Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Creative Communities
As artists we are called to both serve in and live in specific communities. Brand and Chaplin give us some starting points as to what this community embodies. How can we start, here and now, establishing a community where those who make art and those who receive art come together in dialogue ans share each others gifts?
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At our university it may be easy to have a community of artists/musicians to which we belong. I also believe that there is a need for a community with artists or musicians but it cannot be a safe community. A community holds each other up and makes sure we are doing the best to our potential. Therefore in communities of our vocation we must challene one another and encourage one another. It is a place we can count on and seek refuge - and those places are where the truth is told. I also think that even though communities of people with the same background, vocation, etc. are not the only type of communities to which we must belong. We may become subject to "group think" and this can be dangerous because people may not understand us. People may feel rejected by the world because they belong to one community and do not reach beyond that to understand the world. Meanwhile, t is no wonder that the world does not understand them because they may remained couped up in their own community. Both are important.
ReplyDeleteI think to begin to estabilsh these communities is to hold each other up for the work that we do. We all understand what it is to be an artist, and the amount of work that is put in while others who art into the arts do not understand this. We should be uplifting each other and remembering each other in prayer. Redeemer is a great place, like Lauren said, to establish such communitites.
ReplyDeleteDuring my interview, Loys recommended the church community as being a great place to start, by having art nights where artists and non-artists can come together and dialogue. Also involving the whole church community in producing a large piece for display could bring people together. For example, using newspaper and magazine cut-outs to create a large collage scene. Ultimately these communities could potentially start anywhere, but the purpose is in actually starting them by taking initiative.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate what Melissa said. I think one of the issues that creates division among artists and the broader community is that sometimes people can't connect with the arts - they just don't get it. This can create a huge relational gap in which artists appear as if they are an elitist society. When I was talking with the artist I interviewed from Meadowvale, Anita, one thing I really liked about their community was that they intentionally allowed time for dialogue between the artists and the congregation to bridge that gap of not understanding. I think it would be great if this kind of openness and willingness to share were happening at Redeemer but in order for that to happen both the artists and the larger community need to be willing to open up and learn about other areas of God's gifts that perhaps they do not understand.
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