The Trinity Artists Blog

Trinity Artists Interview Series: Thomas Hardy

2011-12-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

Meet Thomas Hardy, an architect who can find the design beauty in everything from buildings and roads to the graphics of a newspaper article. Read on to learn how he deals with writer’s block, how the Large Hydron Collider inspires him, and why ravens are awesome.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Thomas Hardy: When I work, I switch between working on the computer, sketching, and making models of paper and chipboard. The most important requirement of the spaces where I work is that they are messy. I'm not a very messy person. However, for whatever reason, for me to properly think, there has to be scraps of paper and chipboard all over the place. Different parts of the process allow for different work environments. In the beginning it is nice to sit around with a drink and a sketchpad, talking and sketching with whomever I am working with. And during the actual construction process I get to be in the space being created, which literally is a different way of looking at the work.

Q: What is your favorite snack to eat while creating?

TH: I love chocolate chips from the freezer. That’s about the only snack I eat, really. It doesn't take many — just 5 or 6 chips. It’s especially good when you hold some chips on your tongue and drink a sip of hot coffee.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block?

TH: I like to walk both when I can't sleep and when I can't think. Mental block happens a lot for me, and walking is usually the best cure. In college, I would walk around the perimeter of the campus when I would get mentally stuck. After about a half-mile I would often work through the block. There's actually a spot on the campus about a half-mile from the architecture building where I would get a lot of ideas.

It’s also really important to dive into other fields, artistic or otherwise. I've always been interested in music and film. I've recently gotten really into infographics. Among my favorites is this one on military spending:

(http ://www .guardian .co .uk /news /datablog /2010/apr /01/information -is -beautiful -military -spending)

or this one explaining how the film Inception works

(http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662130/infographic-of-the-day-inception-contest-winner).

Design thinking is near universal between mediums, and being well versed in a variety of fields makes the transfer of ideas between mediums in unexpected ways much more natural. I'll really be interested to see how infographics begin to work their way into how we diagram architecture.

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

TH: It’s not easy. Since the artist's conference a few months ago my wife and I have taken up Monday work nights where we work in our field for fun in some way. We haven't done it in a few weeks now, because Monday nights have recently all be spent working in our field for work, but it’s really nice and a bit relaxing to set aside regular time to devote myself to a night of personal work.

Q: What is your theme song?

TH: My senior year of college I would work in studio on my thesis all night usually once or twice a week. I wanted to nostalgically remember what sunrise felt like after a full night of work (though I still get regular reminders). So, every morning at sunrise I would listen to “Goodbye Enemy Airship” by Do Make Say Think. I was hoping to brainwash myself into a vivid memory. It kind of worked.

Q: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

TH: Crows and ravens are fascinating. I read In The Company of Crows and Ravens by John Marzluff a while back. I mean, who wouldn't like to be able to fly? Oh yeah, and freakish intelligence isn't bad, either.

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally?

TH: Brian Simmons and I recently saw a lecture by Achim Menges on the variable uses of paper thin wood. It was really inspiring to see what a scientific approach to material study could yield. He and his students had built a canopy out of wood veneer that would open and close like a flower pedal depending on the humidity.

I also am always amazed at both Spaghetti Junction and the I-285 tunnel under the airport landing strip — such bold and ambitious design. The idea of the interstate system is pretty sublime to begin with, and then the way those things connect is beyond me.

Similarly, I'm really fascinated by CERN and the LHC in Switzerland. It’s the most audacious science experiment in history; it’s a half-mile underground laboratory machine thats a 17km loop. They've already called into question core ideas about physics and it’s only been up and running for a couple of years. It’s such an intense question they are posing. Whether or not they know Who it is they are asking, there is no denying it that the Answer, and the lengths to get to that Answer, are full of a kind of divine beauty.

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

TH: I almost always work in tandem with someone else. I tend to think better when ideas are bounced around between two people. I usually work with my friend Mikey, whom I graduated with. We recently donated a bat box to Architecture for Humanity for a fundraiser. It was made of cedar, copper conduit and x-ray film. We originally intended to torch the cedar to give it a dark tone to mimic the x-ray film. However, after we built it, we couldn't bring ourselves to scorch it with a blow torch, so it stayed as is and will weather to a silver gray while the copper patinas to green in a couple of years. Working with others is really vital for me. It’s really important to work with someone who thinks differently but not so differently that I can't communicate or trust them.

Though the famous architects of history have all been lonely guys — from Michaelangelo to Corbusier to Rem Koolhaas — there is actually a really rich history of two-person firms, especially in Atlanta. Many of the great small Atlanta firms are founded on two-person teams, not only where I work at Plexus R+D, but also Scoggin-Elam, BLDGS, Dencity and several others.

It’s all about communication and a diverse perspective (two eyes, two ears, two folks).

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

TH: I don't really read many novels. I generally read nonfiction apart from, more or less, one novel. I've read Moby Dick several times, and it’s an incredibly beautiful read. It’s both narrative and encyclopedia, divided into small chapters that jump back and forth between the two forms. The encyclopedic sections give the narrative minutia eternal weight. There’s a part I particularly like where he talks about how a whale's tail is easy to see and the face is all divided up: eyes on either side, mouth on bottom, ears covered up. Then, he basically quotes Exodus 33 where G-d will let Moses see his back but not his Face. It’s these moments of big picture in small details that makes the book so rich; of coming face to (no) face with the divine in the least expected places.

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

TH: Architecture is an old man's sport. Nobody really gets good until they are in their 50’s, 60’s, etc. That said, I have yet to do anything that I feel deeply resonated spiritually. I have designed churches, so hopefully whether or not I saw the Divine in my work, the Divine founds its way into the finished space.

I would like my work to develop a sense of the comfortably eternal. This doesn’t mean having any preconceptions that the assemblage itself will last forever, rather, that it speaks of the eternal and the Divine as a witness rather than a reference. Really great architecture dances through this tight balance between site, context, material, use, light and a host of other things. If it were like a boulder, it would knowingly rest like a boulder, age like stone, and peacefully accept all the texture and shadow that make it what it is. And that, like Moby Dick, in the details of such a place, unapologetically being true to what it is and does, there would be the huge acknowledgement of a Great G-d and all the stuff he's made.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

TH: It’s a rare thing to be able to design and build a project from start to finish and then get to use the building afterwards. It’s been a huge learning and growing experience. My family and I built a small cabin on Lake Wedowee in Alabama over the course of a couple of years. It's probably 95% done, at this point. Though I have worked professionally on obviously much bigger and more complex projects, this project has been my biggest source of experience to date.

The design is fairly simple: a retaining wall of sorts is set into the existing hillside, and the program, or space requirement, is injected into the wall, making a kind of segmented sweep. A plane slides over the doors to act as an overhang, and the floorspace rolls down the hill like a tongue to allow a boat to dry dock on the hill. The 500 square-foot interior is open to the accordion doors, which look out to the water. Apart from the bathroom, every space has a great view.

The real learning experience came in construction. My mother, father, brother Nicholas and I spent two years worth of weekends on every aspect of the construction: digging footings on which the walls sit, cutting and laying floor tile, making stained glass windows, building custom cabinets and a murphy bed, and everything in between.

Contrary to the way I, as an architect, always work, the entire design and construction process was completely seamless. That was one of the aspects new to me during the construction of the lake cabin. We didn't really design many details ahead of time. As we built one section, we worked out the details for the next. For that reason there are details we built that would not have occurred to me before being there at the site. However, there are also things that I would certainly have done different. For instance, though we built tracks into the concrete formwork for the main doors to slide on, I didn't realize how dimensionally exact our doors had to be to both seal perfectly and open easily. Had I done every drawing ahead of time I probably would have built into the formwork a bit more forgiveness.

It’s also been interesting to work with family on something so tangible. We all came to the project with a different view of what it would be and had to somehow come to agreement and work together to make it happen. I think it has been healthier for us as a family than another other single experience we have had together.

Anti-Manners on the Beltline

2011-11-02T15:57:00.000-04:00

Greetings good people, we felt we should promote this event as there are a number of Trinity artists collaborating on this thing - Helen Hale, Daniel Bass, Aaron Hodgins, Holly Evans, Joel Seibel, etc! So, go and enjoy.

On Nov 6, in a clearing along the BeltLine just north of Piedmont Park, you'll find a 30 foot picnic table covered with a feast of meat, apples, corn, potatoes, and warm rolls all lit by glowing light. Revelers will join you as you sit down at the table to eat, you'll toast one another and take long swigs from deep jugs of wine. Dancers will appear as if from nowhere and eaters, amid the flailing limbs, will become performers themselves, flipping, throwing, swigging, munching, twirling, singing, toasting, cheering, flinging, eating and swirling.

Join Dash, Nov 6 for ANTI MANNERS a Dance/Feast featuring the lovely Helen Hale. 30 folks (maybe you?!) will sit at the main dinner table, sign up here if you want a spot! However, ALL are welcome. Everyone else will sit on picnic blankets watching the messy, whimsy-filled peformance, eating delicious fruits, drinking strong wine, enjoying the night air and welcoming fall time.

FREE
BeltLine just North of Piedmont Park behind Amsterdam Walk -- be brave, you'll find it.
Park wherever
Bring whomever
Stay however long
Bring a blanket, a candle, a flask, and a bib.

LOVE DASHFacebook event.

The Man Who Ate New Orleans! Last Supper

2011-10-08T11:11:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, filmmaker Michael Dunaway stopped by the blog to talk about, among other things, his most recent project The Man Who Ate New Orleans!, a documentary following a pastor’s mission to eat at every restaurant in New Orleans, all 600+ of them.

Soon Ray Cannata will be crossing that finish line. On Friday, October 21, he’ll eat his “Last Supper” at Besh Steakhouse in New Orleans. And everyone’s invited to watch it happen. So if you or someone you know will be in New Orleans that night and you want to give money to a good cause, you can buy tickets at http://thelastsupper.eventbrite.com/.

"Staging Narrative" Theater Workshop

2011-10-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

In conjunction with the release of The Letters of Samuel Beckett, Volume 2: 1941-1956, Emory University is offering a free workshop with actor Barry McGovern on Saturday, October 22^nd from 11 am -12:30 pm. Aimed at theater artists and writers, the workshop will discuss “McGovern’s experience in adapting Beckett’s prose to stage performance…highlight[ing]…movement, spatial and vocal dynamics, and timing.” If interested, you need to register by October 18: http://www.gs.emory.edu/beckettletters/calendar/index.php?entity_id=561.

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Michael Dunaway

2011-10-04T23:22:00.001-04:00

Meet Michael Dunaway, film producer and director and contributing writer for the irreplaceable Paste Magazine. His most recent project—The Man Who Ate New Orleans!—tells the story of a pastor on a mission to eat at all 600+ restaurants in New Orleans and, along the way, portray the city’s spirit in its “music, food, and rebuilding.” Read on to hear Michael talk about the collaboration of film making and why we should all stop dreaming.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Michael Dunaway: For the actual filmmaking, I’m generally either on location for a shoot or chained to a computer for editing. But for the ideation, I’d say my favorite space is in the driver’s seat of my crappy old 4Runner, on a long drive somewhere (likely New Orleans). Lots of caffeine and loud music to accompany. After one of those trips I always have more film ideas than I know what to do with, and my poor wife knows she’s in for an earful when I get settled.

Q: What is your favorite snack to eat while creating?

MD: Deep fried awesomeness

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

MD: I always try to have multiple projects going on at once, so that there’s always something else productive to work on. I’m fortunate in that way because there are so many different tasks that go into making an indie film, and it’s easy to mix it up. When I get tired of editing video, I can do some writing, or some research, or have a development meeting, or update the budget. And still be on task.

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

MD: That’s one of my biggest challenges. I think it helps to remind yourself of how urgent and crucial it is that this particular work of art be birthed. And if you don’t feel that way, you should be working on something else instead.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

MD: Just over two years ago my dear friend, BMI executive, and co-founder of my film company David Claassen told me I should stop dreaming about making films and just start. So simple, but it was the right word and I was ready to hear it. Steven Pressfield has written great things about how important it is to START. Your dreams won’t do anyone any good unless and until you start bringing them to life.

Q: What is your theme song?

MD: “I’m Too Sexy” by the immortal Right Said Fred.

Q: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

MD: Based on my facial hair, I’d have to say a goat.

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

MD: On the film side, I’ve had the incredible privilege of getting to know some of the filmmakers behind some of my favorite films of the last few years – people like Scott Teems of That Evening Sun, Bob Persons of General Orders No. 9, and Maureen Ryan of Man on Wire and Project Nim. The guys behind the incredible Bellflower have become buddies too, and their dedication to taking years and years to get that film done are very inspiring. And because I’ve been working on documentaries, I get to work with subjects that are incredibly inspiring, people like Ray Cannata, John Besh, and most importantly Fred Shuttlesworth, one of the greatest heroes of the Civil Rights movement.

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

MD: Film is inherently a collaborative process, which is a great fit for me. I’m very, very blessed to be working with the people I am working with, all of whom are much more experienced and qualified than I am. Standing on the shoulders of giants, to be sure.

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

MD: “Down There By the Train” by Tom Waits.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

MD: The process of filmmaking is a long and winding road, to be sure, and it requires different sets of skills at every turn. But the common thread throughout the whole thing, for me at least, is collaboration. From conceiving the idea for a project, developing it, assembling a team, planning and executing shoots, editing, finishing, and marketing the film, I am always at my best and most creative in concert with the incredible creatives around me. It's just another measure of grace that just the right people keep getting put in our path.

[Editor's note: Learn more about The Man Who Ate New Orleans! at http://www.TheManWhoAteNewOrleans.com]

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Aaron Tovi

2011-09-06T18:22:00.000-04:00

Do you ever miss sidewalk chalk? You and your friends drawing a spaceship or a castle on the ground outside your house? Do you ever think of how much fun you had creating together?

If so, then you have to meet Aaron Tovi, a graphic designer, occasional poet, and the force behind a new project called Chalk Party. Chalk Party is a proposed website for people from all over the world to join together to create the coolest online sidewalk ever.

Read our most recent interview to meet Aaron, hear more about Chalk Party, and learn why he advocates for keeping things on the back burner.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Aaron Tovi: I don't have a ton of options; I usually spend my time in front of a computer, since that's what I use for almost everything. So getting into a new environment—any new environment—can bring on a flood of fresh thoughts to fuel my computer-facing time. I don't have a working radio in my car, so driving time is often thinking time.

Q: What is your favorite snack to eat while creating?

AT: I usually forget to eat if I'm really into something. Then, eventually, I'll grab whatever is quick and will keep me alive. Costco sells these seedy, grainy, granola bars that are real food, just smaller.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

AT: It seems that a mental block is best solved in a round-about way (unless you're in a hurry). I try to stay continually fascinated by almost everything, and the connections between these things fuel creativity. For example, last night my current project, Chalk Party, got 200 Likes. So I posted a clip from the movie Bicentennial Man, which I found out was written by Isaac Asimov, who I knew was a guy worth knowing about. So I read all about him and the plot summaries of his better-known stories, as well as his theories of artificial intelligence. I was reading the summary of The Last Question when there was a flash of connection between that story and Ray Kurzweil's “singularity” concept, which I only know about because he was on the cover of a Time magazine in CVS and the headline was enough to make me read about him on Wikipedia recently. That connection is the step from knowledge to understanding, which at some point will influence something I will do and make it more “creative” than it would have otherwise been. In reality, I'm just regurgitating the unique way that I mix un-original ideas.

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

AT: I think it's good to not see everything simply as a distraction. We have access to more information, more art, more opinion than any other generation in the history of the world. That's insane. And it can make us feel insane. But it's also a completely unique opportunity for one individual to synthesize readily-available information from countless people who have taken lifetimes to build up their expertise. I can instantly have an expert teach me how to do anything, and control that instruction however I like. This means that I need to be open-minded when an idea seems “out of my area.” This openness can unleash a lot of ideas and, I think, purpose. Then, it's time to filter through ideas, pick something worth doing, and put everything else on the back burner until that task is complete.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

AT: That aforementioned back burner is an actual thing for me. I have a document by that name where I write down ideas so that I can stop thinking about them and focus on what's in front of me. That's worth highlighting: when you write an idea down, you can stop thinking about it, and trust that it will be there later. My friend Chris sent me down that path when he told me to start writing down every idea. That was really good advice. It usually takes longer to execute a concept than to develop one, so I don't think I'll run out of stuff to do any time soon.

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

AT: Recently, Ze Frank's videos, specifically the one entitled “Brain Crack,” have really pushed me to execute instead of planning indefinitely. Ze is this bizarre internet phenom who seems to just make stuff constantly. In a little over a minute, he disassembles our excuses for not executing, shows our real motivation behind procrastination, and makes a logical case for putting your ideas out into the world even if they're not quite “ready.” Watch “Brain Crack” once a week, and see if you don't start getting things done. There's a version with a little song at the end. Don't watch that version with kids around.

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

AT: Yes and no. I've been working on Chalk Party mostly by myself. Ze Frank is indirectly responsible for that. But I've been laser-focused on Kickstarter, which is a crowd-funding platform. And that, in a very real way, is a community. I've had Chalk Party on there for about a week, and it's been exciting and challenging to see how the public react to it, and to get feedback from strangers before the project even exists. The Kickstarter community has pushed me to be a better communicator, and constantly think about the project from a fresh perspective. I hope to put several more projects on Kickstarter, whether this one gets funded or not.

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

AT: I used to be an active songwriter, and that spiritual dynamic was something that I understood: I usually wrote in order to communicate to God, or to motivate myself to change. But there's something about my current project, and the few that have been like it, that is much heavier and much more cryptic than writing songs. It's really more of a struggle and a test. In engaging the public for support I give up almost all control of outcomes. In doing something “out of my area” I rely on other people's skills to make the project possible. There are so many ways in which it could simply not happen at all, and yet I feel compelled to continue pouring hours into it. So there's a lot of questioning, a lot of back-and-forth expectations, and a lot of practice at holding even my pet projects with a very loose grip, while still being willing to work like it's a certainty. It's a growing and abiding experience.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

AT: Ok, now I can tie it together. I collected a lot of ideas, which melted together into a project in my Backburner document entitled, “Graffiti Wall,” which was just a surface where people could draw together in real time, online. Then, in an effort to execute instead of just plan, I reached out to people who had the skills I lacked, and got an initial, “yeah, that'd work.” Over the next months, with input from Chris, I grew and refined the concept, convinced teachers to let me work on it as class work, and kept planning it until Ze Frank showed me that I was stalling and needed to put it “out there.” I found out how much money it would cost to make it real, made a video, and put Chalk Party “out there” on Kickstarter, where its fate is being determined by some intractably mysterious cooperation between public engagement and divine sovereignty. This has all taken, say, 14 months. In the meantime I've refrained completely from working on other projects, except my job as a graphic designer. Well, not completely. There have been a couple little things added to the Backburner.

[Blog's note: Learn more about Chalk Party in Aaron's video for Kickstarter:]

Decatur Book Festival

2011-08-29T19:52:00.001-04:00

Looking for something to do this Labor Day? If you love books (or at least like to pretend you do), head over to the Decatur Book Festival. Presenters include Colin Meloy (of the Decemberists), Natasha Tretheway, George Singleton, Clyde Edgerton, Kevin Young, David Lehman, Robert Olen Butler, Tayari Jones and many other writers and readers. Plus, a book market and street fair will feature hundreds of publishers, writers, and organizations, such as Wink, a non-profit writing workshop started by some members of the Trinity community (Booth #126). On top of all this, there will be good food and music! The festival activities run all day Saturday and Sunday. Find a detailed schedule at the DBF website at http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/.

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Courtney Garrett

2011-08-16T14:25:00.002-04:00

Meet Courtney Garrett, a painter whose passion for both God and her work radiates in her discussion of creativity and process. Read on to learn more about community, grace, love, and the culinary potential of a pop-tart.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Courtney Garrett: My favorite place to create is in my studio. Sounds like such an ordinary answer, but “the stude” is quite extraordinary in scale. With its understated ability to act as a blank canvas, gloss white floors, white walls, and soaring white ceilings- it’s a cavernous, mysterious place. I have no windows, yet the room is perfectly day lit 24 hours around the clock. At 2 in the morning you can paint with as much vigor as you did at 2 in the afternoon. It’s a remarkably minimal space, but if the walls could talk, I would have already heard every story. No heat, no a/c, and no problems.

Q: What is your favorite snack to eat while creating?

CG: Well I’m a very healthy eater. However I often forget to eat in massively creative spurts. It’s almost as if the painting alone is self-sustaining. My assistants, who are really two of the dearest people in my life, are always bringing me in a few of my favorite foods... Hummus, quinoa, and fresh fruits. Amelia always has me bananas and snack bars waiting when she knows I have not eaten in hours… and Rebecca is always making some homegrown something that we seem to devour together at odd hours. Some days, we have picnics in the middle of whatever we are doing at the moment, just to get outside and see the sun or the moon… We can make a pop-tart a gourmet feast if you give us a few minutes-- But If you were to ask… what was the most precious part of our daily consumption??--- we would say hot tea in the winters and cold water in the summer.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

CG: I don’t handle it. I just keep painting. I often times don’t get the chance to stop and even wonder what to do about it. I think the most important part of my work is the hours and days before I even begin painting. I know what is the end goal or a narrative if you will, and I stick to the story. From that first moment when a concept is birthed – I know what the goal is. It only gets frustrating when the narrative isn’t coming through in the works…at that point I usually find myself literally sitting in a pile of papers containing drawings, writings, and photography. Usually you will find one of my assistants whole heartedly sitting with me… then all the sudden it happens- I get up and get moving again.

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

CG: I keep some really valuable wisdom that my Father shared with me almost every day of my childhood life… he would say: “Janey. Dream big, and then dream bigger—keep focused and keep a vision at all times. If you can visualize it, then baby you can do it”.

I can hear it in my head during the oddest moments of my work day/night… it keeps the outside noise to a minimum.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

CG: “Hey you’re a painter!”

Q: What is your theme song?

CG: “The Lime tree” by Trevor Hall

Q: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

CG: One of my dogs…Ollie or Rufus—they really have it made.

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

CG: An artist named Kwan Young Lee here in Atlanta. He is one of the most honest guys around with such passion for his works of art. We have begun to collect his paintings and it is such an honor. I can walk past his work and be moved to tears. You can literally feel the relational wonder between God and Man in his works. Somehow he can represent the struggle of human kind, while seamlessly and simultaneously illustrating the wonder of an infinite God.

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

CG: I work in a community of artist, but there is not really any physical collaboration, just relationship—we talk about life and work, but most of the time just to enjoy each other’s company in conversation. We all used to take breaks at around the same time- we would randomly sit out on the porch by the train tracks and just be for a bit. Then we would all disappear as quickly as we emerged. There is a really beautiful line of working very privately but also knowing when it’s time to be together.

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

CG: There are many--- probably the most consistent through the years has been the song “Blackbird” by Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

CG: This past year I learned what the word “grace” actually means for me as a person. The forgiveness, love, and acceptance in this tiny little word has shifted my paradigm from simply emotional works to extravagant attempts at inspiring hope. The technical side of producing this revelation in my work has required more and more contemplation, research and study. How to evoke emotion was easy for me, but how to reach the most “tough skinned” person with simple color and imagery took completely absorbing myself into the work. There are nights that I dream of complete series--then wake up and create on that dream for 6 months or so. You have to accept the intensity of being an artist- I feel that I have a responsibility to awaken every sense in a viewer to see, and even hear the noise or the quiet in a piece. It has never been so much for me about sharing “my emotion” or “expressing myself”, but more about having an understanding of the viewer’s need to experience and encounter something. And that something being the rawest form of encounter…

I think clearly, that my work exists to ask an unsettling question of its viewers and to deliver a subconscious hope that goes much deeper than a causal encounter.

Again it’s not me, and it’s never been about me—but God has so much love for human beings.

Recently, I have really been absorbed by the Love of God for His Bride. Sometimes when I look around, I see that bride being abused by man, or by a misunderstanding of her own identity, and it literally brings me to tears… I end up in the studio, and out it comes… it’s like every painting has become a petition for human beings to feel the love of God. And for some jostling in their spirit’s deepest-forgotten-part, to just feel again—and to receive such a foreign unconditional love. Do I paint crosses? No. I don’t. I paint from a secret chamber in my mind connected to my spirit--- I see images, and for some reason I see the Father in them, and I see our stories. There is usually a lump in my throat and a double-timed beat in my chest…and I know an image is ready for the public.

Camera in hand, knee deep in mud (and only God knows what else) on some back woods road in the middle of no where, I have encountered some of the most spiritually driven moments in my faith and my career. It’s like seeing God face to face, it’s intense, but some of the most romantic times in my life as an artist has come about in these unassuming moments. He is the bridegroom- and to be the bride, you have to understand that you are loved deeply… to say it more clearly, I have a heart to see people realize that they are loved by the almighty. It might sound “churchy” but I could care less— it’s like God has taken off my blinders, and I see a hurting broken human kind that does not have to be. It’s illustrated throughout my work over and over again. Christ didn’t die for my sin—he actually became my sin (2 cor. 5:21) when He hung on the cross, He said it was finished and breathed His last. – because of that I became whole...death was defeated but I also gained complete access to the extreme Love of a Holy God. It’s almost like, if an image can raise up a dead man’s heart to feel God again, I would like to be the artist. Although, there is nothing I can add to this great love story: of God becoming man, dying for me and being raised from the ground- I can get people thinking again, and feeling again. Most days, these creative works exist, to raise up the Godly affections meant for all people.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

CG: A mixed media process of 12-20 layers, including paper, plastics, photography, traditional oil paints, and resin.

Trinity Arts Interview Series: David Taylor

2011-08-02T11:50:00.000-04:00

In gearing up for the Southeastern Conference for Faith & Art on August 13, it’s the perfect time to get to know our keynote speaker, David Taylor. As a pastor at Hope Chapel in Austin, Texas, David oversaw the arts ministry and adult education program. He also edited the book For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts. With degrees in theology (MCS) and biblical studies (ThM) and his current doctoral studies at Duke University, David keeps busy, but he still took time to answer our questions and translate some good advice. Read on to learn how he does it all.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

David Taylor: Either holed up in my office or while walking or running.

Q: What is your favorite snack to eat while creating?

DT: Black tea, homemade bread and dark chocolate.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

DT: I try to re-route in order to avoid bogging down in a plan that no longer works or in a route of creativity that no longer seems promising. Or I go for a walk to clear my head. Or I put something down on paper, even if I know that I might hate it later, and then call it a day. Some days I grind it out. Other days I figure it’s not worth it.

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

DT: Ritualized practices make a world of a difference. And I make sure that somebody knows and cares what I’m working on and has permission to ask me how I’m coming along. That person can ask me at any time why I’m allowing myself to remain distracted and can pull out the BS meter whenever I start making repeated excuses.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

DT: My father: “El que no monta, no cae,” which translates from Spanish as, “If you don’t mount the horse, you’ll sure as heck never fall.”

Q: What is your theme song?

DT: “Slow but steady.”

Q: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

DT: That’s easy: a wolf.

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

DT: If I’m restricting this to my artistic calling, then I’d say my PhD supervisor, Jeremy Begbie, my filmmaker friends, Mike Akel and Jeffrey Travis, and of course my wife, Phaedra. For starters, I guess, because my whole family would probably factor largely.

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

DT: Not much lately, unfortunately. These days I mainly write academic essays. They don’t have to be boring, of course, so we try to keep them interesting to read.

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

DT: If I had to choose one thing (and really, that’s quite unfair!), I’d pick Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. I chewed on that novel for weeks after I’d finished it.

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

DT: For me to create art is to inhabit the kind of space that the Triune God habits eternally, not because there is anything extra special about art-making but because the cosmos was created for this kind of creative activity to occur “naturally,” as it were, and for myself creative activity arises out of a sense of being summoned to this vocation, nothing more, nothing less, and certainly nothing more fancy than that. My work is a response, both free and en-formed, both spontaneous and contingent, both gracious and obedient, to God’s prior as well as ongoing action in and around me. I realize that comes across like a mouthful. I don’t mean it to, because I view it as mostly simple. It’s like baking bread, building roads, writing laws, educating fifth-graders, plotting space shuttle routes. These creative activities arise in part out of our cultural responsibility as Christians, in part out of our humble stewardship of creation as creatures made in God’s image, and always as a response to the life of God which Christ makes possible through his Spirit. What can I say? I’m incorrigibly trinitarian in the way I see things.

365 Days, 365 Stories

2011-07-21T15:49:00.000-04:00

In a previous blog interview, we met Theron Humphrey, a photographer about to embark on a year-long project, meeting one person a day, every day, for a year, and documenting their stories through pictures and words. This Wild Idea will begin on August 1, 2011. Follow Theron and meet the people he meets at http://thiswildidea.com/ and on Twitter @thiswildidea.

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Stephanie Laubscher

2011-07-19T10:23:00.001-04:00

Our newest interview is with Stephanie Laubscher, actress, singer, lover of words. Anyone who knows Stephanie, or has heard her lead music at Trinity, can testify to her beautiful spirit and grace, but you’ll have to read on to learn how she pushes through artist’s block, why it’s good to ignore your dirty dishes, and what she has in common with a tree.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Stephanie Laubscher: I feel more vivid when I am outside, so whether I am journaling or reading the latest audition script I often sit out doors at my table, on a blanket, or on the tire swing (yes, I live by a tire swing). I love creating outside partially because of the obvious inspiration of Creation itself, but I think much of my preference is due to the fact that there are fewer distractions—at least, the kind of distractions that impede my focus and creativity. A cardinal alighting nearby is a very different thing from my RSS feed.

Q: What is your favorite snack to eat while creating?

SL: Mast Brothers chocolate. That subject doesn’t even need a verb.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

SL: Unfortunately, I feel I have often not handled artist’s block very well at all, at least when I am trying to create original work. I let myself get into ruts. With acting it’s a slightly different situation than writing or choreography because I’m nearly always performing someone else’s work. You can’t go to rehearsal or a film set and complain that you don’t feel creative: you have to push through the lack of focus/discouragement/lack of inspiration to accomplish the director’s vision. In fact, sometimes this particular kind of artist’s block leads to interesting character discoveries because it gets me out of my head and into my gut and, really, that’s perhaps the best thing an artist can do when she is at a dead end: stop calculating and start reacting.

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined in our distracting society?

SL: I’m afraid I sometimes don’t stay disciplined. It is so easy for me to put off creativity in light of a sink full of dishes. I often struggle with the sense that productivity is to be favored over rest and stillness, but it’s only in stillness that I’m able to find the joy in creating that God wells up within me. The best thing I know to do is to put away my phone, turn off my computer, and coerce myself into rest. Not the cat-napping kind of rest—though that’s needed, too—but the kind where I must face myself in the quiet; it is only when I focus that I flourish.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

SL: It wasn’t necessarily advice, but one piece of encouragement has so marked me that it still affects my outlook. In high school I was about to perform in an acting competition when my music teacher at the time handed me a note: “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skilled writer (Psalm 45:1).” I still have the note (stuck in my mirror where I see it consistently). It affirms the effort I have put into honing my craft while reminding me of the Source—and Audience—of my creativity.

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc.)?

SL: Though I am primarily an actor, I am often inspired by work not directly within my medium. Recently, I have been really inspired by Bon Iver’s new album: something about the music causes my soul to rest, and out of that rest springs ideas and impulses to create. I am affected by its simultaneous complexity and simplicity, a balance I strive for in both my art and my everyday doings. And who wouldn’t be inspired by a voice as visceral as Justin Vernon’s?

I also recently saw the film The Tree of Life, which overwhelmed me. Terrence Malick is my favorite filmmaker—and the director of photography, Emmanuel Lubezki, is a favorite cinematographer of mine—so seeing his work in the cinema for the first time was a magnificent experience. It was like watching a visual symphony, comprised of movements with repeated motifs in harmonious and dissonant arrangements. Malick connects the everyday to the eternal in a way that is full of meaning to me. I am directly inspired by how natural the performances of his actors are (a style that has certainly influenced my own film performances). I will stop myself here, because I could talk about Malick’s work all day.

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc. that has been enriching to your faith?

SL: This is a difficult question to answer, because so much of my growth in my faith has had some form of art at its root. However, one work that is consistently enriching to me is a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke from his collection The Book of Hours, written while he was young and on a tour of cathedrals in Russia:

I find you, Lord, in all things and in all

my fellow creatures, pulsing with your life;

as a tiny seed you sleep in what is small

and in the vast you vastly yield yourself.

The wondrous game that power plays with things

is to move in such submission through the world:

groping in roots and growing thick in trunks

and in treetops like a rising from the dead.

There is a quote from Terrence Malick’s film The New World that says, “I will find joy in all I see.” That concept has been the crux of my life—though not always articulated—ever since childhood, and to me is exemplified by Rilke’s poem. It speaks to God as a Creator, of His joy in created things, and of His powers of transformation. The impulse in me to create is the same impulse that makes trees grow tall; it is the same impulse which raises the dead.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

SL: My featured piece is a recent film from Whitestone Motion Pictures. It is a book trailer commissioned by Zondervan for an upcoming Christian inspiration/romance novel. Though I am philosophically opposed to the genre, I was excited to be part of the project because it was directed by Asher Emmanuel, a local filmmaker whose work I admire. My younger brother, Samuel Laubscher, was the director of photography.

The entire concept of a film trailer is that it pulls from intense or memorable moments from the work as an entirety, so creating a book trailer was a challenge. I had to conjure up a vivid person through only the briefest moments of her story. I had to distill emotions that progress over the course of an entire book into less than one day of filming. I had a wonderful time.

Interrupted Trailer from Asher Emmanuel on Vimeo.

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Helen Hale

2011-07-05T11:34:00.001-04:00

For the newest chapter in our series, we’re hearing from modern dancer Helen Hale, who shares with us about dislocation, the Divine, the potential benefits of being half-horse/half-cheetah, and how to turn a piano into a light source. Read on to learn more.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Helen Hale: For me that favorite space has less to do with physical space and more to do with accessing a creative space mentally, an inner space, where the work can unfold. Often, though not always, that’s when I’m alone and I feel the freedom to be totally uninhibited and I can abandon a concrete sense of space and time and go instead into a more abstract movement world where I can follow my intuitive impulses. Music is often a part of that space. I love the space in which I become subservient to rhythm such that the movement vocabulary and compositional connections are made in a way that feels like I’m being a vehicle for them, rather than the creator of them. So I guess you could say my favorite space to create is a space in which I can be truly available and receptive to the work, whatever that looks like on a given day.

Q: What is your favorite snack to eat while creating?

HH: Morning: coffee, almonds and chocolate. Night: red wine, almonds, and chocolate.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

HH: That’s usually when I hit play on my “Belly Dance Fever” album. I also find that if I watch other work that inspires me it’ll help me kick into gear. Right now there is an old GPTV series called “Dancing” that I‘ve been watching. It’s about dance styles and traditions from around the world and it’s getting me so worked up I may have it on hand as my artist’s block go-to for a while.

Helen, dancing on top of a shipping crate

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

HH: It’s hard. I especially find the discipline piece hard. It’s easier for me to stay motivated than to stay disciplined. Dance is my vocation and therefore, to a degree, an obsession, which keeps me going after it constantly. It’s hard for me not to think about dance and making work. It tends to be the thing that distracts me from our distracting society. On the ground level that translates into a lot of writing and reading and constant jotting down of notes which helps keep the thought fires burning. And I have to continually push myself to be gutsy and rigorous in seeking out and saying yes to opportunities that come my way. Having deadlines keeps me accountable to actually create work and show it consistently. It can be hard to set aside the time and space to create but the fear of being unprepared when show time rolls around is a powerful motivator!

Being a dancer, physical discipline can be tricky for me. I need structure. If it’s just me trying to do my push-ups in my room it doesn’t always go so well. I just signed up and paid my dues a month in advance for Kung-Fu class which I’m taking for conditioning and technique—I’ve already paid so now I’ve gotta go.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

HH: To not experience pain as an enemy but as a teacher.

Q: What is your theme song?

HH: Probably a traditional Greek song, because that’s my heritage. I feel like my themes change a lot and so I need lots of songs. But I will dance to MGMT’s “Electric Feel” any place, anytime.

Q: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

HH: Funny, I got asked that just the other day. I’d be half horse, half cheetah—super fast and graceful with a wild mane!

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

HH: Choreographer Akram Khan’s work made me cry the other day. So there’s that. Ha! –He’s a London based choreographer. I just saw the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at the High and it blew my mind. I’m inspired right now by my poet friend, Amena Brown, who is writing a book on broken rhythm and artistic disciplines, by Tyler Lyle’s songwriting, the Agnes de Mille autobiography I’m reading, and dancing to DJ Kemmit’s “dusty grooves” at Soundtable every second Saturday.

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

HH: Yes, I’m blessed to have what seems to be an ever expanding community of collaborators. The last show that I did was shared between six choreographers and part of the mission was to be engaged in each other’s processes. We watched rehearsals and gave feedback and generated a lot of energy for one another. I’m currently working with costume designer and sculptor, Amanda Baumgardner, to design a dress and a series of props for a solo I’ve been working on. Her knowledge and perspective has turned my initial idea for the dress and piece into a glorious design that I would never have been able to generate on my own. I also just found out that we got funding from the Atlanta Beltline for a project I’m doing in collaboration with DashBoard Co-op. For that piece the Dash girls (co-founders Courtney Hammond and Beth Malone) and I did a bunch of brainstorming and have come up with a wild outdoor dance/feast/performance picnic that will be shown in September. And again, that isn’t a piece of which I would have conceived on my own. Being privy to their creative voices is such a gift.

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

HH: My Name is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok.

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

HH: Yes, it very much does. In part because every day I have to surrender the work over and over in order to stay sane and centered. I have to constantly remind myself that I am acting as a vessel, as a co-creator with the Spirit, and to resist taking the piece into my own hands alone and trying to force it to become what I want it to become. Dance is the language through which I communicate best with the Divine, and through which I most experience the nearness and the power of the Spirit. When I dance I feel like I am who I actually am and I can say what I want to say and pray the way that I want to pray. I know that when I dance I am embodying the calling I have been given. In that knowing there is an intimacy and communion with the Spirit that I do not experience in any other way. All of my dances are, at their core, prayer, praise, and an offering of gratitude. I often think of the film, Chariots of Fire, in which the Scottish runner, Eric Liddell, says, “I believe God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” When I dance I feel His pleasure.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

HH: These are a couple photos (courtesy of Johnathon Kelso) from the evening-length piece that I showed last spring. The piece is entitled, HeadFirst to Upside Down. It was my first self-produced solo show and it emerged from the year previous in which I moved back to Atlanta from Philly, underwent shoulder surgery, and spent a lot of time unable to dance. I thought a lot about dislocation—dislocation of shoulder joints certainly (the reason for the surgery), but also “dislocation” of plans, relationships, and places. I began the creative process thinking I’d just make a little quartet but then I found a big tricycle and it turned into a sort of Mary Poppins’ bag for me from which a much larger pool of ideas began to spring. I ended up with four dancers and six musicians and here and there we all swapped roles. It was important to me that the musicians and the dancers be woven into the fabric of the piece so that a community was created among us, rather than having the dancers jigging around and the band off in the corner. The dancers and I rehearsed once a week for about five months, during which time I worked with Holly Evans, the musical director, to develop the score. The musicians came into the rehearsal process on show week (which I now know was definitely not enough time!) Part of my choreographic process was to make lots of drawings--of the space, props, costumes, movement--in order to establish the aesthetic personality of the piece as a whole. I made lots of trips to the thrift store and lots of phone calls to borrow potted plants and floor lamps for the set. We performed in the sanctuary at Ga. Avenue Church which wasn’t rigged at all for theater, so we rigged all the lighting with clip and floor lamps. Some great ideas emerged from the necessity to be scrappy and homespun with it--clipping lights to the piano and wheeling it around the space as a movable light source was one of the rather magical elements. The cast had to be both performers and stage crew and it was wild. Micah Dalton, Tyler Lyle and Daniel Bass, among others, were members of the cast and they were each so generous with their time and creativity. We had a total blast. At some point I hope to rework HeadFirst and restage it taking into account all that I learned the first go round.

5X15

2011-07-01T11:47:00.003-04:00

It is just around the bend once more, Trinity Artists will be presenting 5x15 next Friday, July 8th at 8:00 pm.

On this special evening, 15 artists from the Trinity community will present for 5 minutes a piece. Artists will read creative writing, show films, perform music, and present samples of their work. It’s a great opportunity to see work from our fellow artists and celebrate the blessing of creativity.

Josh Jackson - comics

Mary Grace Phillips - dance

Thomas Lockwood & Aaron Hodgins - music

Charlton Cunningham - architecture

Mark Wynns - film

Angela Bortone - drawing

Shana Barefoot - painting

Michael Dunaway - film

Chris Barnes & Theron Humphrey - a travelling photo project

Lauren Hughes - photography

Wesley Holmes - cello

Ross Boone - novelist

and more....

We hope to see you at church that evening! Please park in our lots or on the street.

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Josh Booth

2011-06-21T12:12:00.000-04:00

Meet Josh Booth, a photographer, musician, and closet poet. In the newest installment of our interview series, Josh discusses why the iPhone is even more useful than you thought, how Peter inspires, and what church and Batman don’t have in common. Read on to learn more.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Josh Booth: My work is so varied, so where I create depends on the subject! But by far my favorite place to create is out in nature. Before gas was so expensive, I would often load my gear in the truck, pick a country road I have never been down before and drive until I was completely lost, photographing whatever jumped out at me along the way. I also love to go hiking (usually off the trail) and get away from all the noise of life - voices shouting what you need to buy, how you need to look, what you’re supposed to want/be, etc. It’s when I get away from all of that I can finally think straight, quiet my mind, and hear God speak to me. My other favorite place is quite the opposite but still strangely effective, Starbucks. :)

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

JB: Artist’s block is a tough one. My biggest cause is stress/motivation. I try to look deep down and evaluate what’s stressing me out and see if it’s something I can control - it usually means I need to exercise more. I also try to just lighten up and change things in my creative routine. Instead of taking my usual camera gear, I challenge myself to only use my iPhone, or limit myself to just one lens or aperture setting. I also will put myself mini day-challenges - catalog my day through pictures, or keep my camera by my bed and require myself to take 5 pictures before I get out of bed the next day. Bottom line - I experiment, keep an open mind, and don’t worry about the outcome of what I’m trying to create. I just create. I try to never forget what French photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue once said, “I have never taken a picture for any other reason than that at that moment it made me happy to do so.”

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

JB: My iPhone has helped tremendously with this. Photographer Chase Jarvis wrote a book and iPhone App appropriately titled “The Best Camera… is the One You Always Have with You.” My iPhone has allowed me to capture life as I see it and experience it, without lugging all my pro gear everywhere. Sometimes you’re standing there and just look up and see something - a shape, a pattern, or something - and are instantly inspired, and you are able to capture that right then and there, and in most cases able to share it with your friends right then, too. Art is better when shared :) Taking that thought further - as a photographer primarily working in digital media - I find I have to force myself to find creative ways of getting my work off my computer into a tactile form, otherwise it never seems finished, even if I don’t touch the photos for weeks/years later. This is still an area I am struggling with lately.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

JB: One of my favorite quotes is this: “Creativity is allowing oneself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” - Scott Adams (Dilbert)

Q: What is your theme song?

JB: Hard question! Probably “In Your Hands” by Bebo Norman. It really captures my feelings of faith and trust in God - an almost I’m-all-in-but-if-You-fail-me-I’m-dead trust. The melodies and tone of the song relate perfectly with that wistful, careful, & desperate attitude. I’ve felt that way so many times throughout my faith journey, especially when making big leaps of faith. He has never failed me yet, but there is always that fear, right? My fear is usually more about my decision-making quality and not about His ability to perform - He has a pretty good record going for Him!

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

JB: The Cartier-Bresson exhibit at the High Museum has recently inspired me. He has always been one of my favorite photographers, capturing life at the perfect, decisive moment. It reassured the love of photography I had when I first started and inspired me to continue to capture life as I see it. I am often inspired by music too - certain melodies and segments that speak some sort of inexplicable truth - The chord progression in Derek Webb’s “We Come to You” always seems to give me a sense of focus, and the piano lead line in “Two Step” of Dave Matthews Band Live at the Gorge cd (starting at about 6:38 in).

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

JB: If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg has been by far the most influential book in my faith. It’s about trusting God with everything - and trusting God in ways that most people are too afraid to try. The primary source for the book is the story in the Bible when Peter walks on the water to Jesus. The biggest thing I got out of the book was that Peter tried what everyone else was too scared to do, realizing that even if he failed, Jesus was wholly adequate to save him, and that the faith of the people (other disciples) around him was increased in ways it never would have otherwise if he hadn’t risked stepping out of the boat.

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

JB: Sometimes when I create, there is no direct connection to the Divine, other than the Creator of Creativity is happy with me and proud of the work He gave me. Some of my work has a very deep spiritual connection though. As I mentioned earlier, my nature work ushers me into a stillness where I can rest in Him and hear His voice. Other works I have created have helped me wrestle with disappointments of my faith and helped me get through times when I turned my back on God (or wanted to again), healing me of wounds and helping me work through the tough things that can’t always be put into words.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

JB: The most common thing people say when they first see this image is “Oh hey! Batman!” referencing the movie The Dark Knight and the red smiles painted on their faces. It has nothing to do with Batman. This photo was created a few years before that movie, and is part of a series of work called “Confessions.” The series deals with those unfortunate realities that the Christian faith is typically known for - a sort of stark visual self-criticism of the shortcomings of Christian communities as a whole and created in a way to help us wake up to how the outside world see us. It’s meant to confess to the world that what they see is valid, and inspire the church to make a change. This image in particular is about the lack of honesty among the church - how so many times we Christians hide how we are really feeling and what we are going through in the very environment we should be the most transparent. We put on a fresh face, smile, say everything is ok, and move on. We rarely function as a family or as a body.

The idea for this image unfortunately came from years of personal experience in the church. I was a worship leader, and no matter what I was going through at the time, I could put on my excited and happy face, and lead worship. I would push aside my doubts and frustrations, not wanting to be open and honest with those around me, even when I wasn’t leading. I created this image in an art class in college - and the whole series created an interesting dialog with my classmates - since most of them didn’t have the best view of Christians and the organized Church. To be honest, I didn’t either at that point of my life, and I personally hated God out of frustration. At one point, I had listened a song by Casting Crowns called “Stained-glass Masquerade” and this image popped into my mind! To create this image, I enlisted several of my friends, and told them to show up in their Sunday best, but neglected to mention what the shot was, or anything about a little red marker on their faces! But they were cool with the idea, sat in their pews, and acted like many of the church goers I grew up with, looking bored, tired, or distracted. I lit the image using flash strobes over x-large soft boxes to simulate a small, dim, window-lit church.

More examples of my work are at http://joshboothphoto.com

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Theron Humphrey

2011-06-07T11:13:00.003-04:00

Do you ever meet someone whose story is so interesting, you want to tell everyone you know about them? Photographer Theron Humphrey does, every day. And he’s not just telling their stories, he’s taking their pictures. Read on to learn more about the man behind this wild idea.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Theron Humphrey: There seems to be two types of photographers. Folks that find what they photograph, and folks that create what they photograph. I like hitting the streets.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

TH: I was feeling dead as an artist in 2010. I kept making images that had no unified vision. I picked up a pack of Polaroid film, and gave myself the parameters to photograph beautiful light. Pretty simple, and it got me all stirred up to keep making images. A sense of accomplishment is a wonderful thing.

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

TH: I met a fisherman on my last project across America. He was born and raised on the water. When he wasn’t on his boat, he was thinking about being on his boat. I came to that same point in the past few years with my camera. Making compelling images is hard work, but if you love it, you’ll be thinking about it when you wake.

(Steven Speir. Day 29.)

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

TH: You’ll hear more “No’s” than “Yes’s.”

Q: What is your theme song?

TH: Avett Brothers – “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise.” It’s on repeat when I’m trying to write. And I’ve recently been listening to the Almanac Singers. They’re a folk band from the 1940’s. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and the like, singing pro union songs.

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

TH: I love folks who are intrinsically connected to what they create in this life. I read a story in the New York Times a few months back about a blacksmith that still makes all the basketball hoops by hand in the city. I want to go meet that guy and shake his hand. Folks like that inspire me.

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

TH: Photography is often a lone wolfs game. Part of the project, This Wild Idea, was to collaborate with another artist and integrate the subject in a compelling way. I ended up collaborating with Chris Barnes, he’s a top shelf web developer and graphic designer. We integrated community in our project through the website, it allowed anyone across America to sign up, and for me to go meet ‘em and tell their story. Using social media in a fresh way, not just for self-promotion, stirred me up to keep creating. I could tangibly see that folks care about the project.

(Margaret Eubanks. Day 27.)

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

TH: Authors and Photographers who discovered what it means to be human across America resonate inside me. Steinbeck and Hunter S. Thomas stuck with me. Lee Friedlander, Stephen Shore, and Robert Frank went out and pointed their cameras at America. I love those guys.

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

TH: Part of being an artist is determining what success means. The Holy Spirit has worked hard in my life and brought me to a point of simplicity. Success for me isn’t recognition of my work, it’s that I get to talk to folk’s everyday. I impact their lives with photography. There isn’t anything profound about it. It’s about loving your neighbor, everyday, with your work.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

TH: This Wild Idea started with a simple idea that everyone wants to be heard and everyone wants to be loved. The goal was to travel 30 days across America, meeting 1 new person a day, everyday, and share their story through photography. Setting up those parameters was important to the project. It gave it dimension and scale. The pressure to make to meet one new person everyday was beautiful; it pushed me way out of my comfort zone.

To learn more about The Wild Idea and the people Theron met along the way, visit http://30.thiswildidea.com/. Hear about his upcoming year-long wild idea at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theron/this-wild-idea-365-days-365-stories-traversing-ame.

A Demon is Coming to Atlanta

2011-05-18T18:46:00.000-04:00

The C.S. Lewis classic The Screwtape Letters has been adapted for the stage in a traveling production that will be at the Alliance Theater (1280 Peachtree St NE) on June 9-12. The show times are Thurs-Sat: 8 pm; Sat: 4pm; and Sun: 3pm. Tickets range in price, but student and group rates are available.

For more information, visit http://www.screwtapeonstage.com/atlanta or http://www.woodruffcentertickets.org/center/ticket/production_detail.aspx?perf=39390.

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Glen Sutton

2011-05-17T11:40:00.000-04:00

Our next featured artist in the interview series is Glen Sutton: photographer, musician, painter, and fan of opposable thumbs. To learn more about the what, why, and how behind his work, read on.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

Glen Sutton: I think, that because I work in several different media (video, photography, music, painting, etc.), that I have a means to express myself in another vehicle if I find myself blocked. But If I am blocked I will step away from it and look at or do something completely different. I will pray about it, as I have been trying to invite and include the Creator in every step of the process. Sometimes I may forget to, out of old habits or just because I am so excited about or emotionally involved in the process that I don’t stop and formally pray over it, but find myself speaking to Him during the process at some point and remembering to intentionally include Him.

I may also look at similar works by artists I admire for ideas, motivation or methods. I may also resort to something I learned a long time ago that Brian Eno (an electronic music pioneer) does and that is to jot a variety of ideas or alternate directions/creative options on pieces of paper and put them in a box and pick them out and see if they help. Some examples may be: “think of doing the opposite of what you usually do,” “think organic,” “change your lighting – make it darker if its bright, or vice versa,” and so on. In the early 1970’s Brian Eno created a deck of cards called “The Oblique Strategies” (TOS) which allow you to pick a random card with a suggestion or even encouragement on it allowing you to rethink your project and your process. You can find more info on TOS here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies and an online TOS randomizer can be found here: http://www.joshharrison.net/oblique-strategies/

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

GS: Well, sometimes distractions are helpful and can give you some variety and add spice to your creative life. I do not know what it would look like to focus only on my creative endeavors, as I’ve never really had that opportunity… I mean, having to work to support myself often takes precedent, and I expect more so for artists/creatives who have families to support. I just have my two cats and myself.

But to properly answer the question I’ll say that it comes down to the desire to break from the routine and feed the creative process… as a diversion from the “every day” of life, and so for me being creative, whether working on art or music or what ever, is my way of balancing life as best as I can. It can also be (and probably should be more frequently than it is) a means to worship the Creator from whom this gift comes. Setting time aside and deliberately being intentional about being artistic is just as important as being intentional about taking time to study, clean the house, walk the dog, etc. Not to say that it is a chore, but a necessity in the artistic life to just keep active, fresh and involved.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

GS: To be comfortable being a dreamer. To allow myself the room to dream outside of my “head” and bring that imagination into what ever it is that I am creating.

Q: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

GS: To be honest none. And I do not say that to diminish our animal friends, but I absolutely love being a human being that God created with intent and purpose, and who He has given the opportunity to inherit His kingdom. Also, opposable thumbs are a plus in being an artist.

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

GS: I have to say… wow… too many options to choose from. I think that everyone, to some degree, inspires me, and in ways that I cannot adequately describe. But there is always some music, photography, art, or film popping up giving me ideas, and yes there are certain artists who remain forefront in my mind who influence me. Some are locals and friends like artist John Tindel, electronic music duo Fader Vixen (Jeremy Frank and Toniet Gallego), and so on.

Some major influences over the years includes Russell Mills, David Sylvian, Gary Numan, Brian Eno, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Anton Corbijn, Laurie Anderson, Ingmar Bergman, Nalbi Bugashev and many many others.

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

GS: Yes, in my musical endeavors with my band mate Austin. I am used to working alone because it sort of just panned out that way over the years, but now working with someone helps me find ways to compromise during the creative process, as well as to be inspired by his perspective and input, even when it may seem frustrating at times. But typically it works out very well and I really enjoy the process.

I think it has shaped the direction of our particular musical style, but also leaves room for exploration into other areas not typical within our genre, which is great because I like pushing the envelope.

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

GS: Outside of the Bible, I suppose Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis has been enriching and helpful in putting my beliefs into a frame that makes it easier to explain to others, as well as to influence my creative process in that I now see some more opportunities to include my faith in my various art forms. I’ve always been influenced by and intrigued with illuminated manuscripts and religious iconography, and have been investigating them more and more lately. I am looking into the history and the development of the art form as it evolved over time to meet creative and spiritual needs over the ages.

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

GS: I wish I could say that I am always thinking of the Divine when I create, and maybe I am at a “cellular level” in that I am being obedient to my calling or vocation as a creative. I have been trying to be more intentional in connecting to the Divine in my creative process through prayer and asking His guidance in the process. I think we create out of a response to some stimuli, some need to create and perhaps that is the Divine Creator speaking to and through us, but sometimes, I think we don’t always go in the direction He intends, so I am trying to be more mindful of that.

Sometimes I step back from something I have created and think “there is no way that came from me alone!” and it is a humbling experience. And it is a joyful one too because it encourages me that my Creator is involved in my work and in me. I am ever grateful that He has allowed me the opportunity to use talents that He gave to me, and I hope that I am more active and intentional in involving Him.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

GS: This particular piece, Calling all Angels, was conceived of and painted in 2003 as the second in a series of five paintings focusing on communication to be presented with a playful sense of humor. The five paintings spanned from 2003 – 2004 and typically took a few days to a week to paint, but the process took so long because of work and other things in life getting in the way. I was also sketching and refining the ideas as I went along before committing to canvas, or in this case, wood panel.

This painting was inspired by a song of the same name by Jane Siberry and was an attempt to illustrate the idea that in times of trouble, human beings can often seek help from the unlikeliest of places. When I was first thinking of the title, I immediately had the image of an angel on a tin can and string phone calling itself.

The tin can phone is something most of us recall from our childhood and hence has a child-like innocent quality about it. But the phone only works when stretched tight so that the string can vibrate and carry the caller’s voice. So there has to be a tension involved. I was trying to illustrate that tension outside of the figure by using vibrant and turbulent colors and over-emphasized the slackness of the string between the cans. So in the image the futility of the figure’s actions hopefully becomes evident as it seeks to find solace or help from within itself.

The flimsy bug-like wings are meant to convey frailty and perhaps a sense of weakness and dubious angelic authenticity. So it suggests that the “angel” seems to believe that they are their own savior, their own refuge and help. So in a sense it ironically mocks or points the finger at self-help methods rather than seeking true divine help and intervention. This is, in a sense, an illustration of an empty prayer, yet, there is the hope that true divine ears are hearing the call for help, and so I made the colors in the “heaven” area above the figure’s head lighter, less turbulent and more vertical as if to suggest heaven reaching down to the “angel.”

I initially sketched the idea in my notebook and doodled notes about color, line thickness and so on. I began the painting by sketching the figure on the wood panel, and painting it in black outline. I then filled out the background trying to convey external stress and tension, as well as the “heavenly” openness in the top portion. Then I painted in the figure’s clothing and facial features to create an androgyny but focused on the “bruising” and expression in the face to express the very real nature of their distress, that they really are suffering. I didn’t want the figure itself to be mocked at all, because I wanted it to be loved or seen as lovable, and to remind us all of our frailty. I wanted the situation it was in to have a sense of humor to help convey the idea that we make mistakes but there is help out there, and it is in seeking help that we eventually can find help and rescue, even if it does not come from within ourselves.

More examples of my painting work can be seen at: http://glensutton.com/art and http://glensutton.com/6.html

I hope to redesign my website sometime in the near future.

Zoetic Dance Ensemble in Centennial Park

2011-05-17T11:16:00.000-04:00

This upcoming weekend (May 20 and 21), the Zoetic Dance Ensemble is offering four free performances in the fountains at Centennial Olympic Park. Zoetic, a professional-level contemporary dance company, will be performing at 12:45 pm and 6:00 pm on Friday, May 20, and 3:00 and 6:00 pm on Saturday, May 21^st. For free!

For more information on Zoetic, visit http://www.zoeticdance.org/.

Trinity Arts Interview Series: Jessie Donaghy

2011-05-03T17:29:00.000-04:00

The first brave soul to be interviewed for our series is Jessie Donaghy, a dancer and writer and all around amazing lady. Read on to learn why she advocates for walking in the rain, joining in community, and asking your mother the tough questions.

Q: What is your favorite space to create?

Jessie Donaghy: When I dance, I love to choreograph in the studio with the lights off and the windows open. I usually stretch while listening to the music several times with my eyes closed. Imagery and movement always comes to me in my mind’s eye first. Once I have images to work with, I begin dancing and creating movement.

When I write, my best work comes forth when I have been spending a lot of time outside in nature. A friend once told me that man was made for mountains, not mirrors. I find this to be especially true when it comes to writing. When I take the time to immerse myself in the natural world, I sense God’s nearness and feel more aware of His invisible life. Have you ever intentionally taken a walk in the rain in the spring? Try it.

Q: How do you handle artist’s block (times when it is hard to create)?

JD: In dance, when I feel like I cannot come up with any new movement, I usually take a break from dance altogether and do something else that is active, like yoga or a brisk walk around the park. I trust that as long as I keep my body moving and conditioned, the choreography will come when it is supposed to come.

When I feel dry as a writer, I will try to do a few pages of stream-of-consciousness writing in the morning to try and get past whatever is blocking me creatively. I will also refrain from writing new work for a little while, and turn to editing old work. If I am not creating, I try to at least edit and revise.

Q: How do you stay motivated and disciplined as an artist in our distracting society?

JD: I try to surround myself with things that inspire me: books, music, visual art, films, and people who are like-minded and hungry to create. I also keep a file of “aesthetic inspirations”, where I keep clippings and pictures that inspire me. Each day, I try to do at least one thing that feeds the “lake of creativity”, as Jean Rhys puts it. Even if I am not creating everyday, I can be feeding the lake that I will draw from in the future when I do create. Being an artist is more than just picking up your chosen discipline whenever you “feel inspired”. As an artist who follows Christ, I see my art as my vocation, which requires that I be a good steward.

Q: What is the best advice someone has given you?

JD: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” -Martha Graham

Q: Who/what has inspired you lately and/or locally (i.e. other artists, exhibits, shows, bands, designers, etc)?

JD: Dario Marianelli’s soundtrack for Jane Eyre

Movers and Shakers exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art of Atlanta. At Movers and Shakers, I especially enjoyed Brian Dettmer’s Organized Knowledge in Story and Picture.

gloATL’s Hinterland at Woodruff Park

The Paul Taylor Company at the Rialto

Q: Have you worked in your medium in some sort of community lately, be it collaboration, brainstorming, etc? How has that environment affected the work?

JD: In dance, I recently became a member of Refuge Dance Company. Refuge is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Atlanta-based contemporary and modern company. One of the main purposes of Refuge Dance Company is to present innovative works that display the dancer in an authentic manner as both a person and an artist with the goal of presenting dance in a way that is accessible for everyone. Being a part of this group of dancers has inspired me to work towards not only maintaining excellence in my art, but also to creating work that is meaningful and authentic.

In writing, I have had the honor of taking part in the monthly Trinity Writers Group. I have presented work, and have also had the chance to provide feedback for other writers. I also meet with two incredibly talented writers, Jessica and Kitti, on a regular basis to workshop our most recent works. Additionally, I am helping to head up a new creative writing program in Atlanta called (W)ink, with two incredible individuals, Jessica Haberkern and Jake Perez.

Q: What is one book/song/painting/piece/etc that has been enriching to your faith?

JD: Madeleine L’Engle’s Walking on Water

Q: What is your connection to the Divine when you create? Does it resonate with you spiritually when you come up with new work?

JD: Since God is the ultimate Creator and we are made in His image, it only makes sense that God desires us to create as well. I view being an artist like being a vessel; I am not the catalyst for my art, I am just a vessel that I hope God can pour inspiration and ideas in to as He chooses. When I am in communion with Him and that moment of inspiration hits, it feels like a gift. It is as if the veil is lifted for a moment and I catch a glimpse of what’s behind the curtain of the ordinary. Those moments strengthen my faith in God a great deal. I’m not sure if this is the case with all artists who are also Christians, but that is my experience.

Q: Describe your process behind the featured piece.

JD: The piece that I have chosen to share is a dance entitled, “Questions for my Mother”, by Angella Foster. I performed this piece on May 1st with Refuge Dance Company at the Fabrefaction Theatre (www.refugedance.org). The cast is 8 women, and the piece is based on actual questions that we each have asked, or wish we could ask, our mothers. There are humorous and lighthearted questions, but also heavy and sobering questions. We learned the entire piece over the course of two days and 10 hours.

In the beginning of rehearsal, we had the chance to share our individual questions with the rest of the cast. It was amazing to hear the range of questions: some similar to my own, and some vastly different.. From there we began to translate individual questions into movement. From the get go, I was emotionally invested in the piece since I was translating my own questions into phrases of dance. As rehearsal progressed and the piece began to take shape, I was surprised to find myself hit with a range of emotions; some movement conjured up humorous images of my childhood, while other movement flooded my mind with memories of pain and regret. By the time we finished the piece, I was physically bruised and drained, and emotionally worn out. It was a good kind of worn out though, a kind of catharsis. Performing this piece was a meaningful experience, especially since my mother attended the show. For me, the piece came full circle when she saw it.

Trinity Arts Blog Interview Series

2011-05-03T16:36:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed that there are a lot of artists at Trinity? Painters, singers, poets, graphic designers, musicians, actors, dancers, and others walk among us, but we may not always know who they are or how God is working through their art. Our community events—like the coffee nights, field trips, 5x15, and workshops—offer great opportunities to gather and discuss the gift, process, and challenges of creating, but starting this month, we’re going one step further.

On the first and third Tuesday of every month, we’ll be spotlighting a different artist from our community. They’ll answer a few questions, maybe share some work, and we’ll get to learn about some of the cool, inspiring, and amazing things God is doing right here in our own community.

So set a reminder on your calendar or fancy phone to be sure you don’t miss these great interviews in the upcoming weeks!

Magnetic Drift

2011-04-11T17:52:00.000-04:00

On May 6, 7, and 8 at the Magnetic Theatre (889 Wylie St. Atlanta, GA 30316 in Reynoldstown), WonderRoot (http://www.wonderroot.org/) and independent choreographers are joining forces to present Magnetic Drift, a contemporary dance concert:

“Magnetic Drift represents the artists’ shared commitment to producing innovative work within a cooperative setting, enabling them to express their unique artistic visions while supporting the creative aims of their fellow choreographers. As the presenter of the concert, WonderRoot continues its tradition of supporting visual and performing artists by nurturing their voices and helping to launch their careers.”

Trinity’s own Helen Hale and Lauren Banks are involved in this project!

Here are the details:

When: May 6, 8pm; May 7, 8pm; May 8, 3pm
Where: Magnetic Theatre, 889 Wylie St. Atlanta, GA 30316 in Reynoldstown
Price: $15 for general admission & $10 for students, children, professional artists, and seniors

Read a review of the concert at http://www.artscriticatl.com/2011/04/breaking-news-wonderroot-expands-into-dance-with-magnetic-drift/.

Paradise Gardens

2011-03-26T11:27:00.003-04:00

To celebrate the Easter season, we’re taking a field trip to Paradise Gardens in Summerville, Georgia on April 30^th. Paradise Gardens is the creation of the late folk artist and preacher Howard Finster. You may have seen his work at the High Museum or on the covers of albums by REM and Talking Heads. Using all kinds of recycled materials—such as bottles, mirrors, and toilets—Finster transformed his gardens into a work of sacred art.

We will gather at the church at 10:30 am on April 30^th and caravan to Summerville (roughly 1.5 hours each way). Bring a packed lunch so we can eat on the grounds and a few dollars for gas (entry to the Gardens is free, though donations are welcomed). Sign-up sheets will be at the information table after church in the upcoming weeks. Please include your phone number and email address, and indicate if you are willing to drive.

Email annecorbitt@yahoo.com if you have any questions, and visit http://www.finstersparadisegardens.org for more information about Finster and his gardens.

(Photographs taken from www.finstersparadisegardens.org.)

Progress

2011-03-26T11:26:00.000-04:00

Refuge Dance Company will be presenting “Progress,” a show including new works by Marc Arentsen (formerly of Polarity Dance Theater and Belhaven College) and Angella Foster (of Alight Dance Theater), as well as a preview of the company’s “Hinds Feet on High Places,” which is scheduled to premiere in November.

“Progress” will be presented on Sunday, May 1^st at 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm at the Fabrefaction Theater (999 Brady Ave 30318, near Octane and Twin Kittens). Tickets are $10 and include the chance to meet the dancers of Refuge Dance Company in an after-show reception. One of the dancers with this company, Jessie Donaghy, is a participant in Trinity Arts and a previous 5x15 contributor.

For more information and ticket sales, visit http://www.refugedance.org/Progress.html, email info@refugedance.org, or call 678-267-3202.

For the Beauty of the Church

2011-02-21T19:22:00.000-05:00

Kairos Church is beginning an on-going conversation about creativity and faith entitled “Cultivating Creativity for the Common Good.” The first event will be a discussion of the book For the Beauty of the Church (http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Church-Casting-Vision-Arts/dp/0801071917) on Wednesday, February 23^rd at 8:00 pm at Kairos Church (645 Grant St SE).

For more information, or if you’re interested in attending, email micahdalton@gmail.com.

5x15: Friday, February 25th!

2011-02-18T15:07:00.003-05:00

We’ve had some warmer days recently, which means spring is approaching, and the Easter season will be here soon. To celebrate this time of creation and rebirth, Trinity Artists will be presenting 5x15 next Friday, February 25^th at 8:00 pm.

Melissa Holm- poet
Ross Boone - product designer
Brett Miotti - graphic design & letterpress
Gretchen Perkins- vocalist
Isaac Deitz- videographer
Jeff Guy- non-profit art gallery
Anne Corbitt- fiction writer
Helen Hale- dancer
Jessica Haberkern- non-profit organization for creative writing
Brian Manley- graphic designer
Aaron Keuter- animator
Mary Quinn Templeton- fabric arts

and more....

We hope to see you at church that evening! Please park in our lots or on the street.

Trinity Writers Group January Meeting

2011-01-22T20:45:00.007-05:00

Here are some photos from the most recent meeting of the Trinity Writers Group taken by Ann Colwell. We discussed a poem by Melissa Holm and an essay by Coleman Wood. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, February 15. Email Anne at annecorbitt@yahoo.com for more information.

A Great Opportunity for Poets

2010-12-01T17:08:00.000-05:00

Anyone interested in participating in a free community poetry workshop led by an established poet should check out the McEver workshops with Poetry @ TECH: http://poetry.gatech.edu/workshops.html.

Accepted applicants are assigned to a one-day workshop in the spring of 2011: January 29 (with Ginger Murchison), February 12 (with Robert Perry Ivey), March 12 (with Thomas Lux), or April 9 (with Travis Denton).

These workshops offer an incredible opportunity to swap work with other poets and get personal feedback from respected published writers. Poets of all skill levels are invited to apply.

And, did I mention they’re free?

If you’d like to apply, follow the directions found at the above link. December 10^th is the deadline.

Trinity Writers Group

2010-11-04T10:16:00.002-04:00

A writer’s life can be lonely. We spend hours staring at blank pages, often in quiet rooms. We care about characters that don’t exist, scenes that never happened. Sometimes we become so engrossed in our work that we forget there is a world still in motion, and we might only remember this at midnight when we realize we never closed the blinds or ate dinner. We obsess over images, language, rhythm, and narratives that never quite translate onto paper as they are in our heads, but when we try to talk about the utter heartbreak of a poem that isn’t working, our friends just smile sympathetically and change the subject. And when the words are right, when we want to celebrate the beauty of a good sentence, we may find ourselves with no outlet other than doing a victory dance alone in our living rooms. (Or is that one just me?)

Either way, writing demands a lot of alone time, but we don’t have to feel alone. There are hundreds of people in this very city hunched over their notebooks (or laptops, typewriters, or fancy iPads) just like you. Dozens of these writers live, play, and worship right here, in the Trinity community.

So we’ve decided it’s time to abandon our isolation for an evening. On the third Tuesday of every month, writers of all skill and experience levels are invited to an informal, low-pressure writer’s group. Those who want to can share work; the rest of us will offer feedback, accountability, and—most of all—community with people who know how it feels.

Our first meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 16, at 7:00 pm in an apartment on Collier Rd. If you’d like to share work, bring a few copies. Otherwise, come ready to read, reflect, and discuss. E-mail Anne at annecorbitt@yahoo.com for more information and directions.

That time again: Art Community Night at Inman Perk

2010-10-05T14:37:00.003-04:00

St. Jerome in his study as painted by the hands of Caravaggio. Hard at work it seems.

Greetings to all.
It's that time again. Time to come together around warm drinks at Inman Perk and share what we've been up to as creatives. Whether you've been slaving away at the desk, writing your latest short story, or you've been plagued by bills and your day job instead of making art, come and share life with like-hearted people.
We'll meet in the coffee shop around 8:00 and finish when you're ready to leave.
Look for the little Trinity Artists placard at the table where we're congregated.

Fall Art Community Events

2010-09-12T11:12:00.006-04:00

Micah & Whitney Stansell will present a five-projection installation of Between You & Me during this year's Flux festival.

Here is the fall's coming art events.
We'll share more info on each of these as they come near, but for now, mark your calendars!

Flux Tour | October 1st in Castleberry Hill, ATL
Art Community Night | October 5th at Inman Perk in Inman Park, ATL
Book Discussion: For the Beauty of the Church | October 30th at Trinity
Art Community Night | November 2nd at the Tucciarone's House, Cabbagetown, ATL
15X5 | November 12th at Trinity
Painting 101 Workshop | November 14th at Trinity

For more information about any of these pending events, contact Jeffrey Guy.

5X15

2010-05-26T17:27:00.004-04:00

Chris Skeene will present on Friday night. Here is a photo this fine gentleman took.

So this will be our third 5X15 and I gotta say, its been the most exciting thing we do as an artistic community. Why do I feel that way? It's because we get to see the creative diversity that abides in and around our community. You get to experience 15 folks sharing for 5 minutes. In the span of that 5 minutes you may hear the latest song someone has composed, see how a visual artist hammered through her most recent project, or simply a presentation on what inspires an individual to make art.

Because of this diversity, we get to revel in the amazing work that the Divine Spirit does through the efforts of others.

Here is a preview of what's in store:

Lauren McCay -music

Erik Newby -digital project

Kevin Albertini -music

Josh Booth -photography

Francis Eagle -music

Chris Barnes -web design

Joanna Burgess -theatre

Brian Simmons -architecture

Chris Skeene -photography

Nathan Linkous -graphic design

Jessie Donaghy- poetry

Rusty Wallace -visual art

Bob Butler -photography

Shannon Newby -inspiration

Wesley Holmes -cello

5X15: 15 Artists Sharing for 5 Minutes at a Time.

Friday, May 28th 7:30pm at Trinity Anglican Mission.

(Park in our lots or on the streets that evening please.)

Totally free & open to the public.

Tim Eriksen & Sacred Harp

2010-05-23T10:43:00.006-04:00

Greetings all, I wanted to let the community know of a very exciting event that is coming round the way.

St. Paul's Presbyterian (163 Ponce DeLeon, at Piedmont) will be hosting a concert as well as a Sacred Harp singing workshop taught by Tim Eriksen on Wednesday May 26th . Please come and bring your friends. Tim is a fearless and deeply compelling musician that comes to Atlanta very rarely. He is also a longtime Sacred Harp singer and is well known for having arranged for the Sacred Harp singing in the film "Cold Mountain" as well as teaching Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and a bunch of Romanian extras how to look like
they were singing in that film.

Singing workshop begins at 6:30 (all are welcome!)

Concert begins at 8:30

Concert: Suggested donation $8.

Here, Tim Eriksen is performing at IronHorse music hall. For more photos:www.flickr.com/photos/wmshc_kiwitayro/

The event site for more info: http://www.facebook/.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=124261010919998&ref=ts

If you're unfamiliar with Tim's music:

http://www.youtube/. com/watch? v=WmFKZmcGAW0
http://www.youtube/. com/user/ batfancy# p/u/31/5JMCaKufx oY
http://www.youtube/. com/watch? v=SsmsmXbzSog& feature=related
http://www.youtube/. com/user/ batfancy# p/u/37/SF0pAJqme 88
http://www.youtube/. com/watch? v=IZcj8K3ULgM
http://www.youtube/. com/watch? v=J3Ndy_ahGL8& feature=related

“The best ballad singer of his generation” –BBC

“Startling conviction . . . absurdly good.” – Mojo

“One of the best singers in music.” – T Bone Burnett

Children and Why They Get It

2010-04-14T00:11:00.034-04:00

This past Sunday, you probably noticed the brilliant works of art adorning the halls of the church as you walked toward the sanctuary. The kids have been responding artistically to scripture passages for years now; drawing, painting, and destroying pieces of paper in order to express what is on their hearts and minds. These children get it.

What do I mean by that pronoun, it? They get it, the essence - the rudimentary reasons for creating art. In a sense, they can't help it. They just make. If you are an artist, you have somehow maintained this ache to create despite much of life wanting to beat that urge from you.

Now, what can be learned from these? Christ pulled marginalized children to the center of the conversation and taught crowds of adults through their innocent, clumsy, needy nature. He said the kingdom of God is made of little ones like these.

In looking upon their artistic efforts, we are able to see the Kingdom of God through their eyes and laid out on page by way of their hands. How brilliant! What interesting marks, what interesting colors, what interesting takes on the Great Story of Christ. They know what it means to preserve mystery in their works relating to the Gospel.

Typically, when we create or view art, we want an explanation, an easy interpretation, or else we ridicule its lack of utility. Children, however, are honest in their works with an integrity to match. They are unencumbered by external influences and free to gesture with the brush anyway necessary. Effectively, they are bold and courageous in the studio.

On Friday, May 7th from 6:30-8:30pm Trinity will be hosting an Art Reception for the children's Easter Art Exhibit. I would encourage all of you to come out, have some punch and ask the children what they were thinking as they made their drawings. I guarantee you will be taught in some way. You will witness the boldness firsthand. You will see for yourself that unencumbered nature and my prayer for each of you is that you will recover that childlike faith and devotion in your respective practices.

Christ be with you as you create.

For more info on the event, check out the trinitykids blogspot.

Update: Trinity Arts Book

2010-03-23T14:21:00.002-04:00

Hi friends,

As Easter approaches, we thought it was time for an update on the Trinity Arts book project. On behalf of Jeff and myself, a hearty thank you to everyone who answered our call for submissions. We were happy and honored to review your work. Unfortunately, we still don't have enough submissions to comprise a book. So we're moving to Plan B--an online arts journal featuring writing, visual art, music and film. Going forward, we'll continue to release calls for submissions according to chosen themes and the liturgical calendar. We hope that this new site will provide an opportunity for ongoing dialog in our community, through experiencing each other's work. Eventually, we believe this will give way to producing a book representative of the gifted people who call Trinity home (and friends of our congregation). More to come.

Screenin' & A Sangin'

2010-02-25T10:47:00.004-05:00

In anticipation of the 49th Annual Georgia State Sacred Harp Singing Convention, Trinity Anglican Mission will host a screening of the acclaimed documentary film, "Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp" with the filmmakers, Atlanta natives Matt & Erica Hinton, in attendance. Friday, March 26 7:30pm. Following the film, there will be a question and answer session with the filmmakers, as well as a demonstration of Sacred Harp singing. Admission is open to all ages, with a suggested donation of $5.

“Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp” is the first feature documentary about Sacred Harp singing, a haunting form of a cappella, shape note hymn singing with deep roots in the American south. Shape note singing has survived over 200 years tucked away from notice in the rural deep south, where in old country churches, singers break open “The Sacred Harp,” a 160 year old shape note hymnal which has preserved these songs which are some of the oldest in America.

The film offers a glimpse into the lives of this 'Lost Tonal Tribe' whose history is a story of both rebellion and tradition. The filmmakers, Matt and Erica Hinton spent seven years documenting this yet largely unknown art form.

The documentary has aired on PBS and has been featured on NPR, in TIME magazine, Pitchfork.com, NY Times, among others. The recently released original soundtrack includes traditional Sacred Harp singing as recorded in rural Georgia and Alabama, as well as the first ever collection of popular music adaptations of Sacred Harp songs, featuring artists such as John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Murray Hammond (Old 97’s), Elvis Perkins, Richard Buckner, and Doc Watson, Woven Hand, Tenement Halls and others.

_______________________________________________________________________ 
Praise for "Awake, My Soul":

"When you see "Awake, My Soul", you will remember it."
--No Depression

“‘Awake, My Soul‘ features some of the most raucous group vocals that have been recorded.”
-Pitchfork.com

”‘Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp‘ is a fascinating history of a raw, overwhelming, unconventional form of Southern hymn singing.”
-The Oregonian

"These are no ordinary church choirs. The music is rebellious in its disregard for musical convention, punk in its inclusivity, and powerful in a way that only music performed with true passion can be...”
-KQED, San Francisco, CA

"In the Hinton's fine documentary: You get the feel of the people and the wonderful sound of the music, and thankfully without any condescension. As an introduction to Sacred Harp, it's as amazing as the music itself."
-Birmingham Weekly

On the Soundtrack: 
"Revelatory and exultant, dense with harmonic ideas and often overwhelming even on CD" [score: 8.8]
-Pitchfork.com 

“An outstanding primer for anyone dipping into the genre...” [****] 
-SPIN 

"The first time I heard Sacred Harp music, I was f***ing floored. This was like no staid church music I had ever encountered before! This was an alien/outsider sound, completely bucking traditional notions of dynamics and choral techniques for a rousing, rough-hewn cacophony that is as ecstatic and strong as it is tremendously sad...” 
-Ink 19

“The songs turn the whole congregation into a choir, proclaiming their devotion in forthright, wide-open, vibrato-free chords with drones and inner counterpoint that hark back to Renaissance music...Brilliant...”
 -Jon Pareles, NY Times
 __________________________________________________________________________

For more information, visit www.awakemysoul.com
 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHUfHNEZDPc

  Contact:
Matt Hinton info@awakemysoul.com | 404.918.4914
 Jeff Guy www.trinityanglicanmission.org | 404.803.4316

Location:
Trinity Anglican Mission
2270 Defoor Hills Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA 30318

___________________________________________________________________________

The 49th Annual Georgia State Sacred Harp Singing Convention will take place Saturday, March 27 & Sunday, the 28th, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. both days, at Sweetwater Chapel 1000 Pleasant Hill Road Lawrenceville, Georgia 30044-3330
Traditional “dinner on the grounds” at noon-- please bring a covered dish to share. This is a free event. All are welcome, no experience necessary.
For more info concerning the singing: http://www.atlantasacredharp.org/docs/2010GaStateSHConvFlyer.pdf  

Contact: John Plunkett bildad12@hotmail.com | 678.763.7292

Call for Submissions: Trinity Arts to Publish Book

2010-02-02T10:22:00.007-05:00

Trinity Arts is pleased to announce its first venture into publishing. This April, we’ll release a book comprised of works by Trinity artists, writers and friends of our community, to coincide with the 50 days of Easter on the Church calendar.

All submitted works should fit the chosen theme: Resurrection, New Life.

Submissions Deadline: March 1, 2010

Volunteer Needs

Graphic/layout design
Editorial/Proofreading
Printing Coordination
Administrative/Financial

Submission Guidelines
All submissions will be considered for publication, but not all will be chosen. Only previously unpublished works will be considered.

Visual Arts

Up to 10 photographs or 10 hi-res images of paintings, sculptures, installations, textiles, woodcuts, etc. (300 dpi, embed color profile).
Artist bio and statement about submitted works.

Writing

Poetry: One to 5 poems, single or double-spaced.
Creative Non-Fiction: One double-spaced personal essay reflecting upon the chosen theme.
Fiction: One short story. Novel excerpts will not be considered.

*Submissions will be accepted upon the artist or writer’s agreement to the following:

No monetary compensation. The artist/writer agrees to donate the use of his or her work in exchange for publication and complimentary copies of the finished book.
All proceeds will go to further the growth and maintenance of the Trinity Arts ministry.
The artist/writer allows Trinity the one-time rights to publish the submitted work(s), after which the copyright returns to the creator of the work(s).

The Importance of Community

2010-01-20T14:27:00.002-05:00

For most of us as artists, we have the natural tendency to isolate ourselves. This isn't a surprise to many of us, we are aware of this pattern. In some respects isolation can be good, allowing space for contemplation, reflection, and creation, however, no matter how much we neglect it, there is just as big of a need to be in community with other artists.

I don't want to speak for anyone else, but if you are anything like me it can become all too easy to get distracted from our chosen mediums of art, in my case writing, with business that can so often plague us these days. If I were to remain in my artistic isolation, to let neglect pile up along side my writing, my chances of revisiting unfinished stories and dusting off abandoned poems gradually decrease. If I dwell only in the four walls I have built around myself and my writing, and not venture out into the beautiful and diverse world of the other artists around me, I grow discouraged, frustrated, and uninspired.

Once a month (reasonable for even the most isolated artist) a group of artists of various disciplines from Trinity gather at Inman Perk with the simple purpose of being in community with other artists. There is no agenda, no discussion questions, just opportunity to get to know fellow artists at Trinity, to talk about what we are working on and bounce ideas off other artists, and to encourage one another. Through these evenings accountability is forged, connections are made, collaborations begin, encouragement is received, inspiration is renewed.

Upcoming Months: Remember Field Trips?

2010-01-08T18:43:00.008-05:00

Remember being a kid and the excitement of a field trip. You got to be away from school halls, books and paper. Instead, you got to engage something through first-hand observation or experience.

Well, over the next few months you will have the opportunity as an artist to embrace field trips again. The idea is simple; gather, go see some things, get to know one another as artists and talk about what we saw.

So, here is what is happening:

Sat. February 27th: Trip to Andalusia: Flannery O'Connor's home in Milledgeville, GA

Sat. March 13th: Danielson Show in Athens, GA

Sat. March 27th: Atlanta Architectural Tour with host architect, Thomas Hardy

Sat. April 10th: Easter Garden Tour with host landscape designer, Brendan Butler

Fri. May 14th: Art Gallery Hoppin' with host artist, Jeff Guy

(This is just a short list, more details will follow.)

For each of these, we will meet at the church on said day and carpool to our destinations. If you wish to join us, email me (Jeff Guy) and I'll add you to our numbers. Mark your calendars and I hope to see you there!

"Advent" & Other Poems by Scott Cairns

2009-12-16T12:50:00.009-05:00

As Advent comes to a close, I still need reminders to be watchful, to repent and guard the mystery of Christ’s birth in my heart. If I don’t, I know what the outcome will be. The holy feast of the Lord’s nativity will be swallowed up by the traveling-eating-partying-shopping mania around me. It’s happened before. I found one such reminder this morning in a podcast by poet and professor Scott Cairns—“Flesh Becomes Word: The Incarnational Poetry of Scott Cairns.” A fitting title for the season, no?

Scott begins with his poem “Advent,” which is typed below. He continues with several others that are well worth hearing (even if not strictly Advent-themed selections), so I hope you'll stick around for the full episode.

Listen here.

Advent

Well, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas—everywhere, children eyeing the bright lights and colorful goods, traffic a good deal worse than usual and most adults in view looking a little puzzled, blinking their eyes against the assault of stammering bulbs and public displays of goodwill. We were all embarrassed, frankly, the haves and the have-nots—all of us aware something had gone far wrong with an entire season, something had eluded us. And, well, it was strenuous, trying to recall what it was that had charmed us so, back when we were much smaller and more oblivious than not concerning the weather, mass marketing, the insufficiently hidden faces behind those white beards and other jolly gear. And there was something else: a general diminishment whose symptoms included the Xs in Xmas, shortened tempers, and the aggressive abandon with which most celebrants seemed to push their shiny cars about. All of this seemed to accumulate like wet snow, or like the fog with which our habitual inversion tried to choke us, or to blank us out altogether, so that, of a given night, all that appeared over the mess we had made of the season was what might be described as a nearly obscured radiance, just visible through the gauze, either the moon disguised by a winter veil, or some lost star—isolated, distant, sadly dismissing of us, and of all our expertly managed scene.

-from the Compass of Affection: Poems New and Selected

Upcoming Events in our Community

2009-11-30T21:53:00.002-05:00

I want to take some time to let you know about what is coming up this month in our community.

Tomorrow, Tuesday December 1st, we will be having our monthly Artist Community Night at Tilt Coffee. We will meet at 8pm. These evenings are a great way to give and receive encouragement as artists and as fellow believers, to connect with others in our community, and to hear about what others in our community are currently working on. If you haven't been able to make it to one of these evenings yet, I encourage you to make it out to Tilt tomorrow evening! If you have any questions feel free to email myself or Jeff Guy.

Also Monday 7th we will be having our second 5x15 night at Trinity Vineyard. 15 artists of varying disciplines each with 5 minutes to share and present. Whether you are an Artist or Art Patron, you won't want to miss this evening!

Trinity Artists 5x15 06-08-09: Thomas Hardy

2009-11-12T20:33:00.004-05:00

Architect, Thomas Hardy shares a great project with us.
(my apologies for the lack of video posts as of recent)

on spiritual practices and art-making

2009-11-08T15:10:00.010-05:00

Walking Home From Work

Acrylic and Thread on Canvas, 38" x 56"

by Whitney Stansell

It's striking how parallel the spiritual practices are to the disciplines required of an artist. Meditation, prayer, simplicity...

Annie Dillard, in her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek* says:

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But - and this is the point - who gets excited by a mere penny? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won’t stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty, bought a lifetime of days" (pg 8)

God, with his "generous hand" has given us the gift of creation. One of our roles as both artists and believers is to delight and wonder in this creation. It's an exercise in slowing down, stopping to smell the dogwoods, and finding the pennies. It's an exercise in both contemplation and meditation. And it's a necessary part of our growth as artists and Christians.

It requires patience - there is a discipline to slowing down and taking notice of the small stuff of life. As adults we have largely lost this practice, but spend any time with the Trinity Kids and you'll surely want to recover the fascination (and accompanied delight) in carpet patterns, tiny bugs and cloud formations. Finding pennies will once again make your day, and you'll be brimming over with delight and wonder.

Certainly it requires humility - as an artist, recognizing you are not the source of the inspiration, the good idea, or even the materials themselves. In other words, swallowing your pride and realizing the gifts (these little pennies) were placed in the world by someone bigger than ourselves. We can't take credit for that, no matter how cool we think our art is. It requires, as Dillard puts it, a "healthy poverty" and that requires the discipline of simplicity.

As you walk, or drive through the streets of Atlanta, may your eyes be opened to find pennies everywhere. And may Trinity's arts community in turn, become a community that has cultivated "a healthy poverty and simplicity."

* This book is available through the Trinity arts library. See Jeff Guy to borrow a copy (or choose from many other titles).

Trinity Artists 5x15 06-08-09: Jason Campbell

2009-09-30T12:41:00.002-04:00

Thanks Jason.

Symposium on Faith + Art: Community: Tonight!

2009-09-28T10:49:00.002-04:00

Tonight at 7:30 at Trinity Vineyard, we will be having our third Symposium on Faith & Art. The topic this evening will be Community. We will be viewing artwork from a number of different photographers among our community, hearing a short keynote from Jeff Guy, and connecting with other artists in our individual disciplines, or with other Art Lovers.

Hope to see you tonight at 7:30!

5x15 episode 5 (June 8th, 09): Jeff Guy & Erik Newby

2009-09-21T10:23:00.002-04:00

This was filmed in honor of Amy Byrd, who's art form is gardening.

On Friendships & Community

2009-09-11T12:17:00.036-04:00

Photograph by Cat Norman. She & others will share portraits at the next Symposium on Faith & Art at Trinity.

There's an old proverb of King Solomon that goes something like this...As iron sharpens iron, so one friend sharpens another. Proverbs something something. (translation, mine)

Sounds hard, right? Kind of painful, perhaps. And definitely would produce an awful sound. So what's the point? A real friend is one who puts it to you straight and has the courage to hear it from you straight. Or to continue with the analogy, a true friend speaks hard, painful, awful sounding truth. What good comes from this? Well in blacksmithing, a refining happens. This is the outcome in friendships as well.

Are we friends really? Have we given our friends permission to refine us? Do we submit ourselves to their refining?

As an artist, I have a few close friends that I have given permission to refine me and my creative efforts. These friends know they can tell me that my work is crap, I spent too little time on it, haven't thought through the ideas thoroughly, or simply- they don't enjoy it.

As a friend who has submitted myself to their discretion I know that; (1.) My identity is in my creator God, therefor this is not a critique on my personhood. And (2.), this is a critique of my artwork and these words will refine my creative efforts. Because of this, I do not stay angry or hurt. I receive their input respectfully and I ask the questions; How will this refine my work? What can be done to make this work excellent? Do I erase it, do I cover it, do I transform it, do I scrap it, or do I set it aside? I thank my friends for their honesty, knowing their courage in speaking the truth. Then, I think about tomorrow and what I'll do to better the work.

This is not the responsibility of every friend you have, every acquaintance, everybody you meet. This is deserving of your closest companions. In this context, it will be most effective.

Coming soon, we will have the opportunity to engage one another at Trinity's Symposium on Faith & Art. This Symposium will focus on friendships and community. We will gather and eat simple foods while listening to some local music. The Photography community is submitting portraits for the occasion and these may be purchased if you are a patron. After viewing these works, we will hear a short keynote talk on healthy community. Then, we will be given time to break out into groups based on our various disciplines. We will get to meet like-minded artists and patrons. The hope is that friendships like the ones mentioned above will form. If you are seeking to be a friend and be part of a vibrant community of believing artists then I would encourage you to come. It's going to be on Monday, September 28th beginning at 7:30pm here at Trinity.

I hope to see you there. Christ be with you as you create.

5x15 episode 4 (June 8th, 09): Kit Hughes

2009-09-07T00:35:00.003-04:00

Kit works for Phillips as a designer. Here is a project of his that is extraordinary.

a poem and some lights

2009-09-05T14:21:00.013-04:00

Photograph by Rune Guneriussen

For the Artist at the Start of the Day

A poem by John O'Donohue

May morning be astir with the harvest of night;

Your mind quickening to the eros of a new question.

Your eyes seduced by some unintended glimpse

that cut right through the surface to a source.

May this be a morning of innocent beginning,

When the gift within you slips clear

Of the sticky web of the personal

With its hurt and its hauntings,

And fixed fortress corners,

A morning when you become a pure vessel

For what wants to ascend from silence.

May your imagination know

The grace of perfect danger,

To reach beyond imitation,

And the wheel of repetition,

Deep into the call of all

The unfinished and unsolved

Until the veil of the unknown yields

And something original begins

To stir toward your senses

And grow stronger in your heart

In order to come to birth

In a clear line of form

That claims from time

A rhythm not yet heard,

That calls space to

A different shape.

May it be its own force field

And dwell uniquely

Between the heart and the light

To surprise the hungry eye

By how deftly it fits

About its secret loss.

As you enter into the rhythms of Fall (and for many - a season of work, study or busyness), may you become "a pure vessel for what wants to ascend from silence." And may your senses be stirred and your light shine brighter as you partake in our church community.

5x15 episode 3 (June 8th, 09): Marty Reardon

2009-08-26T16:23:00.003-04:00

Our very own Marty Reardon everyone!

Visit Marty's blog
and check out Trinity's Worship Music site.

Making art and Eucharist

2009-08-01T14:35:00.009-04:00

"Fly" by Judith Kindler *

Mixed Media including encaustics / oil on panel

80" x 36"

Defining Truth can seem near impossible in a culture saturated with confusing language, advertising schemes and the search for the politically correct. And yet, the process of art-making can be likened to this yearning for Truth (capital T).

Daniel Siedell in his book God in the Gallery* asks the question "Can one experience Truth aesthetically without knowing Truth cognitively?" In other words, in viewing and responding to art, are we viewing and responding to Truth and meaning, whether we are from a Christian context or not?

Moreover, I would ask, can we dialogue with and immerse ourselves in Truth in our process of making art? "The power of art relies on the belief that smelly oils, rough canvas, graphite, and other banal materials can provide a profoundly aesthetic experience. [These materials] are material means by which a window of the world as it truly is, as a spiritual and divinely charged reality, is thrown open." In other words, there is a common "belief required of all artists, the risk and wager that out of banal materials, something of meaning and significance will emerge"(66-67).

I'll admit, a part of me enjoys a glamorous conclusion about the hours and hours spent in my studio; that the wrestling with raw materials for days on end will produce meaningful and significant works of art that will both engage and challenge viewers to dialogue with Truth. Sounds ideal. Sounds refreshing. Sounds a bit utopian, in my opinion.

And while I agree significance and meaning can and often do come about through the process of making art (and in the end result of responding to the art created), many days we artists are doused with a mixture of self-doubt, worry, and a whole host of fears. We can sometimes feel like we're drowning in ordinary, earthy, raw materials and feel frustrated at the end of the day because we (as well as our art) might be "misunderstood." Or perhaps, we feel the pangs of disillusionment when our work doesn't match what we had imagined in our heads. And sometimes (maybe more often than we'd like), our art-making doesn't feel so holy, so meaningful, so significant and we wonder "what in the world am I doing?"

It's in moments like those just described, I remember the Eucharist. The banal elements of bread and wine invite participants to think upon and show communion with eternally significant things, namely the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. So in some ways, the process of art-making may be likened to the Eucharist. To reword the above quote from Siedell: "The power of [the Eucharist] relies on the belief that [stale bread, and luke-warm grape juice] can provide a profoundly [spiritual] experience. [These materials] are material means by which a window of the world as it truly is, as a spiritual and divinely charged reality, is thrown open." In other words, there is a common "belief required of all [Christians], the risk and wager that out of banal materials, something of meaning and significance will emerge" (66-67).

Let us press on, then, in our reconciling of common, earthy materials for the making of meaningful, significant pieces of art, music, literature, etc. And may God guide our hands and thoughts, and grant us glimpses of His Truth both in the making and the viewing of art.

* From Judith Kindler's body of work "Defining Truth." "The idea of defining truth is one that is filled with conflict for Kindler, as looking for truth in life has always been an elusive obsession. This body of work deals with the artist's struggle to find a common truth. Inspired by the writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein who parallels the idea of defined truths with games that bear explicit rules common to all the players, she has sought to understand contemporary life's justification of war, neglected nurturing of the infividual and rampant exploitation in our society. Through working on this series of mixed media paintings Kindler concludes that it is not the rules of the game that is the common truth. It is the game." See Kindler's website for more.

* Siedell, Daniel. 2008 God in the Gallery: A Christian Embrace of Modern Art. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008.

[This book is available for loan through Trinity's library.]

5x15 episode 2 (June 8th, 09): Valerie Williams

2009-07-30T09:50:00.003-04:00

Valerie Williams shared some of her wonderful photography.

Make sure you also check out her flickr page at ihavenoidea

5x15 episode 1 (June 8th, 09): Cameron Lawrence

2009-07-21T12:48:00.007-04:00

Our 5x15 video series will begin with Cameron Lawrence, one of Trinity's poets.

5x15 video series

2009-07-21T12:36:00.004-04:00

We are excited to announce that this week begins our 5x15 video series launch!

Our recent 5x15 evening was such an encouraging time for many of us. We had quite an assortment of disciplines represented. And for that reason, we decided it would be a great idea to capture the evening on film and begin archiving Trinity's creative community. Keep stopping by regularly as we will be releasing one of the fifteen artists every week (or at least every other week).

Peace be with you.

Alanis Morissette and Trinity Kids

2009-07-16T01:18:00.012-04:00

There's something about being around little kids that makes joy contagious. A few weeks ago, Trinity Kids participated in VBS. Each day, the children were challenged to think about God's creativity as shown through nature. We oohed and ahhhed as we looked at the world with magnifying glasses. We marveled at bugs and animals of all sizes and we giggled at clouds shaped like rhinos.

As we demonstrated God's imagination by holding up fruits and vegetables (and showing their corresponding innards), the children began chanting for their favorite fruits or vegetables to be shown. In that moment, they understood something profound: even though God is big, He has taken delight in designing even the smallest of things. And that is certainly something to chant about!

As a friend recently pointed out, "God does not provide us with minimalist food. He creates a world with a capacity to produce over 7,500 varieties of apple. 7,500! From this myriad variety we can make apple juice and apple wine. We can make apple pie, apple crumble, apple cake, apple crisp. We can bake them or stew them. We can dry or puree them. The Brits make a toffee apple. Isaac Newton gets hit on the head by a falling apple and discovers a theory of universal gravitation."

I love the line from Alanis Morissette's song Wunderkind:

"I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment."

Or the Psalmist:

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.'" (Psalm 126:3)

Perhaps during Common Time, we should seek to be wonder-magnets. May we let this season be one of deep reflection, fruitful creativity, and sheer astonishment over even the littlest things that God has done.

Not so Common Time

2009-06-16T15:36:00.018-04:00

Just Checking by Daniella Woolf

We are in the season called Common Time (or Ordinary Time). As Dale Brown points out in his article, the assumption might be that "common" or "ordinary" are a reference to reverting back to our normal day-to-day lives. But this notion encourages emotional and spiritual highs and lows to be reserved for the other seasons of the liturgical calendar. It assumes a hierarchy of not only the way we approach worship, but also in our own lives.

In other words, the assumption can creep in:

Well, since it's Common Time - I'll just sit back and relax. I'm good to go - at least until Advent.

That idea hardly sounds like the Jesus we encounter in the New Testament: the Jesus who redeems the everyday, raw and "ordinary" into something of meaning, something extra-ordinary.

This redemptive idea - of taking what may be considered commonplace, and re-purposing it - is one we can (and should!) mimic in our own art-making. It is a way that we can show solidarity with Christ's ministry, while setting the stage for the Holy Spirit to move through our art.

Take for example the textile artist Daniella Woolf. Her large installation (pictured above) is comprised of her mother's old checks. With her mother's death still fresh in her mind, she took her mom's old checks (and some of her own) and re-purposed them for art. When she speaks of her inspiration for this particular piece, she talks about themes of identity (life, death, financial roles, theft, etc), and references her love of fabrics and quilts. She has taken the ordinary and done something extra-ordinary, and in doing so paid homage to her mother.

I wonder during this season, what things we can see in a new light; what things we can re-purpose and redeem in our art-making? And in so doing, allow the Spirit to transform our ordinary lives into purposeful, out-of-the-ordinary ones.

Reflections on the 5X15 Night

2009-06-12T15:07:00.007-04:00

I would like to take this moment to thank all of those who made it out to the 5X15 night this past Monday. We had a pretty good turn out of both artists and art adorers alike. It is really cool to see so many of you taking an interest not only into this new community of ours, but also in some of the art that exists within our church. So on behalf of Jeff, the artists who participated, and myself, thank you for your patronage.

Monday night Jeff mentioned that all of us in attendance were patrons of the arts for that evening, though we may not contribute financially like some art patrons, we were patrons by showing our encouragement and support to the artists who presented that evening. This is such a valuable concept for us to consider, and one that I would like to urge all of you to continue in.

One way we can encourage and support our fellow believing artists is at our community nights that happen the first Tuesday of every month at Octane and Carroll Street Cafe. These groups meet at 8 on these nights and simply discuss what we have been working on recently and just to support one another in our creative efforts. There is no judging or criticism, just a chance to get to know fellow artists a little better, talk about what inspires us in our particular crafts, and support one another. The next community night is going to be July 7th, make plans to be there if you can.

As far as the next 5X15 goes, start looking for more information coming in the early fall.

5x15 Night!

2009-06-07T11:16:00.002-04:00

I want to remind all of you that the 5X15 night is happening tomorrow night at Trinity Vineyard at 7:30. This is going to be a very special evening, one that you will want to make sure that you check out. 15 artists of various crafts and disciplines will be sharing with us some of their work, all with only 5 minutes each. This will be a great opportunity to see what some of our fellow artists from Trinity have been creating and/or to see what inspires them as artists, and to meet new people.

This is sure to be a fun and exciting evening, so make plans to come if you are able, bring friends, family, loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, etc.

Hope to see you there!

Community Group Nights!

2009-05-29T09:33:00.004-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This upcoming Tuesday, June 2nd, we will be having our monthly Artist Community Group Night. For those of you who haven't had a chance to make it out to one of these nights yet, I would highly recommend it. This is a time where we get to build deeper relationships with other artists from our community at Trinity, encourage one another, and talk about what we have been working on lately.

This evening will begin at around 8:00PM at either Carroll Street Cafe or Octane. If you can find room in your schedule we would love to see you there!

Also allow me to take this opportunity to make a quick commercial for our 5X15 night that shall be taking place up at the Trinity Monday June 8th. 15 artists from our church have signed up to share with you some of their art or things that have inspired them in their art, each having only 5 minutes to share. There will be musicians sharing some of their music, photographers presenting a few photographs, poetry reading, a viewing of a short film, and so much more. You will not want to miss this evening. Again this goes down June 8th at 7:30PM at Trinity Vineyard.

Come to the Artist Community Night June 2nd 8PM at Octane or Carroll Street Cafe

Come to the 5X15 Night June 8th 7:30PM at Trinity Vineyard

God Bless

Beauty, Uglyness and Splendor

2009-05-21T16:56:00.012-04:00

Rembrandt van Rijn, Lighting Study of an Elderly Woman in a White Cap c. 1640

One of the hot topics at the last symposium was the need to understand the "ugly" parts of life in order to fully appreciate the beautiful. In other words, there is a time and a place to dwell on the dark, difficult and unattractive. In our journey as Christians, this is certainly important as well. We cannot fully appreciate the resurrection and hope of Easter season until we have understood the dark humanity of the Lenten season. We can relish in the light and beauty of Christ because we, ourselves, are far from that.

As Kris often says, if he didn't preach from the Lectionary, he would probably stick to the easier (more "attractive" parts of Scripture). I think this applies to my art-making. I find that it's easier to showcase the beautiful and maybe even "safe" things in my paintings. But my goal as an artist shouldn't be to stay "safe" in my work. There may be times in your art-making where showing the ugly, the wounded, the scarred, the imperfections, the seams, the unattractive... is exactly what you and the world around you needs to see, in order to highlight pure and untainted beauty.

Can anyone think of examples of artwork that is meant to show off the 'ugly'? Anyone exploring these themes in their own work?

Two artists come to mind immediately for me: Rembrandt van Rijn and Laura Moriarity.

Rembrandt's paintings, drawings and etchings are often attributed to being "timeless." Most critics would agree it's largely due to his attention to capturing raw humanity in each piece. His portraits often show off saggy skin, and in some cases - very unattractive double chins! His color palette consists of deep shades of reds, browns and blacks. Rembrandt was interested in capturing the deep emotions that give way to the ups and downs of life. And that often meant trying to capture all the flaws.

Another artist comes to mind: Laura Moriarity. Laura builds up layers and layers of wax (which gets to be pretty expensive). She covers up all of her colors and patterns and eventually scrapes it all off to make very 'ugly' installations. Then, she'll shave off parts of the works to showcase the rings of colored wax beneath. It's fascinating. And I think it's a great example of purposefully making ugly art that makes you squeal with delight at the little spots of beauty. It's magical. And it's lavish. Here's a video of her at work:

As we create in the last few days of the Easter season, let us be challenged to think about the beauty and splendor of God, without avoiding or forgetting the contrast of our own uglyness. And as Jeff put it so well: "We get to marvel at the Good Creation through the effort of ordinary artists who are here among our community. God is good. He delights when we share with one another." The good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.

The Artists Library

2009-05-18T14:47:00.007-04:00

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript that dates to somewhere around 800A.D. by Irish monks in tough times. We're kinda doing what they are doing. Ok. Not really.

Yep. We have established a resource library out of my office in trinity for our little community. You can access books, film, cd's, novels, etc. by dropping in during my office hours.

Inspiration takes cues and triggers. We know that by seeing other people's artistic efforts we can draw on their expressions and sometimes be so moved to act in response.

It's also important for us, as a friend of mine recently pointed out, to know the "classics" peripheral to our discipline. A library is a great place to begin familiarizing yourself with these "classics".

If you are a painter, consider the efforts of the writer. If you are a writer consider the efforts of the musician. If you are an architect, consider the work of a dancer and so forth. There is something about witnessing someone's process outside your own that allows you to be inspired without the natural temptation of competition entering into the experience. Sometimes I look at paintings in a museum and I honestly get irritated by a feeling of competition. Where does that spirit come from? I tell you it hinders my ability to accept their gift of expression that rests before my eyes. I know when I sit in a Symphony performance however, I rest in knowing this is not in my realm of expertise. That my only concern is to explore; to be silent, listen attentively and wonder. This is the power of being inspired by the expressions peripheral to our own.

We will get the great opportunity of this at 5X15 Night. We get to marvel at the Good Creation through the efforts of ordinary artists who are here among our community. God is good. He delights in us when we share with one another.

Continuing Community

2009-05-10T21:23:00.015-04:00

Thanks to all of those that made it out to the Symposium on Faith & Art last Monday, it truly was a very special evening. It is exciting to see so many of you seeking to grow as artists and joining in this wonderful community within our church. I hope you took the time to meet someone you perhaps had not yet met and also that this evening was as inspiring and encouraging to you as it was for me. To all those who were unable to attend, you were greatly missed, and we hope you can make it to the next Symposium coming up sometime in August.

The topic of this last Symposium, for those unable to attend, was Beauty and Splendor. I think this is such an important topic for us to consider as believing artists. Jeffery Guy gave us some insight into this topic by reminding us about our nature and purpose as believing artists.

I would really encourage everyone within our community to use this blog as a forum to continue our discussions from that evening, and even let this be a venue to share what you have been working on.

So with that being said I would like to submit a question for discussion:

As Believing Artists, how does beauty shape your creative processes?

Also I would like to remind everyone of the 5X15 night coming up on Monday June 8th at 7:30. This evening will be an opportunity for you, the community, to share and hear what others do. You can read something, act, dance, give a presentation of your artwork, sing a song, but you only get 5 minutes and there are only 15 slots available, so be sure to email Jeffery Guy or myself if you would be interested, and let us know what you would be planning to share. Remember space is limited so email one of us ASAP!

Trinity Artist Community groups meet the first Tuesday of every month at either Octane or Carroll Street Cafe. This gives us a chance to further build relationships with our fellow artists up at the church, share what we have been doing, and encourage one another in our artistic endeavors.

Finally, I would like to share with you a prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer, that I think is really quite appropriate for us, in this community:

O God, whom saints & angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art & music to perfect the praises offered by your people on earth; & grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, & make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Christ be with you as you create.

Upcoming Symposium on Faith and Art: Beauty and Splendor

2009-04-29T22:29:00.002-04:00

Greetings,

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Easter season. This is such a beautiful season as we celebrate and remember Christ's resurrection. Speaking of beauty, Trinity will be hosting a Symposium on Faith and Art this upcoming Monday 4th, dealing with Beauty and Splendor at 7:30pm at Trinity Vineyard.

I hope you can find time to make it this Monday and join in this growing community within our church. This is a great way to meet and connect with other artists, gain in site on this particular subject, and join in a Townhall discussion with a panel we have compiled.

I also would like to take this time to remind you that we will also be having community groups meeting the following day (Tuesday May 5th) meeting at two locations: Carol St. Cafe, and Octane, both at 8:00pm. These groups are designed to foster deeper relationships with others as Believing Artists and also to encourage one another in our creative efforts.

See you Monday!

-Cameron

The Future of This Beautiful Thing

2009-04-26T11:29:00.008-04:00

Our God is a God of Creation. Our God is a God of Renewal.

We are to be about Creating. We are to be about Renewal.

Imagine a place. A place in this city that is dedicated to the beautification and renewal of the city and its people. A place that gives and nurtures through art, music, dance, writing and the planting of gardens. Imagine the church returning to its patronage days. Days when it saw value in caring for its talented artisans and encouraged them to shape culture in the church's image and not the converse.

I have had such a returning vision for some time now and I would like to broadcast it because it is not mine. I share this openly with a hope. That this will fall on some hearts who have just the resources, gifts and means to bring it to fruition for the sake of God and his Kingdom. Many have given the advice not to do this, that I should hide the idea for fear of it being "taken" and completed by someone else. I say to this warning, if it is for the Kingdom and in the spirit of our Resurrected Jesus then let it come to pass by any means necessary. This vision has just been lent to me for my stewarding - I do not own it.

The vision goes something like this: Whitehall Street is an industrial area near downtown Atlanta that has fallen into disrepair and despair in our midst. Take some of this land and break the ground allowing light and water to penetrate the soil.

Phase 1: We get some of our most talented gardners and landscape designers and we put them to the task of planting a public garden. The garden must be self sustaining and therefore independent on irrigation from outside sources, like public water. Rain harvesting may be utilized but only simple methods allowed. Hardscapes will be incorporated into the design and part of the hardscape will be a public amphitheater.

Phase 2: We begin hosting events in the garden from the amphitheater. Harvest festivals. Health days for the homeless. Public free lectures and concerts. Performing arts events. Etc. The events and garden would be fiscally sustained by donations and ecumenically sponsored. The center could be supported by the city, state and federal government grants as well. So by this point there is a place and now you have added assembly and the exchange of idea to that place. People who attend these public events give what they can to the mission of the center.

Phase 3: We build or retrofit studio space, a gallery, and sanctuary at this place. Artists will occupy the spaces for periods of time, create, as well as give to the community in teaching, sharing and contributing to the center's beauty. Artists of all disciplines would propose a residency and a panel of artists would select who can come and reside and create.

Phase 4: We build or retrofit retreat space, counseling offices, and common areas for city residents to come for mental and spiritual healing, for rest and sabbath within the city. Imagine coming and retreating in simple monastic quarters where there are no distractions. There is only a bed, a small desk, a rug and a chair. Your purpose for dwelling in these rooms is to be restored and be contemplative in a city built for hurry and worry. Agencies, therapists, and counselors who meet with people on a regular basis may operate out of these spaces caring for those in Atlanta.

It will be called the Center for Art & Urban Renewal.

If you have any direction, leads, recommendations, thoughts, banter, etc. I would love it. Please share it by emailing me. You may get my email address by clicking on contributors, Jeff Guy.

May our Lord Jesus Christ guide us as we work toward this future.

Christ Crucified

2009-04-09T12:15:00.003-04:00

Swiss Painter, Antonio Ciseri, painted this from 1864-1870. The Transport of Christ to the Sepulcher

This image pierced me when I saw it recently. I feel like each year, toward the end of Lent, I am asked to yet again forsake my comforts to walk with a processional as is depicted here. I feel the earth shift beneath my feet and occasionally dare to look upon my savior's broken body moving down the street. I hear weeping the likes of which hadn't been heard since Jeremiah lamented a lost and dying Jerusalem. I walk this road each year. May we quiet ourselves for the next few days. Where ever you may work- your studio, your writing shed, your workshop, your music room, your office- pray without ceasing. Think of Jesus as you create.

Jesus, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Trinity Artists Community Groups Round 2

2009-03-20T14:45:00.005-04:00

image courtesy of shannon newby. shannon and erik host the northwest community group at octane.

Yep. You heard it right. Its time for round two of the community groups. They will meet at the same locations as before on the First Tuesday of the Month, April 7th; one in the Northwest at Octane and one in the Southeast at Carroll St. Café.

We come together, share what we've been working on and this go around we will talk about how Lent is going for us. Has it had an impact on our creative time? Has it been a period of growth for us as Artists? Have we made margins for creativity and contemplation?

As a primer for this coming community night, you can post a comment to these questions below. We hope for the blog to become more interactive. Can't wait to hear from you. Christ be with you as you create.

A Word on Lent and the Approaching Easter Season

2009-03-13T13:29:00.003-04:00

Greetings fellow artists, I hope that you are all having a very contemplative and meaningful Lent thus far. I can say that this is truly the first year I have participated in Lent, and fasting of something I love, and honestly it is teaching me more discipline not only in my faith, but also in my art. I think this is a great time to create new habits of discipline that can extend well past the season of Lent, especially in the realm of quiet contemplation and reflection. As Jeff mentioned in his speech at the previous Symposium, we, not only as artists but also as Christians, need to be intentional about setting aside time for contemplation, prayer, and reflection. As I mentioned before this is a great time to create those habits by cutting out things in our lives that we possibly don't need. There are countless others around the world and within our own community going through Lent together, creating a kind of support group, which is good to have while creating new and good habits.

I think the idea behind the 40 days of fasting in this season is quite beautiful. Most of us have chosen to fast something that can, at times cause either a physical or mental discomfort, a reminder of the suffering of Christ and a way to identify ourselves in some small way with his sufferings, and by doing so making the approaching season of easter even more meaningful to us.

I would like to encourage you, in your times of intentional contemplation during this season, to continue to create in your personal forms of art. if you have chosen to give up something for Lent I encourage you to stay strong in your fast and remember that you are not alone.

Also I would like to take this time to let you know about our next upcoming Symposium on Faith and Art, which will be May 4th and dealing with Beauty and Splendor, as this date will find itself within the season of celebration that is Easter.

One last thing, I want to remind you of is the Community Groups that meet the first Tuesday of every month. The next Community Group night is coming soon; April 7th at Octane and Carroll Street Café. For more information on that you can reference the entry below or email Jeff or myself.

God Bless,

Cameron

TrinityArtists Community Groups

2009-03-03T09:12:00.004-05:00

A group of artists took a retreat by train in the northeast long ago. I don't think you could take the same shot on a MARTA train. Its a problem with MARTA's design.

Tonight is the First Tuesday of the Month and so it is time for us to meet up and talk about what's going on. Micah & Whitney Stansell will be hosting the group in the Southeast of the city while Erik & Shannon Newby will host the Northwest group.

The Southeast group will meet at Carroll Street Café at 8:00pm. Carroll Street Café is in the shadows of the old mill in Cabbagetown; an area known to have smelled of stewed cabbage in olden days because that's all the workers who lived there could afford to eat. Creativity often springs from poverty or so I'm told so it seems like a good place for creative people to meet.

The Northwest group is going to meet at 8:00pm at Octane - Home of the best espresso! (Yes, I said it and I will fight to the death all who oppose.) Octane is in the ever-growing-hipper Westside of town. Neighbored by commercial art galleries such as Kiang and Sandler Hudson this area has been saturated with art dialogue and thought for some years now.

As mentioned before, we wish for the gathering to be a chance for us to further relationship as well as encourage and care for each other as Believing Artists. Perhaps some good creative collaboration will take place. We can also voice vocational concerns and network during the evening.

See you at 8:00pm where ever is closest to you! (The leaders will be wearing makeshift name tags.)

Truly Golden

2009-02-19T12:41:00.009-05:00

I am overjoyed. I feel that the Symposium on Monday night offered much to be celebrated as a community. I enjoyed sharing my story with you all & you were good attentive listeners. I thank you & am honored.

Over 100 artists, art appreciators, hobbyists, & all those in between (dabblers) came & got there early, I might add (something rare at Trinity). I pray your evening was enjoyable, that you met someone new, that you grew as an artist or that you were inspired to create. If you have a moment, fill out the poll up at the top right of the blog. We wish for your feedback so that we can better the event- dialing it into our needs as a creative community.

The next Symposium is on the books for Monday, May 4th at 7:30. As it will be the season of Easter we will focus the evening on Beauty & The Splendor of God revealed through Art.

Going from here, we are going to initiate two community groups of artists based on the sign up response from Monday night. These groups will meet the First Tuesday of the Month. One will meet in the Northwest side of the city, (Octane Coffee Bar) & one will meet to the Southeast side of the city, (Carroll Street Café). This will give us the chance to do what so many of the creative saints of old did; speak of art over tasty beverages. Imagine Caffé Giubbe Rosse, Salon of Berta Zuckerkandl, or Caffé Trieste but in Atlanta & with your brilliance.

When we gather we will ask one another, "What are you working on right now?" This calls us into accountability but also gives us the chance to further relationships, collaborate, talk shop & address vocational challenges as Believing Artists.

To join one of these groups: show up at 8:00pm! Tuesday, March 3rd at either Octane or Carroll St. Café.

An Introduction to Our Panelists for February 16th

2009-02-09T12:47:00.006-05:00

With Trinity's first Symposium on Faith and Art approaching within the next week (February 16th at 7:30pm to be exact) I would like to take this time to introduce not only myself, but also my good friend and key note speaker Jeffrey Guy and also the artists comprising our panel for our discussion dealing with the contemplative nature of art.

My name is Cameron Stevenson, and I am 24 years of age and a writer of short stories. at the moment none of my stories have been posted anywhere, but that will most likely soon change. I just moved to Atlanta a little more than a year ago from the great state of Kansas. As we enter into Lent and it's contemplative nature I would encourage you to listen to Blind Pilot's album Three Rounds and a Sound, Elbow's album Seldom Seen Kid or any of the other artists listed on this blog.

Next I would like to introduce you to our speaker for this particular evening, Jeffrey Guy. Jeff is 29 years old, husband of Julia Guy and lives in Alpharetta. He is an oil painter by trade and works part-time as a communications man at Trinity. You can find some of his work at www.jefferyscottguy.com or you could go door to door until you find someone in the city that owns one of his paintings. If someone wants to hear something incredibly suited for the season of Lent they should listen to Gorecki's 3rd symphony, better known as the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs".

Artists on our panel include:

Bob Butler:

"My name is Bob Butler, I am originally from Australia but have been living in Atlanta for 3 years now. Trinity is my home church. I am engaged to Lori Madden! We are getting married in June... very exciting. I work full time as a photographer shooting musicians, couples, lifestyle etc... my business is called Public Image Photography, here is a link to my website http://www.publicimagephotography.com. Some of my favorite artists are Lars von Trier (film maker), Kris Allison (writer), Tom Waits (Musician), etc... For the season of Lent I would highly recommend watching "Into Great Silence" by Philip Groning... It was very inspiring to me this time last year, it can only be good for us to take some time to slow down especially in this western culture."

Stephen Brannen:

"My name is Stephen Brannen. I'm 24 and live in Smyrna. I'm a songwriter by passion, but historically not by profession. However, I'm helping plant a church in Atlanta and am writing songs to be used for worship there. Hopefully some of those will be recorded and available soon. One of my favorite musical works of a contemplative nature is Morten Lauridsen's sacred suite Lux Aeturna. His O Magnum Mysterium is awesome too. Also, Andy Goldsworthy is an artist who employs materials in nature to create shapes and structures within the materials' environment. His work, though not explicitly Christian, strikes me as a pointer to what we as image-bearing creatures can do with and within creation itself."

Micah Stansell:

"My name is Micah Stansell. I make movies/films/videos/images-that-move. You can see one of my films/videos currently on display at MOCA-GA, and a limited amount of work on my reel at my website: www.575films.com. in preparation for Lent, I recommend stopping by the High and taking a look at Vermeer's The Astronomer, on loan from the Louvre."

Whitney Stansell:

"Whitney makes paintings, drawings, sculptural garments, and books, you can find some images from her work at www.whitneystansell.com. Whitney recommends reading "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard, in preparation for the Lent Season"

Jason Campbell:

"My name is Jason Campbell, husband, father, pastor and writer. I have been writing the longest, but keep it the quietest, much of it resides on my computer awaiting some final release when my hands have wrinkled and my brain is wise enough to finish. It was Nietzsche, a truly frightening man, who got this right: "a long obedience in the same direction results in something which made life worth living." I have resolved for a long obedience in everything. You can find some writings on my old and new blog (http://tiredwanderings.blogspot.com or http://jaypercival.blogspot.com).

Here are my recommendations: music: Freedom Day EP by Max Roach; Litany by Arvo Part; Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet by Gavin Bryars Book The Cost of Discipleship by D. Bonhoeffer; The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard; Great Lent by A. Schmemann. Poetry Ash Wednesday & Chorus's from the Rock T.S. Eliot and Nature of Heraclitean Fire & As Kingfishers Catch Fire GM Hopkins Film The Gospel According to St. Matthew Pier Pasolini; Ordet & Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Dreyer."

Symposium on Faith + Art: the Contemplative

2009-01-21T15:22:00.005-05:00

It is safe to say that at Trinity Vineyard there is a percentage of talented artists, from a variety of disciplines, be it painters, sculptors, writers, poets, musicians, film makers, photographers, and so many more. Artists, and art adorers make up a large portion of those attending our church.

It is also safe to say that in the greater american Church there really isn't too much encouragement of the arts in their various forms. That could be, in part, because of the fear that as soon as you let your faith show through your art many are quick to be labeled as a Christian artist and isolated as a result. For many of us that attend Trinity, both our faith and art make up a large part of who we are as individuals. Wouldn't it be great to be a part of a community where faith and art come together, where you can meet other artists who go to Trinity?

On Monday, February 16th, Trinity Vineyard will be hosting a Symposium on Faith and Art dealing with the subject of the contemplative. Our Goal with an event such as this is to foster community within this large thread of our congregation and to inspirit purpose behind the creativity of Trinity's artists.

With the contemplative nature of the approaching Lent season we hope that this evening will set the proper tone for this particular season of the church calendar as artists. On this particular evening we shall be hearing from painter (see image below), Jeffrey Guy, on his monastic experience and also have a forum on the contemplative with a panel compiled of skilled artists from a variety of disciplines such as painting, film making, poetry, photography, and songwriter.

We also created this Blog to serve as a forum of sorts, for continuing discussion beyond the symposium and a place where you can share your own art. If you have any paintings, videos, short stories, poetry, photographs, etc. feel free to email them to me or Jeff Guy for consideration. Also check out our suggested albums, books, and films: all of which are contemplative in nature.

Hope to see you Monday evening, February 16th, 7:30pm at Trinity!

Cameron