Coming up in the Cultivate Beauty exhibit opening March 27th, you'll be able to see a few of James Michael Starr's assemblages and collages at the 930 gallery.  As the director of the 930, people often ask me how we choose what to hang on the gallery walls. The artists I choose to show come to me in a variety of ways. For the upcoming Cultivate Beauty exhibit, I invited Texan artist James Michael Starr to ship us a few pieces.  I came to hear about his work by doing an internet search of the words "art for God's sake." I did this search because of the book of the same title.

That internet search turned up an article about Starr in the Dallas Observer called "Art for God's Sake." The article really articulates the art world's feelings toward religion pretty accurately: "Most people don't want their art-going experience mixed up with God. To them -- to us -- the separation of art and church is a modern-day luxury we've grown to take for granted, necessary for keeping our high culture clear of any brainwashing effects of organized, God-fearing religion." That sounds about right to me.

By the end of the article though, the writer actually argues that the religious themes in Starr's work are actually what give the work its power.  "It's religion all right -- more religion than mere spirituality -- and in this case, the art world would do well to give him this space. Instead of squirming with moral discomfort, just let yourself enjoy the work of one truly gifted. The best artists are driven by real impulses, by the need to say something. That Starr's voice springs from his devotion to a certain messiah and the perspective he gained from this conversion not only seems perfectly natural here, but gives his work its power."