Seven or eight years ago, as I finished up my BFA, I tried to explain some ideas I had concerning art and faith to another artist. I didn’t know her well, but she attended the same church as I, was finishing up her MFA and on this particular day was subbing for one of my absent studio profs. I thought, of all the other Christ followers I knew in my classes, she would understand where I was coming from.

However, her response was, at best, condescending. “So you want to change the world?” she asked. Of course, I thought. Who doesn’t? I don’t know if this is how she meant to come across, and frankly still very much admire her work as an artist. Regardless, she didn’t seem to understand where I was coming from.

Since then, thankfully, I’ve met and befriended a number of other artists and designers of faith sympathetic to these sentiments. Geinene Carson, Joel Armstrong and Todd Goehner for example, as well as my new acquaintance with Tim Jones.

Makoto Fujimura is another such person. In fact, I envy his position in many ways — which I’ve said about Geinene Carson in the past as well.

Fujimura, affectionately referred to as Mako by the people around him, is the most significant artist of the Christian faith. I don’t say this to put him on a pedestal; regular readers know my aversion to holding artists up as geniuses. I say this based on observations over the past two years.

His work is accepted by much of the New York art world. To my [limited] knowledge, no other artist of faith has made such inroads into the culture in the last 50 years — or more.

But more interesting than his paintings were his words.

* Mako is writing a paper proposing a 1% program. I’m speculating (I forgot to ask him last night at the opening) it’s in relationship to The Christian Vision Project. The program will suggest that American churches allocate 1% of their budget to the arts. He compared this to the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts (he’s on the NEA’s National Council for the Arts), pointing to the impact churches could have on the culture by supporting quality artists of faith. More when I can get my hands on the finished article.

* 70% of people who purchase his paintings aren’t Christians. He candidly expressed his wish for this to be a more even 50/50 split. Is it really so much more spiritual to give our money to building projects, these warehouse/office structure combos with crosses or steeples thrown on top? Is it even so much more spiritual to give to missions — and I ask this as a sorely under-supported missions mobilizer myself. I’m not suggesting one or the other. I’m just asking where the balance is.

When Fujimura recieved his first request for a commissioned work from a Christian, he pointed this out to the person. The person commissioning the painting was in disbelief. Mako went on last night saying how important this was for himself, as a confirmation of his calling from a fellow believer.

* He also elaborated on the importance of nihonga in his work, in response to a question I posed to him about it’s tradition and influence on his present works. He pointed out two things: 1) How 16th century nihonga works were actually highly abstracted 2) The importance of the process in light of the more sterile approach painters are faced with today, using prepackaged tubes from Hobby Lobby instead of the more move involved and tactile process of grinding your own pigments. I was impressed with the importance of this technique’s history in Fujimura’s painting.

My wife quickly overhead a number of viewers lamenting the abstract nature of his paintings. “It’s so abstract,” I heard one student say to another, in a quizzical tone of voice. Some of Mako’s works are less about the process and materials and do contain images; two such works are on display at the JBU gallery, one featuring a rose and another columbines.

Of course, as much as I might wish to have the same influence or opportunity as Mako (or Geinene at Arts Link), I am content to live the life I’m in now. I know that, even if I’m not doing exactly what I might want to be doing, the sacrifices are being made as directed by God and for with the best interest of the Kingdom in mind.

Though I still hope (and plan) to make more time for myself in my studio!

More links:

* International Arts Movement (IAM)

* Tribeca Temporary

* Makoto Fujimura’s blog