Here is a thought-provoking mini-essay from Brian Campbell in Philadelphia of Christian Community Development Association on the potential for developing communities through the arts. There are a number of interesting ideas in this piece, but Campbell's notion of "Kingdom-focused art" seems of particular importance.
The most important aspect of imagining God’s flawless future is that it presses us to recognize the inadequacies of the present. This process of transcending ignorance to become aware of one’s own situation is called “conscientization.” Art can point out oppression, exclusion and vulnerability that would otherwise remain hidden in silence. And Kingdom-focused art cannot help but demonstrate that a community’s gloomy present is not its only option. Kingdom-focused art forces the artists and encourages the audience—which, again, must encompass the entire community—to visualize positive alternatives to the status quo.
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