Pacific NW | Northwest Christians explore faith, art and culture | Seattle Times Newspaper

See what's happening in the Pacific Northwest:

Pacific NW | Northwest Christians explore faith, art and culture | Seattle Times Newspaper

Call for Artists // October Arts Fair at Duke Divinity's 2011 Convocation & Pastors' School

Duke Divinity School is accepting applications from artists wishing to display, demonstrate, and sell their craft during an Arts Fair that will take place Monday, October 10, on campus.

The Arts Fair is part of the 2011 Convocation & Pastors’ School, “Drawn into Scripture: Arts and the Life of the Church,” an event that will explore new ways of interpreting the Word.

There is no cost for vendors to participate in the arts fair, and artists will be accepted at the discretion of the event staff.

The application deadline is June 30, 2011. Space is limited, so artists are encouraged to apply early.

To learn more, download an application.

Why the Church Needs Art // David LaMotte

Full article here // Excerpt below

By David LaMotte

To many people, art is superfluous or even distracting from what is truly important. It holds entertainment value, keeping people engaged, or perhaps pleasantly distracted, but is not substantive, and is certainly not integral. To others, it is fundamental; it is a door through which they enter into divine relationship. My heart breaks for the former category. I mourn that they do not get to feel what I feel when I am transported by a powerful piece of music (or dance or painting or sculpture or photography, etc., for that matter, though I primarily write of music here, which is my own primary artistic expression). Art is a way to worship and to be in relationship with God that cannot be replicated by other methods. It is an essential way to connect to God, and should not be discounted or minimized. There are several reasons for people of faith to take it seriously.

Keep reading...

TONIGHT AND TOMORROW in Durham // Duke Divinity School Broadway Revue

Come enjoy your favorite Broadway Tunes!
Admission is FREE!
Tickets are available at Duke Divinity School or by email request. [linnyb12@gmail.com]

Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16
Doors open at 6:30, show begins at 7:00
Hayti Heritage Center

804 Old Fayetteville Street

Durham, NC

Church and Art Network

Check out Church and Art Network--here's an excerpt from their website:

"Church and Art Network (C&A) is a gathering of organizations, individuals, networks, ideas, experience, and information.

We believe together that the arts were created by God as an expression of his own nature, and revealed in his Creation. He made his human works of art (poema – Ephesians 2:10) in his own image, so our creative work, whether it is overtly “religious” or not, reflects a God who is the center of the universe and the source of our abilities and materials. The arts are not merely a luxury – they deserve a place of importance in the Church, in the academy, in our communities, and in our individual lives."

At this Shelter, Art Studio Helps the Homeless Paint a Brighter Future // Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless

Full article here // Excerpt below

By Lori Chapman

An art studio doesn't usually make anyone's list of what the homeless need.

But when Anita Beaty decided to start painting in the storefront window of a homeless shelter, people were soon looking in and asking to join.

"It seemed to me that there were lots and lots of creative people among folks who were experiencing homelessness," Beaty says.

And she would be familiar with their needs -- Beaty is the executive director of the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless. She'd been looking for a way to combine her love of art with her passion for eliminating poverty.

Keep reading...

China Takes Dissident Artist Into Custody // Ai Weiwei and Dissent

Full article here // Excerpt below

By Andrew Jacobs

The Chinese authorities on Sunday detained Ai Weiwei, a high-profile artist and stubborn government critic, as he tried to board a plane for Hong Kong, his friends and associates said. Mr. Ai’s wife, his nephew and a number of his employees were also taken into custody during a raid on his studio on the outskirts of the capital.

Rights advocates say the detentions are an ominous sign that the Communist Party’s six-week crackdown on rights lawyers, bloggers and dissidents is spreading to the upper reaches of Chinese society. Mr. Ai, 53, the son of one of the country’s most beloved poets, is an internationally renowned artist, a documentary filmmaker and an architect who helped design the Olympic stadium in Beijing known as the Bird’s Nest.

Keep reading...

__________


Here's another article about Ai Weiwei, his work and his arrest.

April 9 at Duke // Author-Activist Barbara Kingsolver To Receive Duke Leaf Award

Full article here // Excerpt below

Critically acclaimed American author Barbara Kingsolver is the 2011 recipient of the Duke LEAF Award for Lifetime Environmental Achievement in the Fine Arts, Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment announced Thursday.

The Duke LEAF Award was established in 2009 to honor artists whose works have lifted the human spirit by conveying humanity’s connection to the Earth, thereby inspiring others to help forge a more sustainable life for all. Actor Robert Redford received the inaugural award.

Keep reading...

April 15-16 at Duke // Catholicism and the Visual Study of Religions Interdisciplinary Humanities Conference

Friday, April 15, 2011 - 5:00pm - Saturday, April 16, 2011 - 5:00pm
0013 Westbrook

The Duke Department of Religion will hold a free conference on the role of visuality in the study of religion, with special interest in Roman Catholicism. Papers at the Catholicism and the Visual Study of Religions Interdisciplinary Humanities Conference will explore how visualizing the study of religion may assist scholars in understanding such phenomena as apparitions, visions, dreams divination, devotional practices, and the use of imagination in ritual practices such as meditation, prayer, and pilgrimage.