Join Makers Series presenter Cameron Anderson and creatives from around the region in discussing the possibility of being a faithful artist in a post-Christian world.
Seeking common ground between historic, credal Christianity and the world of contemporary art can sometimes seem futile. Yet artist and author Cam Anderson suggests that the task is less a “fool’s errand” than a spiritual and vocational pilgrimage.
In an informal, conversational format, we’ll examine the Artist’s Pilgrimage through six questions that Cam Anderson puts forth in chapter 8 — An Aesthetic Pilgrimage — of his book The Faithful Artist. Cam will orient us to the dilemma of the Artist's Pilgrimage in post-war evangelicalism and facilitate as we seek to answer those questions in both our creative vocations and within our communities of faith.
In a time that moves back and forth from teaching to discussion, Cam will help us discover together how we can begin living into the hope of a new era where the “Creeds" and the “Creative Mind” partner together for the renewal of all things.
The 6 Questions:
What is the artist’s work or calling?
Does the description of the artists calling hold up as a Christian calling?
Is art necessary?
Is it possible to make meaningful art in a post-Christian world?
How shall we realize artistic success?
In a post-Christian world, should Christians abandon their time-honored beliefs?
Location:
Third Church Fellowship Hall
600 Forest Ave.
Henrico VA 23229
(Across the street from Tuckahoe Elementary School)
This is a free event, and coffee and light snacks will be served. Please RSVP to Valerie Holland so that we can plan to have enough materials on hand.
The Faithful Artist: A Vision for Evangelicalism and the Arts by Cameron J. Anderson
Drawing upon his experiences as both a Christian and a practicing artist, Cameron J. Anderson explores the dynamics of faith and art in this latest volume in IVP Academic's Studies in Theology and the Arts series.
Tracing the relationship between evangelicalism and modern art in postwar America—two entities that often found themselves at odds with each other—Anderson raises several issues that confront artists. With skill, sensitivity and insight, he considers questions such as the role of our bodies and our senses in our experience of the arts, the relationship between text and image, the persistent dangers of idolatry, the possibility of pursuing God through an encounter with beauty and more.
Throughout this study, Anderson's principal concern is how Christian artists can faithfully pursue their vocational calling in contemporary culture. Readers will find here not only an informed and thoughtful response, but also a vision that offers guidance and hope.
Need a copy? We have several copies of Cam’s book available at the Third Church office for $13—half the retail price. if you’d like to buy a copy to read ahead of time, please contact Valerie Holland to reserve yours. (We will also have copies available at the event.)
About Cam Anderson
Cameron Anderson is an artist, writer, and curator based in Madison, Wisconsin. He completed his M.F.A. ntin painting and drawing at Cranbrook Academy of Art. His recent work has focused on large-scale abstract paintings on sheets of steel, a selection of which are currently on display at Boger Gallery at Missouri’s College of the Ozarks. From 1994 to 2008, Anderson served as the National Director of InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries. In 2009, he was appointed Executive Director of CIVA | Christians in the Visual Arts, a position he held through August 2018. In 2106 he was invited to serve as the Visiting Senior Scholar for the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust in Vancouver, Washington.
Cam is one of our three presenters at the Makers Series | Disciple, on Friday night before our Conversation. Click below for more details.
