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Designers and Artists are invited to submit a poster design to be used in celebration with Sojourn’s 10th anniversary. The design should communicate that Sojourn has been a church for 10 years. The winning design will be included on the associated Devotional Cover, T-shirts, and Posters and maybe skateboard decks (you never know).
Eligibility
All artists are eligible. All designs should be original. All entries should be in a digital, editable file format.
Well, some of them are in gangs. Louisville apparently has a number of active gangs. The most active is called 'Taliban' (no relationship to the more famous Taliban, but still pretty dangerous) and is mostly operated out of the Smoketown/Shepherd Square neighborhood just a mile northwest from the 930. Today, I met with two great guys who run a gang prevention program through Jefferson County Youth Detention. Oddly, both of them are named Jermaine.
Next week, we'll start a 6 week photography class that will hopefully open these kids up to some new experiences, get them to think critically about their relationship to their city and teach them the basics of a craft that they might want to study further.
The six classes will be something like this: 1. Movie Discussion Day. Watch "City of God" clips. Discuss what distinguished the main character from the other kids in the projects and the role that photography played in his maturity.
2. Photogram. Introduction to a photo darkroom. Participants will make a darkroom photo of objects they bring to the project.
3. Pinhole Camera. Participants will make a simple camera and make photos using paper negatives.
4. What's Important To You? With disposable cameras, participants will have one week to make pictures of what they deem 'important.'
5. Gallery Visits. We'll venture to 21C, Paul Paletti's, and hopefully Magnolia Photo Booth Company.
6. Prepare for an Exhibit of their work at the 930.
Louisville, KY showed up on one of my favorite art blogs today. I always check out the Wooster Collective website for keeping up with street art projects from around the world. Today some familiar faces were on there. P.A.I.N.T. is a public arts project by the local Center For Neighborhoods. For this project, some local artists worked with kids in the Park Hill neighborhood to make an "urban tapestry."
"I am makingeverythingnew!" - Jesus, in Revelation 21
Lately, I've been understanding the Sojourn arts ministry as a way in which we can join Christ in making all things new. As artists, we can take the materials that we find in the world and we reform them, or renew them, into other things that hopefully make the world a more beautiful place.
When God made the world, he didn't leave too many 'blank' places. Yes, there are deserts and polar ice fields and the state of Kansas, but even those places are not really blank. They are surprisingly full of life and color and texture. However when people make things, we often leave blank spots. The wall behind the stage at the East campus was one such place.
Thanks to Julie Gross and some other Sojourners, that wall, and thus the whole feel of the room, has lost some of its cold blankness. The stripe pattern is made from sheets of wood veneer which have been dyed and stained the different colors. The colors tie together the different wood colors from the rest of the room and the layout of the stripes breaks up the monotony of straight lines and right angles while not standing completely apart from the existing room. While there's no biblical reference to the shape or content of this wall design, the project is deeply theological and worshipful because it attempts to make things new in light of God's apparent distaste for blankness.
So, this Sunday the East Campus will be greeted with both a new stage background in time for mothers day and the opportunity for free family photos.
On top of that it's also Commitment Sunday, where we all financially commit to give to the church over the coming years so that renewal can continue throughout Sojourn and throughout the city. Our church depends upon the Holy Spirit, grace and prayer, but it also depends on money to keep ministry moving forward. And of course the truth is that both inside and outside the church, when money is tight, the arts are one of the first things to go. So, for the sake of the whole church, the city, and for the sake of Sojourn Visual Arts and the 930, please consider how you can financially commit to Sojourn over the coming years.
This Saturday from 12-3 we're partnering up with SEED to hold a fun family-friendly event in Shelby Park. We'll be creating one large panoramic image of Oak St. on multiple panels. Each kid will paint one panel and then we'll screw them all together and let some adults put on the finishing touches.
I hear there's going to be a cookout too, and some basketball.
Who's going to join us?
If you want to come and help get the kids painting, let me know - mwinters@sojournchurch.com
Sunday, May 9th is mothers day. Before and after Sojourn services, we're going to honor the moms in our midst by making portraits of them with their families. We'll then mail each mom a print. We did this last year too. Check out last year's mothers day pictures here.
To do this, we need a number of photographers. You'll be responsible for the shooting and then Michael Winters will be responsible for getting the images edited and to the moms. It would be good too if you could bring along an assistant to help you keep track of the names and addresses.
Email mwinters@sojournchurch.com if you'd be willing to take one or more of these time slots.
Mothers Day Photography - Sunday, May 9th
Midtown
8:30-9:15 (2) Buck Buchanon with Amy
10:15-11:30 (2) Buck Buchanon with Amy
12:30-1:15 (2) Courtney Crain with Kristin Miller
4:30-5:15 (2)
6:15-7:15 (2)
Tonight in Lexington Travis Shaffer will have the closing reception for his exhibit "Every Church in Fayette County." Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet him at the gallery and talk to him about the show. The exhibit marks the final project of his masters degree at UofK.
By searching the phone book and google maps, Travis found every church building in Fayette County (surrounding Lexington) and then went and made a photograph of the exterior. Over 200 prints are displayed in grids. A painted map with pins marks the locations of each church building and each individual print shows the GPS coordinates of where the church is located.
As part of the closing reception tonight at Land of Tomorrow Gallery a performance element will be added to the exhibit when Travis will hand out 'giving envelopes' much like you might find in a church. For whatever amount a visitor would like to pay, they can exchange the 'offering' for a print, and take a piece from the exhibit home with them. Travis explained to me that he hopes this clever financial exchange will provide insight into the reasons that art institutions are constantly in need of money while many churches thrive. By offering a pay-what-you-want option for art buying he's able to open the purchase of art to a much larger audience and hopes that his own artmaking might become sustainable in this way. He also hopes to open up the Every Church project to other cities where he can imagine making it a collaboration with other photographers, not making all the pictures himself.
The outside of the gallery. Travis added the steeple.
This Sunday we'll be having a Sojourn Visual Arts Vision Lunch. You definitely want to come to that, but even if you can't make that, maybe you can come help us break down the Prayer & Wisdom exhibit. It's been nice having it up, but the time has come to say goodbye. We'll need to get everything off the walls and off the floor, and there's A LOT of stuff on the walls and on the floor.
Just show up Sunday around 1:45 if you're coming just for gallery break down, but if you want to come to the Visual Arts Vision Lunch that starts at 12:45, RSVP by emailing michael@the930.org.
Sojourn artist Alan Vales just found out that 3 of his assemblage artworks will be included in the new CIVA traveling exhibit Curse or Calling? At Work in God’s World.
The exhibit opens in August at Evangel University and then will go on to travel around the country for up to three years. I'm sure we'll get together a whole crew to go attend the exhibit opening. I'll post the invite here when it gets closer. This is a big deal and we definitely want to celebrate with Alan. Alan hopes to one day make a living with his art, so this is a strong step in that direction.
CIVA stands for Christians In The Visual Arts and is the largest organization of its kind. Their mission is to explore and nurture the relationship between the VISUAL ARTS and the CHRISTIAN FAITH, a pretty great mission if you ask me. And they've been around since 1979 so they've got a track record. They put together exhibits, workshops, and conferences. They publish books and a quarterly magazine called Seen which recently has focused on really interesting contemporary work. In the fall CIVA Seen I'll be answering some questions about what a gallery director/curator looks for from artists. Generally, CIVA does whatever they can to support Christian artists and churches, so I'd recommend becoming a member and getting involved.
Well, some of them are in gangs. Louisville apparently has a number of active gangs. The most active is called 'Taliban' (no relationship to the more famous Taliban, but still pretty dangerous) and is mostly operated out of the Smoketown/Shepherd Square neighborhood just a mile northwest from the 930. Today, I met with two great guys who run a gang prevention program through Jefferson County Youth Detention. Oddly, both of them are named Jermaine.
Sunday, May 9th is mothers day. Before and after Sojourn services, we're going to honor the moms in our midst by making portraits of them with their families. We'll then mail each mom a print. We did this last year too. 
