Image from Seabamirum's Flickr photostream.

Thank goodness!

Now I can stop calling it “my idea” or other such nonsense. During our third official meeting to talk about the retreat, the wife and I decided on the name Scissortail Art Center. I’ve registered domains and will let you all — whoever you all are — know when a website (probably just built with WordPress.com at first) dedicated to the project is up.

On a related note, I chatted with a friend, also interested in art and missions, via Facebook a week or so ago who affirmed our reasoning for establishing a retreat like this on the Great Plains, for their ability to foster a contemplative spirit. Mind you, he hasn’t ever lived on the Plains (to my knowledge). He grew up in New York City, moved to Florida and presently lives in the Ozarks of Arkansas. Still he drew the line between wide open spaces and said contemplation.

I hope I have some time to be a part of the artistic aspects of the event (Most of my hours will be spent representing M-DAT in the exhibit hall).

This is probably only interesting to a certain few regular readers, but for those who do take the time to glance at the listing let me ask for some feedback. One of the things I haven’t nailed down yet is whether or not there is actually a felt need among both artists and mission organizations for such a venture. If you have any insight along these lines, please leave a comment on this post or on the aforementioned page.

Via MissionsLaunch.

The Observer article implies that Baird is giving painting up in order to go overseas as a missionary. “Baird will leave for the World Race in August, carrying only a backpack. She’s packing a small sketch pad and watercolor palette, but she’s prepared to leave the rest of her art behind — forever, if God asks her to.” My question — to Baird and to the missions community — is this: Why did she have to give up painting to be a part of Adventure’s in Missions’ World Race? Baird should be made aware of opportunities (as new and few as they may be) that put her God-given talents to use. Operation Moblization’s ArtsLink offers mission trips designed specifically for artists.

Baird believes she can sell paintings after returning from the World Race, but that’s beside the point. Sacrifice is an important part of character, and giving up her craft for a year may be entirely intentional on the part of the artist. However, if a person is gifted in a particular craft that shouldn’t be ignored. God doesn’t gift each of us as part of the body just so we can say we are good at this or than and then box it up and put it on at shelf.

Image from Kendra Baird’s Etsy store.

Lausanne World Pulse website published an article on art as mission in France. It’s a good article written by Steve Thrall touching on the why and how of art in missions. Below is an image from Pat Butler’s website of Thrall giving a talk in France.

• Music is the artistic exception that the church has not so much ignored in the past century. While it could be argued to a degree, and I might add drama to the short list, the speaker’s mentioning this point just confirms my own observations.
• The Bible begins and ends with God creating.
• Christians make lists of God’s character traits. Imagination is conspicuously missing from all of these lists (so far as the speaker, Byron Spradlin, could tell). Along these lines, when God created ex nihilo all things were abstract or even non-representational by our definitions. A fish was just as abstract as a tree.
• Christianity is not just an informational faith. Why then has so much “Christian art” aspired to be so literal? Life and ministry engage both the head and the heart (Matt. 22:37-40, Eph 3:18-19).
• Spradlin defined an artist, per Exodus chapters 35 and 36, as someone with unusual wisdom in creative design.
• Humans live in time and space. Art, or “icons,” help us pass through our physical existence into transcendental realities.
• Artists need to be a part of missions as strategists (Spradlin suggested their role up to now in the past century has been relegated to that of performer), and even allowed to make mistakes *gasp*
• Spradlin mentioned a missionary in Europe. He is a photographer. When he goes out and hands out tracts, he gets little response from the people. When he goes out to take pictures with his camera, people flock to him. Go figure.

I had one question in particular I wanted Spradlin to answer, but — not surprisingly — the webinar went long as it was and he didn’t get to it. I hoped to get a sense from the speaker what kind of interest or felt need he thought there was for my idea of a Christian artists retreat or colony that functioned to funnel artists of faith into missions. I sent the question via Facebook hoping to get an answer after the seminar ended, and am still waiting to hear back.

He concluded by suggesting that the most significant barrier to artists becoming more involved in missions is simply that agencies still believe art to be this elite, intellectual pursuit. How can we as artists or mission mobilizers change this?

Artists in missions? Mission leaders have a great opportunity to re-enfranchise artists for leadership in our new multi-cultural, post (hyper) modern culture. But embracing artists in ministry and missions is as tricky as it is fruitful. Still, new millennium ministry demands we include them — as ministry strategists as well as program presenters.

This webinar will help you understand how to involve artists in your cross-cultural ministry by considering the following:

• The value of artists in ministry
• The potential for incorporating artistics and creative culture in your teams
• Missionary roles for artists
• Identifying artists that fit your ministry
• Avoiding problems in recruiting artists
• Communication and conflict between left and right-brainers

The webinar is being given by Byron Spradlin, founder and president of Artists in Christian Testimony (ACT). ACT has been around since 1973 if I recall correctly, so Spradlin probably possesses a lot of useful perspective on this issue.

I have two reservations about this rare opportunity. First of all it costs $40 to register for the hour and a half presentation. Secondly, Spradlin is a musician. I have nothing against musicians or music — quite the contrary — but music can be a very different ball game than the plastic arts, especially when I think of how it might work in the context of missions. This is probably, hopefully an unfounded concern. ACT works with all kinds of artists, and Spradlin has been at this long enough to have a broad perspective.

I haven’t registered yet. The detailed flyer was only posted a couple days ago, and I’m waiting to see if I have to pay for it out of my own pocket or if the boss will reimburse me for it. I’m guessing that I’ll participate one way or another though. It’s a topic all too rarely broached.

This week I’ve pondered putting the center in the middle of Siloam Springs, Arkansas. This is a result of the recent revival in downtown Siloam and conversations about the city center’s available real estate — hashed out mainly with the owner of The Baby Habit.

So far as I can tell (without actually having talked to a realtor) the buildings on each of the corners of Wright and Ashley are for sale. Three of the buildings formerly formed a lumberyard, one represented a tile shop and coffeehouse and gracing the last corner in question are the Creekview Flats.

I’m having fun imagining the kind of positive impact such an institution might render on modestly populated Siloam Springs, especially the impact on downtown. The spaces seem more or less ideal for such a proposal: The lumberyard for studios and galleries; the buildings across the street, including the tile shop and coffeehouse, for classrooms and the Creekview Flats (which are still on the market, though being rented out) for housing. The lumberyard and flats were both just remodeled, but the flats would probably need to be split into ten 1,200 square foot apartments. Presently they are five 2,400 square foot condos, which — in my opinion — is why they remain unsold. There just isn’t the demographic here willing and able to spend $250,000 on living space downtown, from what I can tell.

Imagining cost is a bit difficult. Buying all of the flats gets you going at $1.5 million (which they are not worth, especially in this market), before any renovations to add kitchens upstairs. Apparently the tile shop/coffeehouse building is on the market for only $80,000; as I recall it was round about 3,500 square feet. I haven’t the slightest idea what (or, honestly, if) the old M&D lumberyard is for sale, but I assume so. It constitutes, basically, an entire city block by itself. Take into account other remodeling, purchase of equipment (kilns, wood shop, forge, easels, chairs, tables, office equipment etc. etc.), an initial marketing and design campaign, a savings account for maintenance and some sort of endowment for scholarships and I suppose we’re looking at $2.5 to $3 million.

Any donors out there with that kind of capital interested in this kind of project?