Last week I attended a concert celebration in honor of Billie Holiday at the Pratt Library in Baltimore. Sitting in my auditorium chair before the performance I quietly twiddled my thumbs and people watched as the seats filled in around me. The crowd was in good spirits and the performers were doing some last minute planning up on stage. As one of the performers took up the microphone to offer introductions and get the celebration officially started the audience settled and was prepared for what was to come – some jazz duo music by a pianist and a drummer and then the singer would come out on stage to join in and sing in honor of Holiday.
As the singer left the stage, the pianist and drummer settled into comfortable positions for play. It only took one note from the piano and two beats of the drums for the spine tingling pulses of inspiration to start spreading through my whole body. I realized in that moment how long it had been since I had been to a live musical performance. Then the realization that I was sitting in the presence of a creative act filled me with comfort, hope, and energy. What a gift the two musicians were offering us by allowing us into their moment of artistic expression. This is a big difference between performance arts and visual arts – immediacy with the creative act itself.
Visual arts allow spectators to have an encounter with the outcome of a creative act – which can be a very powerful experience. But performances draw a spectator right into the moment of creation with the artist. This collaboration between artist and audience in a performance piece allows both parties to experience the mystery of the creative process in powerful ways. The artist’s experience feeds off of the creative act itself but also off of the energy and response of the audience. Similarly, the audience simultaneously encounters the product of the creative act offered by the artist while also getting a glimpse of the process.
The act of creation is a unique experience and to be offered a chance to witness and enter into the moment of creation with the performers opens us up to unexpected encounters. As I sat there, taking in the music, with my spine tingling and goose bumps down my arms I was transported out of the mundane and into the extraordinary. My spirit was awakened and I reveled in the joy of the artistic offering.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
That's Theological
A dear friend was in school with me during my first semester in Seminary and did much to help me transition into the world of theological studies. One of the key ingredients to that successful transition was insightful humor. Humor can be a grace-filled gift in many realms of life – but it was an essential aspect of those first few months of serious theological inquiry. Humor had a way of keeping us grounded in ironic reality when we were on the verge of being carried away by our newly acquired theological insights. Yet the grounding that humor provided was also a stepping stone to a broader awareness of the possibility of theological thinking.
In class one evening an excellent professor, in an attempt to assist us over the hurdle of learning to think theologically, began to list words and themes and after each one stated – “that’s theological”. Of course, the helpfulness of this phrase did not occur to my friend and me at the time, we instead took humor and delight in this phrase and carried it with us into our daily living. We would banter and in the middle of whatever we were talking about one of us would say with all seriousness – “that’s theological”. It provided joy without end when we would say it about the most mundane subjects which on first glance have no theological bearing at all – and it still brings a subtle smile to our lips today, years later, when one of us decides to throw it into conversation.
Humor kept the phrase ‘that’s theological’ at the forefront of my thinking about most things – which in turn opened me up to actually thinking theologically about unexpected subjects. I was no longer confined to just thinking theologically within the constraints of the more obvious theological topics but was instead allowed to approach any topic with an eye for theological relevance. I assume that this openness was what my professor was trying to offer us when she offered us the phrase ‘that’s theological’ and I am thankful that the intention of it finally sunk in – even if it was only through humor that I stuck with it long enough to begin to understand.
Humor – That’s Theological.
In class one evening an excellent professor, in an attempt to assist us over the hurdle of learning to think theologically, began to list words and themes and after each one stated – “that’s theological”. Of course, the helpfulness of this phrase did not occur to my friend and me at the time, we instead took humor and delight in this phrase and carried it with us into our daily living. We would banter and in the middle of whatever we were talking about one of us would say with all seriousness – “that’s theological”. It provided joy without end when we would say it about the most mundane subjects which on first glance have no theological bearing at all – and it still brings a subtle smile to our lips today, years later, when one of us decides to throw it into conversation.
Humor kept the phrase ‘that’s theological’ at the forefront of my thinking about most things – which in turn opened me up to actually thinking theologically about unexpected subjects. I was no longer confined to just thinking theologically within the constraints of the more obvious theological topics but was instead allowed to approach any topic with an eye for theological relevance. I assume that this openness was what my professor was trying to offer us when she offered us the phrase ‘that’s theological’ and I am thankful that the intention of it finally sunk in – even if it was only through humor that I stuck with it long enough to begin to understand.
Humor – That’s Theological.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Looking at Art
The term art encompasses many forms of expression – the written word, music, dance, performance and visual arts to name some of the broad categories. While I appreciate and am thankful for the unique offerings of each form of artistic expression the visual arts have been my main field of study and practice. Due to this history I am excited to encourage people to explore visual arts. Encounters with any form of art start with a willingness to participate and interact with that artwork. Meaningful participation can be informed and deepened through the use of simple observational skills. Observational skills are tools of awareness that can be applied in any setting and are ways of opening the door of interaction and understanding of how a piece of art is working to create its impact.
The tools of observation start very simply with a pause. Taking time to take in a piece of art is half the battle in both understanding a piece of art and giving the art a chance to communicate with you. So start by taking time. Take time to look at the piece as a whole, then divide it into sections in your mind and quickly scan each section of the piece. The first look, while benign in practice, immediately teaches you more about the piece. As you peruse the piece and take in what you see, do not yet critic it, just look. Start to pay attention to how your eyes move around the piece. Note the portions of the piece that cause you to linger and pay attention to where your eyes go when they start moving again. Noticing these moments is noticing the underlying composition of the piece. Composition is one of the foundational aspects of a piece of art. It is the structure of the piece, the organization that is created by the artist to keep your interest in moments of both active tension and balanced rest.
If it is a three dimensional piece take time to circle the entire piece taking it in from as many angles as possible. This is one of the objectives of three dimensional works, they are meant to be viewed from many different perspective points, each one offering a different feeling and composition. Likewise two-dimensional pieces also have many vantage points to explore. Even if you are not physically moving around the piece your eyes should take in as many different perspectives as possible. Other basic elements that work within the composition to create a piece of art and to communicate what the piece is about are things like – line, shape, texture, color, and balance. Within each of these groupings there are a multitude of sub-groupings. Lines, for instance, can be thick or thin, dark or light, solid or broken. They can lead in straight paths or be curvy – they can exist as their own element, or when connected they can become shapes. Shapes can be small or large, geometric or organic, simple or complex, and flat or dimensional in appearance. Taking note of these different elements – even simply naming them – helps better prepare you for the further search for understanding and meaning.
This process of taking time to look at piece of art and begining to note the different elements within the piece will set you on the journey towards a deeper understanding of the art itself. It will also offer the art a chance to impact you in the ways it was created to while opening the possibility to move you in ways that neither the artist, who originally created the work, nor you could predict. This is part of the power of art, if given the opportunity, to move you in unexpected ways. One of the best ways to start learning to look is to think of it as an adventure, a treasure hunt in which one isn’t sure what the treasure will be, or even if one will find what one set out to find, but will most certainly have encounters on the journey that will be worthwhile treasures in and of themselves. There is seriousness in artistic appreciation to be sure, but there is also adventure and a lot of fun if you open yourself up to looking.
The tools of observation start very simply with a pause. Taking time to take in a piece of art is half the battle in both understanding a piece of art and giving the art a chance to communicate with you. So start by taking time. Take time to look at the piece as a whole, then divide it into sections in your mind and quickly scan each section of the piece. The first look, while benign in practice, immediately teaches you more about the piece. As you peruse the piece and take in what you see, do not yet critic it, just look. Start to pay attention to how your eyes move around the piece. Note the portions of the piece that cause you to linger and pay attention to where your eyes go when they start moving again. Noticing these moments is noticing the underlying composition of the piece. Composition is one of the foundational aspects of a piece of art. It is the structure of the piece, the organization that is created by the artist to keep your interest in moments of both active tension and balanced rest.
If it is a three dimensional piece take time to circle the entire piece taking it in from as many angles as possible. This is one of the objectives of three dimensional works, they are meant to be viewed from many different perspective points, each one offering a different feeling and composition. Likewise two-dimensional pieces also have many vantage points to explore. Even if you are not physically moving around the piece your eyes should take in as many different perspectives as possible. Other basic elements that work within the composition to create a piece of art and to communicate what the piece is about are things like – line, shape, texture, color, and balance. Within each of these groupings there are a multitude of sub-groupings. Lines, for instance, can be thick or thin, dark or light, solid or broken. They can lead in straight paths or be curvy – they can exist as their own element, or when connected they can become shapes. Shapes can be small or large, geometric or organic, simple or complex, and flat or dimensional in appearance. Taking note of these different elements – even simply naming them – helps better prepare you for the further search for understanding and meaning.
This process of taking time to look at piece of art and begining to note the different elements within the piece will set you on the journey towards a deeper understanding of the art itself. It will also offer the art a chance to impact you in the ways it was created to while opening the possibility to move you in ways that neither the artist, who originally created the work, nor you could predict. This is part of the power of art, if given the opportunity, to move you in unexpected ways. One of the best ways to start learning to look is to think of it as an adventure, a treasure hunt in which one isn’t sure what the treasure will be, or even if one will find what one set out to find, but will most certainly have encounters on the journey that will be worthwhile treasures in and of themselves. There is seriousness in artistic appreciation to be sure, but there is also adventure and a lot of fun if you open yourself up to looking.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Art Is
Art is. Art is a means through which ideas, emotions, lines, colors, stories, melodies, rhythms, and all of the other complexities and simplicities of life have an opportunity to come together. Art is expression, relationship, communication, distraction, influence, and play. Art can change the world in the micro and the macro. Art impacts those who create it, those who experience it, and those who avoid it. Art fills a void created when we focus on literal, tangible, mathematical and scientific explanations of the world we live in and the ways we inhabit that world. Yet art is not counter to the literal, tangible, mathematical and scientific explanations of this world, it is a companion that can partner with these methods of understanding to open up new ways of exploring and engaging this world.
Art is not necessary in the strictest definition of what is needed to sustain human life and yet it is an imperative if that human life is to grow into the fullness of existence that it has the potential to experience and become. Art is a tool to understand the world around us, the world hiding within our own persons and the web of relationships that creates the world in which we move and live out our daily living. Art can be weapon, unintentionally when used without thought and consideration for the context in which it is created and shared, and intentionally when it is used to perpetuate ideals that violate and degrade. This potential of art should not prevent us from embracing art as a whole, instead it is a reminder that in all things there is a potential for violence and suffering and without acknowledgment of that potential, the potential for good can not be fully engaged.
Art offers us a voice, a method of expression when words, calculations and suppositions fall short of satisfactory explanations of that which makes up our experiences. Art is a balm for wounds so deep that hope of healing is only a distant glimmer. Art is a prophetic voice in times of drought calling the waters of change down from the mountain and up from the depths. Art is joy, laughter and tears made manifest in ambiguity so as to offer a unique experience to each participant in each moment of encounter.
These are reasons that I say art is. Very often one of the key questions of art appreciation is “what is art?” and while I explore what is art, I believe the most effective way to engage, explore, and grasp all that art has, will, and can offer is to start with the certainty that art is.
Art is not necessary in the strictest definition of what is needed to sustain human life and yet it is an imperative if that human life is to grow into the fullness of existence that it has the potential to experience and become. Art is a tool to understand the world around us, the world hiding within our own persons and the web of relationships that creates the world in which we move and live out our daily living. Art can be weapon, unintentionally when used without thought and consideration for the context in which it is created and shared, and intentionally when it is used to perpetuate ideals that violate and degrade. This potential of art should not prevent us from embracing art as a whole, instead it is a reminder that in all things there is a potential for violence and suffering and without acknowledgment of that potential, the potential for good can not be fully engaged.
Art offers us a voice, a method of expression when words, calculations and suppositions fall short of satisfactory explanations of that which makes up our experiences. Art is a balm for wounds so deep that hope of healing is only a distant glimmer. Art is a prophetic voice in times of drought calling the waters of change down from the mountain and up from the depths. Art is joy, laughter and tears made manifest in ambiguity so as to offer a unique experience to each participant in each moment of encounter.
These are reasons that I say art is. Very often one of the key questions of art appreciation is “what is art?” and while I explore what is art, I believe the most effective way to engage, explore, and grasp all that art has, will, and can offer is to start with the certainty that art is.
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