Tag Archives: Christians and the arts

Three items you need to add to your must-buy list

19 Thursday Nov 2015

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Welcome back. Yes, I’ve been busy. No, I haven’t posted for a while. And, sorry for not meeting my self-imposed deadlines and keeping up to date with this blog.

But I’m back. While my schedule isn’t completely clear (Meet You at the Manger is in full-blown rehearsal mode and I’m still working on memorizing my lines), I do intend to keep up with the blog on a regular basis.

With this post, I want to catch up on three items that have come to my attention that need to be on everyone’s must-buy list:

SMRTdigipak_template_0.5mmlower_11by17_TEMPLATEKarla Adolphe – Live at the Space

Alberta singer/songwriter Karla Adolphe’s (http://www.karlaadolphe.ca/#!home/mainPage) latest release is a five-song EP recorded live at The Space, a recording studio in Red Deer, Alberta.

Anyone who has heard Adolphe’s previous releases, Honeycomb Tombs and Lingering, along with her work with The Emporiums and Jacob and Lily are familiar with her sweet voice and intricate guitar work. Live at the Space showcases a maturing artist and songwriter through a crisp production, that includes a tight studio band whose accompaniment supports Adolphe without overshadowing her.

The opening track, “Trouble Won’t Go” is probably the most poignant and personal. The song’s opening lines, “Trouble won’t go and peace won’t stay/Oceans roar and levy break,” harken back to the 2013 flood that devastated her home, and hometown, of High River, Alberta. It’s also the only song on the EP Adolphe didn’t write.

My personal favourite is “Child of the King,” the EP’s final song, which presents a joy and hope that juxtaposes the pessimism of “Trouble Won’t Go.”

The only problem with this EP? It’s too short. One can only hope Adolphe is working on more songs and a full-length CD is forthcoming.

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Creative Church Handbook – J. Scott McElroy

Creative Church HandbookAnyone thinking about starting an arts ministry in their church, or even those who have started one, needs Creative Church Handbook by J. Scott McElroy, the Indianapolis-based director of the New Renaissance Arts Movement (http://jscottmcelroy.com/).

The book, subtitled Releasing the Power of the Arts in Your Congregation, methodically presents both a biblical and practical rationale for the place of the arts in churches. Through interviews, e-mail conversations and personal experience, McElroy provides real-life examples of individuals and churches making an impact on their congregations and communities through the arts in all its forms.

This isn’t a book where Canadians have twist themselves into knots tying to figure out how American examples can be translated into the Canadian context. McElroy provides examples of Canadian churches releasing the arts and artists for ministry

An added benefit is the myriad of web-based resources McElroy provides, which couldn’t be included in the book.

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Seeing the Unseen: Launching and Managing a Church Gallery – Sandra Bowden and Marianne Lettieri

Seeing the Unseen - coverPublished by CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts http://civa.org/), Seeing the Unseen is a step-by-step handbook for those who want to display art in a church gallery setting. Starting with the basics of defining what kind of gallery program you want to have, the book also explores the details of how to exhibit, hang and light paintings and how to engage viewers.

This comprehensive guide can seem overwhelming, but for churches truly interested in engaging their congregation, and the general public, through art, Seeing the Unseen is book to have.

Stretching creative muscles may ache, but they’ll be stronger in the long run

21 Wednesday Oct 2015

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PSX_20151017_132529[1]Around the time the Audience of One Christian Theatre Company was holding auditions for this year’s Christmas production, I came across the link to an article titled “How to be a Playwright in the New Play Rehearsal Room.”

The article was full of great advice, especially since this was the first time a work I’d written was being produced. I was quite willing to put into practice the advice playwright Stephen Spotswood suggested:

  • Be around for the first few rehearsals so you can answer questions about character, plot and structure
  • Get to know your director (which had already been done while we worked on the initial drafts of Meet You At the Manger).
  • Be ready to listen to actors who may either ask questions or make suggestions.
  • See the script as a blueprint which can be modified (instead of quoting Pharoah from The Ten Commandments by saying “So let it be written. So let it be done.”)
  • Know when to put some distance between you and the play to allow the director and actors to develop the play.

This project has opened new avenues of creativity for me. First, it was taking two short stories I’d written and crafting them into a script. Second was working on song lyrics which were edited, polished and put to music by Audience of One artistic director Kim Pottruff. Second, in my conversations with Kim, I shared my long-standing interest in directing, so she invited me to take on the task of assistant director. Third, once auditions were over, we found we still needed a male actor/singer for the role of the play’s antagonist. Despite my reservations and limitations, I was cast and began learning the lines I’d written (and realized the remainder of Spotswood’s advice was now irrelevant).

This project has opened new avenues of creativity.

Rehearsals have been underway for a few weeks now. Recently the cast and musicians gathered for a Saturday rehearsal and worked through the first half of Meet You at the Manger. Up to that point, the cast was working on individual scenes or working with the musical director (who initially auditioned for a part, but whose background suited him to his current role). The “stumble through” allowed the cast to see the sum of the parts.

The stumble through also demonstrated the collaborative side of workshopping a new production. The songs Kim created had initially been transcribed by a musician who is now back home in Ireland. Those transcriptions are being worked into shape by the musical director. As we put roles, music and blocking together, ideas come to the fore — from everyone: director, musicians, actors, writer. Working through one section, where we moved from one scene to the next for the first time, a blocking idea came out that brought out some humour and foreshadowing.

As I’ve said in previous posts, being involved with this production is an adventure. And it’s an adventure that’s stretching my creative muscles. Yes, sometimes those creative muscles ache but I know, in the long run, they’ll be stronger for the experience.

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For more information go to http://www.audienceofoneguelph.ca/

New CD captures energy, spirit of the Toronto Mass Choir

17 Thursday Sep 2015

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TMC - Made for Worship coverThe Toronto Mass Choir hits overdrive with the opening song of its 10th CD, Made for Worship – Special Edition, and doesn’t let up on its energy and vitality throughout.

For almost three decades, the Toronto Mass Choir (TMC) has eloquently translated traditional gospel, contemporary gospel and Caribbean-influenced songs from the music page to hand-clapping, soul-inspiring and life-changing concert experiences. The recently-released 10th CD is, in part, a re-release of its May 2014, Covenant Award-winning limited edition CD/DVD – with new content, arrangements.

Re-release or new, Made for Worship shines. Recorded live, the CD captures the effervescent spirit of the TMC from the rousing “Anthem of Praise” that opens the CD, to the “happy-clappy” (as described by TMC artistic director Karen Burke in an upcoming Arts Connection interview) traditional gospel medley titled “Havin’ Church” to the reggae version of Chris Tomlin’s and Lou Giglio’s “Holy is the Lord.”

Made for Worship captures the effervescent spirit of the Toronto Mass Choir

The CD follows the typical musical peaks and valleys of a traditional gospel concert, with slower tempo numbers like “You Are,” “Your Name,” “Tribute to the King” and “Made to Worship” surrounded by more up-tempo songs. This is where a choir’s energy can flag (something I’ve experienced playing with and listening to brass bands). To the choir’s credit, even at the slower tempos, the TMC members focus as much energy on these numbers as they do the rest.

Rounding out the excellence of the CD are: 1) top-notch musicians including Snarky Puppy’s drummer Larnelle Lewis (who also plays with the Mike Janzen Trio); and 2) excellent production by Corey Butler.

In the liner notes, TMC artistic director Karen Burke states: “We made a very intentional decision to name this project Made for Worship and not Made to Worship. It may seem a subtle change but when we remember that worship is not just something that we do, it was what we were created for…Everything else falls into place.”

With Made for Worship the listener is reminded that we were created for worship through every note and word the TMC sings.

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For more information on the Toronto Mass Choir check: http://tmc.ca/

Keep God from getting lost in the craft

01 Tuesday Sep 2015

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Creación_de_Adán_(Miguel_Ángel)Does God get lost in the craft of our art?

I have to admit, after being a journalist for three decades, the craft of writing stories can – and sometimes has – become rote.

Working on an assignment recently reminded me of how much I need to keep God foremost in all I do. It started out as one of those days when everything seemed to go wrong. To top it all off, it seems my new domain service had problems with one of its servers – the one that held my e-mail accounts. Including the one with the e-mail that had the phone number of an interviewee whom I was already late calling.

I eventually tracked down the number, called, and in the normal chit chat mentioned the e-mail issues. The interviewee immediately offered to pray for the situation. Again, confession time: I have to admit my immediate thoughts were less than charitable. I needed to get to the interview and prayer seemed superfluous. (I later found out the server needed to be rebuilt and I was left without business e-mail for the day.)

“May our days begin in prayer,/Communing with our King,/May our hearts be filled with joy/As His praises now we sing.”

Upon later reflection, I realized I had become so focused on what I considered a routine task that I’d left God aside. And when reminded about it, I almost became resentful.

Perhaps our human tendency to rely on self is the reason two of the books on arts I’ve read recently place our relationship with God at the forefront.

The first section of InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship’s 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers is titled “Time with God.” The section’s articles, short stories and poems all focus on ways in which the writer (or artist in general) can, and should, stay in touch with God. Sharon Cavers, in her poem “A Writer’s Prayer” suggests in the last verse: “May our days begin in prayer,/Communing with our King,/May our hearts be filled with joy/As His praises now we sing.”

J. Scott McElroy, in providing guidelines for beginning an arts ministry in his book Creative Church Handbook places “start praying now for God’s guidance” as number one and “invite artists to meet and pray” as third. “God has a plan for the arts and creativity in your church, and if you listen and wait he’ll share it with you and others,” writes McElroy about praying for God’s guidance.

While I haven’t taken a formal survey, I would hazard a guess that I’m not the first creative Christian who needed to be reminded that God needs first place in all I do, including the crafting of my art. And I probably won’t be the last.

 

InScribe anthology a valuable resource for newer writers

18 Tuesday Aug 2015

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We’re back. Thank you for your patience while Arts Connection went through some technical changes. My tech wiz took care of changing the domains and syncing all the Arts Connection pieces (website, blog, e-mail) together. It’s my hope, as Arts Connection re-launches, that there won’t be any glitches or snafus.

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As with any good book, 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers started with a “what if…?” question. Published by the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship (ICWF), the book is another step in the organization’s development from simply supporting fellow wordsmiths to providing them with tools they need to start, improve and develop their writing skills.

ICWF started out as the Alberta Christian Writers’ Fellowship in the early 1980s and provided fellowship through its regular newsletters and annual conferences (the book’s introduction includes a brief history of the ICWF).

An ACWF workshop I attended proved integral to my own career, where a connection with Peter Fleck from the Alberta SonShine News led to freelance work and, eventually, a writing/editing career in mainstream and faith-based publications. In recent years, the organization expanded its reach outside of Alberta and changed its name to reflect the change.

7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers was published specifically for writers working within Christian genres and provides advice on:

  • Time with God
  • Healthy Living
  • Time Management
  • Honing writing skills
  • Crafting a masterpiece
  • Submitting your work
  • Marketing

About 30 ICWF member contributed articles, short stories, poems or photos to add meat to the bones. While much of what was written was review for me, I was able to see how 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers would benefit a beginning or novice writer.

7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers is a valuable resource that every beginning and novice writer needs.

The advice is solid and comes from the experience of the writers. Unlike many “how-to” books, it doesn’t provide a recipe for success. Instead it provides a smorgasboard of perspectives, allowing the reader (and writer) to choose which fits their own experience. One example is Ruth L. Snyder’s chapter “Fit Writing into A Busy Schedule” and Loretta Bouillon’s chapter “To Schedule or Not to Schedule.” Both talk about fitting writing into busy lives (a common conundrum for beginning writers), but Snyder and Bouillon provide different means and methods to do so. By including both perspectives, the underlying message is: the only “right” way is the one you find works in your circumstances.

If there was one drawback to the book, it would be the chapters written as a short story. I found the change in narrative styles, from non-fiction to fiction, jarring; with many of the short stories coming across as contrived. The practical tips within the short stories could have worked just as well if they’d been presented as a non-fiction article.

And, while the book was written specifically for those working within a Christian milieu (for denominational and devotional publications and Christian publishers), it would have been beneficial if one or two articles about writing for a non-Christian venue were included, specifically in the “Submitting Your Work” and “Marketing” chapters.

Despite these drawbacks, 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers is a valuable resource that every beginning and novice writer needs.

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For more information on 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers check http://inscribe.org/anthology/

Revisions, revisions

22 Wednesday Jul 2015

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Sorry, this week’s blog is being postponed due to revisions.

I recently discovered the need to move my website from its current host to another. So that’s what I’m in the process of doing – as well as incorporating this blog into a revised website.

With that change and the deadlines for a few major stories looming, putting a blog post together has been moved down the priority list.

Keep watching this space for the new artsconnection.ca website and blog. Once everything has been migrated, designed and ready to run, I’ll let you know.

In the meantime, thanks for you patience and keep traveling the intersection between faith, arts and Canadian culture.

Trevor Dick Band’s “New World” CD travels physical and musical worlds

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

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Trevor Dick Band - New World cover

I’ve had my hands on a review copy of the Trevor Dick Band’s debut CD New World for a few months, waiting to be able to review it. Recently, the band released the CD, in digital form, through cdbaby and are in the planning stages a street release/tour this fall.

And it means I can now voice what I’ve been privately telling a few friends: New World is world/jazz/folk fusion at its best.

Trevor and I are friends, having worked together on a few ministry projects. I’ve had the chance to witness the three-year journey he’s taken from the inception of New World to its release. The journey has fraught with challenges but Trevor’s and the band’s devotion to the CD’s music and mission has helped them look past them.

New World might seem like a departure from Trevor’s previous CDs, but anyone who’s seen him live will recognize his signature jazz/fusion stylings. Another key difference: New World is a true collaboration between Trevor and the musicians who have backed him up on previous recordings and during live performances.

New World is world/jazz/folk fusion at its best.

Like any solid ensemble, the Trevor Dick Band is the sum of its parts: Trevor (electric, MIDI and acoustic violin and viola), Tony Lind (electric and acoustic guitar), Will Jarvis (electric and acoustic bass) and Steve Heathcote (drums and percussion). The recording also features keyboard player Brad Toews who’s left for other pursuits. Those parts, individually, are impressive: Will’s performed with everyone from Tito Puente to Amy Sky; Del Shannon to David Clayton-Thomas; Tony’s credits include award-winning works by Ali Mathews, Chris Bray, Jodi Cross, Stephanie Israelson and Deborah Klassen; and Steve’s an award-winning drummer who’s played for Elton John, Shirley Bassey, Rich Little and Bob Newhart.

From the opening track “Perpetuum” to the acoustic reprise of “Schindler’s List” New World travels the physical and musical world. “Ayabanga Village Market,” and “Ifriqiya” have their roots in Trevor’s childhood in Nigeria where his parents were missionaries. Tony’s composition, “Bourbon St. Carnival,” conjures up the sights and sounds of the New Orleans jazz scene. The “East of Sinai Prelude” and “East of Sinai” evoke the turbulence often found in the Middle East.

The Trevor Dick Band also journeys into the world of mainstream music with arrangements of Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” “Schindler’s List” the theme song from Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning and the title track “New World” which melds the Louis Armstrong hit “What a A Wonderful World” and Anton Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” into a seamless musical narrative.

As I’ve said in other reviews, I judge the quality of a CD by how often it ends up being played on my various devices. If New World were a vinyl LP, the grooves would have long been worn out long ago from being played over and over and over…

From the first time I heard about this project, I expected it to exceed anything Trevor, and, now the Trevor Dick Band, had done before. I haven’t been disappointed. You won’t be either.

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For more information on the New World CD, check www.trevordickband.com

Contests: love them, hate them…just don’t let them define you

23 Tuesday Jun 2015

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"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"

The Word Guild recently announced the winners of the 2014 Word Awards (you can read the whole list here: https://thewordguild.com/2014-award-winners-announced). My congratulations go out to all those who either won or were shortlisted. Over the last few years, I’ve had a chance to interview a number of them and, without reservation, can say they deserve the accolades they’ve received.

The announcement reminds me, though, of my own love/hate relationship with awards.

It’s not because I’ve never won an award. During my three-decade-long career as a journalist, I’ve entered, been nominated for, or placed, in awards from the Alberta Christian Writers’ Fellowship (now the Inscribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship), God Uses Ink, The Word Guild and the Canadian Church Press, the Guelph Mercury Christmas Story Contest, Word Alive Press Publishing Contest, Fellowship of Christian Newspapers Awards and City of Edmonton Book Award.

And I’ve seen awards from three sides: as an entrant, as a judge and as a co-ordinator.

But I’m still ambivalent.

Why?

First, the hate. Awards can provide a writer with the biggest letdown possible. I’ve been shortlisted for an award and attended the ceremony. I’ve sat on the edge of my seat, waiting for my name to be called (try doing that in a kilt at a formal award ceremony) and then watching as another writer walks down the aisle to collect their award.

The feeling of impending loss is even more devastating when you’ve been given the evening’s program and you see who has been nominated in the same category. I can recall at least two times when I looked at that list, that I realized I was coming away with an honourable mention. And, to be honest, the works which were awarded, were better than mine.

I can’t let either a win justify or a loss negate my worth as a writer.

Topping off rejection experience at the award ceremonies are the emotions that arise from reading the judges’ comments about your entry. I’ve often wondered if the judges read the same piece I’d written, based on their feedback. At time it feels like you’re going through the five stages of grief in a matter of seconds because the heart and soul you put into your work has been ripped from your chest.

But, then there are the years when you’ve actually won, which brings the love. I recall, at one awards ceremony, sitting behind a writer whose name was called for one of the organization’s major awards. At first the writer sat in disbelief before saying “that’s me!” And in an instance, they were running towards the podium and tried to catch their breath to offer words of thanks and acknowledgement.

Winning an award, for many writers, seems like a validation of their choice to spend hour upon hour staring at a blank computer screen, fingers poised over the keyboard as they sweat drops of blood until words appear on the screen.

Even an honourable mention can be seen as a partial validation and the hope that, with a little more improvement, the bigger prize can be theirs.

Despite my ambivalence toward awards, what I have learned over the years is that I can’t let awards define me. I can’t let either a win justify or a loss negate my worth as a writer. Those of us who can’t not write know that awards are nice, but in the morning we’ll be back facing that blank screen, waiting for the words to fill it.

Church features students’ art as part of Art in Worship ministry

10 Wednesday Jun 2015

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Phil Irish, Puddicombe - edited cropped The Art in Worship ministry at New Life Christian Reformed Church intentionally incorporates a variety of artistic expressions into its worship experience. An element of this ministry are the regular exhibits of visual art on the walls of the northeast Guelph church’s sanctuary.

“In a sense we’re crafting a multi-sensory worship worship space,” says worship ministry coordinator Nicole Ensing in a media release announcing the most recent exhibit: The Temple Project

What’s unique about The Temple Project exhibit is that it features the work of nine students in Redeemer University College’s “intermediate painting” class. Six of the students and painting professor Phil Irish (pictured above) were on hand on Sunday, June 7 for a reception following the regular worship service.

Puddicombe - edited

Redeemer University College art student Jessica Puddicombe talks about her art.

Tristan - edited

Tristan Kaarid talks about his piece “The Carpenter and the Universe”

“Their task was simple and open: reflect on the connotations of the word ‘the temple,’ and create an oil painting that brings size, materiality, imagery, and visual language to bear on the theme,” writes Irish in a brochure explaining the project.

At the reception, he expanded on that statement, describing the various techniques the students used to bring the theme to life. The students were also given a chance to describe the journey they took in creating their works.

The art is stunning. Bethany Kenyon’s abstract “Immanence” combines gold leaf and oils. Irish explained how Maria Wagler used a pour technique for “Reaching,” a work my wife said was her favourite of the exhibit.

I was particularly struck by Nathasha Van Gurp’s work “Boundless.” The deep, rich colours used in her landscape captured the vastness of God she wanted to depict.

“My portrayal of the ‘temple’ is centred on the idea that His temple exists through all of creation as everything is created by Him and done in and through Him,” Van Gurp explains in a note accompanying the painting.

I came away with a couple of take-away thoughts that morning.

First: the willingness of New Life CRC to incorporate visual art as part of its worship expression. I’ve had the chance to see the works of at least three different artists at New Life CRC and have been moved by each.

“Our goals are to integrate visual arts more purposefully into congregational worship, and to create a space to host the art of our extended community” says the exhibit brochure. This is a model other churches might be interested in exploring and replicating.

Second: the sheer joy of witnessing a new generation of artists who have responded to that divine calling to express their faith in art.

“The opportunity to show art is second only to the opportunity to glorify God,” says Tristan Kaarid in the media release. “The capacity of art to represent the godly in creation is uncanny. To me, the calling to create art is of utmost importance.”

And just as significant was the welcome of both the art and the artists by the receptive congregation.

“We’re so pleased to finally host students of the Redeemer art department,” says Ensing. “This has been a goal of ours for a number of years.”

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The Temple Project exhibit continues until June 14. For details and contact information go to www.newlifecrc.net

Has the Christian music industry died? It might be a good thing

03 Wednesday Jun 2015

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downhere onstagedownhere on their farewell tour in Cambridge, Ontario in August 2009 ((C) Quail Communications)

During the early to mid 1980s I had the privilege of freelancing for Alberta SonShine News, a monthly Christian newspaper distributed to churches in Edmonton, Calgary and points in between. A chance meeting with editor Peter Fleck led to a gig covering the burgeoning Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) scene. This led to interviews with almost every Christian artist who came through Edmonton including: Michael W. Smith, Barry McGuire, Armand Morales (Imperials), Georgian Banov (Silverwind), Steve Taylor, Randy Stonehill, Phil Keaggy, etc. The highlight of this period were interviews with Christian rock pioneers Larry Norman and Glenn and Wendy Kaiser (Rez Band).

Even when CCM wasn’t my main beat, I maintained an interest in Christian music as a the editor of ChristianWeek Ontario and the host of Faith Journal and Arts Connection. So I found the following analysis intriguing: http://theweek.com/articles/555603/who-killed-contemporary-christian-music-industry?utm_content=buffer824c9&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer where Tyler Huckabee writes: “The descent of CCM is a reflection of America’s waning interests in Christianity as a whole. The precipitous dropoff in CCM sales has left Christian labels and artists staring into the void alongside their pastors, scratching their heads, wondering where they went wrong.”

This seems somewhat simplistic and hyperbolic. A few more significant factors have contributed CCM’s death rather than the rise of the nones, some of which Huckabee points out.

 Canada’s CCM industry has never paralleled the American CCM industry

I need to point out that Canada’s CCM industry has never paralleled the States’. There have been a few Canadians – downhere, Connie Scott, Daniel Band, Quickflight, Manafest – who have broken through the American CCM juggernaut. But some, like downhere, left the CCM industry to pursue an indie path.

Why?

First, until the 1990s, Canada didn’t have Christian radio, a key contributor to CCM’s success in the U.S. Many Canadian Christian music pioneers – Salmond and Mulder, Arlen Salte, Daniel Band, Steve Bell, etc. – toured heavily to build a fan base.

Second, Canada’s size and lack of large cities lead to mainly regional instead of national fan bases. Musicians in southwestern Ontario could travel from Toronto to Windsor and play for hundreds of church youth groups and coffeehouses. Travelling the same distance, or time frame, western Canada’s musicians had maybe dozens. Those who did gain a national fan base spent even more time on the road.

Back to the main point: I see two key reasons for CCM’s demise:

1) CCM became more of an industry than a ministry. Musicians were pressured to create music that sold, not necessarily minister. Some CCM musicians have been able to do both but the pressure to create that next hit sometimes stymied both ministry and creativity.

2) New technologies have created significant shifts in every industry, music included. The goal for most musicians had been signing the ever-elusive recording contract. Record companies would then take care of marketing and promotion while the musicians made music. With the rise of iTunes, CDbaby and myriads of other music distribution channels, musicians have become marketers, tour managers, promoters, etc. – taking all the risks but gaining all the benefits.

Has the Christian music industry died? Only in the same way the mainstream music industry has died.

Is this a good thing? I think so. The change the Christian music industry has/is going through means artists can focus on creating the music they feel called to create. Not the music dictated by an industry.