and JCJCR) also found that a whopping half of Israeli Jews think Jerusalem is not central to Christianity. I hope this is a typo for two reasons: these positions are both ignorant and quite intolerant.
I recently posted the following question on LinkedIn: “Boston College recently introduced religious art into its classrooms. To what extent should religious art be allowed in the workplace? Do you have religious art in your office/workspace? If so, what kind? Do you support its presence at work, or is it offensive?” This is part two; see part one here.
Here’s a response from Patrick Fitzgerald, a graduate of the computer and network support technician program at Humber College, who is (here comes the shout out) looking for a job as a computer technician, network administrator, or web developer (get in touch with him to schedule an interview via his LinkedIn profile).
Here’s what Patrick had to say in response to my question:
I figure if it is a person’s own office, they should be permitted to put whatever art they feel like in there. Within reason of course. As others have said some things may be far too graphic or obscene for some clients and/or other employees. Some people consider Michelangelo’s David to be pornographic. Others might view a picture of Jesus with a crown of thorns dragging their cross depicted in a painting as overly violent. Etc…
I figure as long as it is decent and respectable that it is perfectly fine to display. Although in a school (I’m assuming it is not a Catholic/Religious College) I would say it might be pushing it a bit as people are there to learn and not be preached to directly or indirectly (unless they take a class about religions hehe). Another part where they may be in trouble is if they are publicly funded in which case the typical expectations of the separation of the church and state may be expected.
More responses to follow.
I recently posted the following question on LinkedIn: “Boston College recently introduced religious art into its classrooms. To what extent should religious art be allowed in the workplace? Do you have religious art in your office/workspace? If so, what kind? Do you support its presence at work, or is it offensive?”
Here’s a great response which I received from Steve Mattero (LinkedIn profile), president at Dezine Line Screen Printing, Embroidery and Promotional Products. Steve gave me permission to post his answers and to edit them for style.
This may get fun, but let’s go anyway. The short answer is whose business is it, who signs the checks, etc. It is a free country, and this isn’t regulated in a private business, but you do need discernment.
I think if the art is from a classic artist, like a realist painter depicting a famous religious scene, that is fine. The history of our nation is Judeo-Christian, so anything related to the bible should be fine. Anything that is derogatory in nature toward any religion is out. Also, guidelines should be established about what would be offensive to some. The art in the office will be a reflection of the business. I have the Ten Commandments on my wall, in my office. If people are Christian, they say “Good to see that,” if not they may write me off as a Holy Roller, but as long as the prices are right, it’s not an issue.
In a generic environment the art should be tasteful, but not radical. A picture of Jesus beaten and bloody on the cross may be fine for a pastor’s office, not a business hallway. Some may not want a picture of Jesus because the bible doesn’t have a picture of Him, and it says not to make any “graven” image of Him. I don’t have a problem so much, some may.
Other religious art that is done well should be acceptable. Mormons have a statue of Cain and Abel in their town square. I don’t agree with them, but I would be fine with it from an art standpoint if it was good. I may not want a picture of anything from an Eastern religion. Even if it is wrong to stereotype, people do. ( I didn’t even like the cover of “Dark Horse” by George Harrison because he had this blue guy from his Hare Krishna faith. That’s just me.)
[Steve later clarified: “I believe it is a statue of Cain, and his sacrifice to God. The significance of this is that they seem to endorse the offering that God found unacceptable, since no blood was involved. I don’t support it theologically, but I can appreciate art if it is good. I always kid with my secretary, when during Christmas we play Josh Groban’s “Noel,” and I cringe when the song Ave Maria comes on. I start commenting that I don’t pray to Mary, but it’s a great song, well written and performed.
You can’t have equal time or space for all of the religions — you would need a big office — but much of the classic artwork is Judeo-Christian in nature because that was the prominent religion in their day. Michelangelo’s statute of David, van Gogh’s “Still Life with Open Bible,” and Rembrandt’s “Return of the Prodigal Son” all reflect where we were as a society at the time. Now we have so many isms I don’t think a contemporary work would be safe in the same way. “Stand-off at Waco” or “Jim Jones Kool-Aid” art, ya know, may be a reach.
I don’t know if the ACLU is a visitor at your place, if that is the case, stick to Ansel Adams or Kinkade.
Thanks so much Steve for letting me post this. Responses are welcome, as always, and I will post other replies I received if those who posted them give their permission.
