 |
 |
by Karen
Campbell
Many people are familiar with Psalm 23, but
what images do shepherds conjure for artists
across the state of Arkansas? How would they
depict the "valley of the shadow of death"?
What media would best express this oft-read
psalm to today's audiences?
Fellowship Bible
Church and the arts community surrounding
Little Rock, Arkansas, answered those questions
earlier this year when the church sponsored
its first juried exhibition of fine arts related
to the well-known OId Testament passage for
artists in the area.
Mustard
Tree Art Productions, a ministry of Fellowship
Bible, issued a call to artists via statewide
newspaper advertisements, targeted direct mail,
and contact with the directors of art departments
in every college and university in the state.
From |
| “He
Leads Me
to Quiet Places”
Janis Gill Ward
|
|
January through March 2005, artists responded until
the total participants reached 155. Total number of
entries climbed to 290 with works in various media including
paintings, drawings and sculpture.
|
The winners
were announced and all entries were unveiled
to the public the first weekend in June, with
more than 1500 people from the community touring
the exhibit of the various expressions of "Exploring
the 23rd Psalm," the theme selected for
interpretation. Eighty-five percent of the entries
were from non-church members; some entries came
from non-Christians.
"The purpose of the event was to encourage
people to explore the scripture for their inspiration,
to get into the word of God," explained
event coordinator Lynette Behrendt, who began
the project with a staff and volunteer team
in September 2004. "We wanted to reach
out to the art community and they responded
very well."
Behrendt,
a graphic designer for 27 years before joining
the church's worship department two years ago,
took notice of the artists' positive responses
to both the opportunity to gather with one another,
as well as show their work at no cost. The exhibit
required no entry fee and was free to the public.
She
said most artists were initially overwhelmed
when they arrived at the church to exhibit,
and discovered so many volunteers prepared to
meet their needs. All entries were included
in the sale and exhibit.
|
|
"It
was a wonderful experience for me to talk with the artists
and to hear how important it was for them to have an
outlet to paint works from the Word, from Scripture--an
outlet not just for sale but exhibit," she said.
Fellowship Bible Church Pastor Tim Lundy interpreted
the four focal passages of Psalm 23 for the artists
in a workshop held months before the pieces were due.
The artists were directed to focus on The Shepherd's
Provision, The Shepherd's Protection, The Shepherd's
Care or The Shepherd's Promise.
Juried selection of one work from each of the four Passages
received a Purchase Award of $1,500 and will now become
part of the permanent collection at Fellowship Bible
Church. The Juror, Barbara Satterfield, Director of
Baum Gallery of Fine Art at the University of Central
Arkansas in Conway, also chose a grouping of works from
each of the four themes to receive special recognition.
These works provided visual support for a Sunday morning
teaching series conducted in concert with the exhibition.
Broc Randall, a Little Rock artist who works full time
as a web designer and part time as a fine artist, won
for "Comfort,"
his pen and ink interpretation of the first three verses
of the Psalm.
The winner for the Passage Two category, which focused
on verse 4 and the "valley of the shadow of death"
was Deborah Allen. She entitled her mixed media piece
"Bitahon"
and integrated images from the New Testament as well
as current day.
"Christ walked throughout the valley of the shadow
of death on our behalf," Allen said. "My intent
was to meld this truth with others in hopes of challenging
the viewer to contemplate the less obvious truths of
Psalm 23."
"Healing
Oil,"a pastel by Wanda J. Herman, won for its
depiction of verse 5 and the Shepherd's care.
Another mixed media piece called "House
of Promise" by Nancy Dunaway was recognized
as the best interpretation of the final verse of the
Psalm. Dunaway specifically addressed the phrase, "and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
"To me, that phrase offers a really wonderful promise
of safe, secure, passage to the next phase of existence
wrapped in a cloak of love and joy," Dunaway explained.
"The 'House of the Lord' to me is multifaceted,
maybe a little battered on the outside from wear, but
strong and secure, warm, joyful and welcoming and glowing
from within."
Ed Lowry, the creative arts director for Fellowship
Bible, provides leadership and vision to Mustard Tree
Art Productions which includes a theatrical company
that produces an annual stage play each fall. Lowry
said plans are underway for future opportunities.
"We are excited that Mustard Tree Art Productions
can offer the community additional opportunities for
communication and connection around a wide variety of
artistic expression," he said. "We are continuing
to explore ways to encourage and embrace artists."
Discussions regarding future events include the possibility
of expanding the experience to take on more of a festival
feel with a wider variety of artistic expression beyond
an emphasis on fine arts. Behrendt said she and her
team learned several lessons to apply to next year's
exploration of "The Creation" as the event
theme. For one thing, they will include categories for
both youth and photography. They also will continue
the very beneficial online option for entries, and the
schedule will change from the busy summer season to
an early spring exhibition.
Selected works can be viewed at www.mustardtreearts.com
|
|
  |
|
|
|
