Meltdown

True, this one is a couple months old, but really amazing and annoyingly still timely!

'Artists Stage a Literal Meltdown of the Economy'

Happy New Year!


Photo credit: Artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese

Community Organizing: Risks and Rewards

Tonight my roommie and I held a "holiday open house" for all the neighbors in our apartment building. Happily, though we invited outside friends for 'insurance', turns out we didn't need to (but it was great to have a couple more folks to add to some relaxing conversation).

So I guess the risk is...strangers from close proximity see a little bit of how we really live? That's not so bad. Reward: getting even a tiny bit of face time with folks with whom you, like it or not, have a significant and dependent relationship. You're counting on these people to help keep you and your worldly possessions safe, among other things.

Nice thing is, getting to know people this way gives space for another reward: new friendships. Roommie and I are already fantasizing about a building-wide craft night in the Spring! We'll see what happens. (though Lord knows, Maggie don't do no crafts to save her life!)

Christian in the Arts...are there any?

Let me clarify: I'm not only talking about art-ISTS here. I'm talking about people who are professionally or otherwise deeply engaged as leaders within the political and socioeconomic sector called "The Arts." To be sure, this could include folks who are artists or arts administrators or politicians or officers on the board of trustees within arts organizations.

I know I'm not the only Christian dedicated to serving the arts in Pittsburgh. But I do fall to the temptation of 'bad attitude' when it seems clear, in my little world, that my political and spiritual views are truly repulsive to many folks in the very industry I've dedicated my life to! This affects me on a personal level. It's not 'just business' try as I might.

I'm quickly reminded of my experience at Urbana 2006 where I participated in the Arts Track and had the delight of meeting many talented and accomplished arts professionals and students. The most important take-away from it was Dick Ryan's (InterVarsity's regional arts coordinator) advice to find fellow Christians in your sphere and get together regularly, even if only monthly, and even if only to pray. Dick understands the high value of fellowship and community in the arts world, not only as a self-help measure, but as a witness to God's existence. Have I taken his advice yet? Of course not!

Okay, so I acknowledge this solution, but can't make this happen overnight. What's a savvy young Christian arts administrator to do then? Turn to the Internet of course!

This is the extreme tip of the iceberg:

Christians in Theatre Arts (CITA) is having a conference in June for artsy Christian folks. I almost cried watching the homepage web video of all these arts managers sharing their love for God and their love for the arts. It was like a message from the mothership!

Cam Anderson--who I will always remember as the director of my month-long-in-the-woods Student Leadership Training with InterVarsity 13 years ago--has apparently just been appointed Executive Director of Christians in the Visual Arts. How cool!

Okay, not alone. Now that we're feeling better, let's 'go there' with a vintage blog post about conservatives and the role they should play if any at all in the arts marketplace. A taste:

Socially there is also the problem of the lack of interest in the arts among so-called conservatives who persist in seeing Beauty as superfluous, secondary to the material goals of the free market. Just as the left gives lip service to supporting the arts (so long as the arts are seen as good team players), the American right gives lip service to a few complaints that there are no conservatives involved in the arts. Read more...

Okay, I feel your eyes rolling. "Christians are not necessarily conservatives, Maggie. Yours is a political problem." Thoughts?