Loading Video . . . Composer Seth Little applies the message of Amos 5 to our current context in this bluesy, funky, "saucy" rock song. Amos 5 Seek Me and Live, Seek Good and Live By Seth Little ​ Credits: Written and Composed by Seth Little Photo Credit: Art Ventures 2017, Fuller Theological Seminary All instruments by Seth Little Vox by Seth Little Backup Vox by Trevor St. John-Gilbert Curated by: Michael Markham 2018 ​ ​ ​ Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ I’ve tried to capture the major movements of Amos 5 in four sections. First, the organ intro represents the people of Israel offering worship to YHWH in a show of faithfulness while the shepherd of Tekoa makes his approach. With a loud knock on the door the prophet interrupts and begins to deliver his accusatory word from the Lord, following the outline of the text. The message isn’t all rebuke: YHWH adds his plea for repentance (“Seek me and live!”) in an altogether different and kinder tone. The song builds and finishes with the climactic imperative: “Let justice roll down, down, down, down…like a river.” And all this in what I think of as a “saucy rock” style. This text isn’t altogether foreign to those of us familiar with some of the current religious context in the United States. The Northern Kingdom of Israel is enjoying a period of unquestionable prosperity while maintaining a robust religious institution, but they’re neglecting the administration of justice in the courts. So, Amos, the outsider from Judah, assures these folks that God isn’t interested in their worship without justice. Let those who have ears hear. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Seth Little is Director of Worship arts at All Angels’ Church in New York City. He studied music in college and went to work in the church shortly afterward. Music and art were largely set aside for several years until Seth went to Fuller Theological Seminary and began a process of integrating art-making and Christian ministry into his sense of vocation. That process is still in full force. Seth and his wife live in Harlem with their three young kiddos. Website Seth Little About the Artist Seth Little Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This poetic dance piece choreographed and performed by Megan Chu responds to the beautiful imagery in 2 Peter 1:19. 2 Peter 1:19 2 Peter 1:19 By Megan Chu ​ Credits: Choreographed, Performed by Megan Chu Voice-Over by Megan Chu Curated by: Elizabeth Dishman 2018 ​ ​ Modern Dance Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ When I started working with this scripture, I was initially drawn to the imagery of the day dawning and the morning star rising in your heart. It is strong and creatively fruitful, inspiring hope and a stirring a desire for beauty, fluidity, and growth. You will see these images in the movements where I reference my heart, then draw lines out into the horizon. The feeling of cold in the morning before dawn inspired the starkness in the tone of the piece. After using the imagery to generate movement material, I went back to the thought that 2 Peter 1:19 opens with: The message of the prophets is something we can lean on and trust. Our doubtful hearts second guess the gospel as we try to comprehend a God bigger than ourselves, bigger than our actions, and outcomes. Yet the prophetic message in the scriptures keeps us grounded, telling us who Jesus is and drawing us into a relationship with Him. I have incorporated difficult balances into the piece to express the idea of a support that is present, but not available to the senses of touch and sight. These balances take time and repetition to accomplish, similar to the way studying the scriptures takes time and practice. Several readings, several commentaries, several sermons are needed (at least for me!) before the dark places in ourselves are illuminated by turning to the One who is Light. The overall message I received working from 2 Peter 1:19 is that we desperately need to lean into the Word in order to live more confidently in hope. At the same time, we must acknowledge that renewal is not yet complete—we still exist in a broken world. The day has not dawned. Christ still has a lot of work to do in my heart. But there will be a day when the work is done, and I will not be estranged from my Father, Abba. In The letters of 2 Peter and Jude, P.H. Davids writes, "After the dawn, there is no need of Scripture, for the rising of Christ in our hearts gives us full knowledge...One treasures a love letter while the beloved is absent, but once he or she is present, the letter is laid aside and exchanged for the person." Lord, we give You praise for not only wanting to commune with us, but for sacrificing on our behalf to ensure it. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Megan Harrold graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University’s department of Dance and Choreography. She has received an Individual Artist grant from the Queens Council on the Arts, an award from VCU’s School of the Arts and the Carpenter Foundation. She has been an artist in residence at the Klaustierd Foundation in Iceland, Newsteps at the Chen Dance Center, Le Feil Artist Residency in France, The Ucross Foundation in Wyoming and Groundworks at the Cora Studios. She founded Inimois Dance to encompass her choreographic works in 2008 which has been funded by Meet the Composer, Queens Council on the Arts, Fractured Atlas and the Untitled SOF grant. In New York her work has been shown at Rooftop Dance, Center for Performance Research, Lincoln Center, Cora Studios, BAX, Dumbo Dance Festival, Ailey CityGroup Theater, AUNTS, and Triskelion Arts among others. Her work has been seen nationally in Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Wyoming, and Illinois. Internationally Megan’s work has been performed in Mexico, Iceland, Amsterdam and France. In New York she has had the opportunity to perform for Davis Freeman in the P.S.122 COIL Festival, Dai Jian at the MET, Burr Johnson at Danspace, and Helen Simoneau at the Joyce Soho. Website Megan Chu About the Artist Megan Chu Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Writer Lancelot Schaubert explores the meaning of words and translations in this poem responding to Luke 8:19-21. Luke 8:19-21 Philadelphia By Lancelot Schaubert ​ Credits: Photo Credit by Dan Mall on Unsplash Curated by: Rebecca Testrake 2023 ​ ​ Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ These three pieces work in tandem. They're meant as a running commentary on (1) the sorts of people who are close to us who reject the work of the miraculous in our lives and through our lives, (2) the kinds of silly exegetical traditions that exist as little more than a prop for church splits, (3) the metaphysical absurdity of the miraculous as the miraculous, when it happens, (4) a call to see James as a miracle worker in his own right, a cousin, and someone who would have been as baffled as anyone else — though joyful — in the presence of the miraculous. Sometimes the "sons of Thunder" stuff becomes such a focus, I wanted to focus on something else for St. James. To see the other pieces from Lancelot, click the links below: Bloodlines Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Lancelot has sold work to The New Haven Review (The Institute Library), The Anglican Theological Review, TOR (MacMillan), McSweeney's, The Poet's Market, Writer's Digest, and many, many similar markets. (His favorite, a rather risqué piece, illuminated bankroll management by prison inmates in the World Series Edition of Poker Pro). Publisher's Weekly called his debut novel BELL HAMMERS "a hoot." He has lectured on these at academic conferences, graduate classes, and nerd conventions in Nashville, Portland, Baltimore, Tarrytown, NYC, Joplin, and elsewhere. The Missouri Tourism Bureau, WRKR, Flying Treasure, 9art, The Brooklyn Film Festival, NYC Indie Film Fest, Spiva Center for the Arts, The Institute of the North in Alaska, and the Chicago Museum of Photography have all worked with him as a film producer and director in various capacities. Website Lancelot Schaubert About the Artist Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 3 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 2 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 1 Posh Girls As Waters Cover Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert Dragonsmaw Daily | 1 Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 Dragonsmaw Daily | 3 Watchtower Stripped to the Bonemeal Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Bloodlines Lancelot Schaubert Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art It would be terribly inconvenient If ἀδελφός meant fellow countrymen Or fellow man or business fellowship View Full Written Work FOR LOVE OF COMMON WOMBS UP THE BLOODLINE. By Lancelot Schaubert It would be terribly inconvenient If ἀδελφός meant fellow countrymen Or fellow man or business fellowship Or brethren in faith, step-brothers, or meant Cousins. “Cousins” throws a wrench in the wren, Metal to make wings spiral on downward: Fallen angels or men melting wax strips? Two yokels talk at the scene of The Fall: “Thought those were his brothers?” “Nope, just cousins.” It takes one trip to Philadelphia To realize “same womb” can mean mom, mother, Or sometimes an earlier womb bygone. For they treat each other less with fiat, More like Middle Eastern cousins with bombs: “Me against my brother; me and brother Against cousin; me and my cousin, you.” First same womb, same dad; same womb, diff dad; Then same womb of my dad’s dad’s dad’s dad’s— Father Abraham had many sons, sons Father Abraham. I am one of them And so are you, so let’s just praise The Lord. From stones, he said he could raise up cousins, But somehow cannot do so from cousins? “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and ἀδελφός of James, Joses And Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own cousins and in his own house.” Do we seek context? Do we even try to understand it, To see what’s right before our eyes? Mirrored? I could stack citations up, up skyward; Speak up of all the times translation slips Two yokels stare, hear the scene of Our Fall: “Nope, just brothers.” “Thought those were his cousins?” It takes one trip to Philadelphia To realize sometimes there’s a crack in bells Allegedly first sounded for freedom. Is our faith so fragile? We Protestants? Need we preserve our Quincentenary Bitterness with flimsiest evidence? Do we even know about the third one? The third Mary? “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his Mother (Mary), his mother’s ἀδελφη, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” Poor James. To be denied sainthood simply To sully the virgin status of Aunt Mary. Philadelphia’s stones still crack. Cracked. Stoned. The oracle at Delphi was Virgin. And the dolphins get to take shape Of virgin wombs, so does Numbers 30 (The perpetual virginity verse For married women who have had their kids). But not she who bore the body of God. It’s not good enough for her. Ignore texts: Let her also bear a Bro — Jimmy’s body Close Loading Video . . . It would be terribly inconvenient If ἀδελφός meant fellow countrymen Or fellow man or business fellowship Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Playwright Caroline Turner Cole explores Jude 1:20-23 through the lens of addiction and the path of recovery in this one act script with a reading performed by Stacy Ann Strang, Alexandra Hulme, and Taylor LeBaron. Jude 1:20-23​ Steps By Caroline Cole ​ Credits: Vocal Performance Featuring: Stacy Ann Strang, Alexandra Hulme, and Taylor LeBaron Curated by: Lauren Ferebee 2017 ​ ​ ​ Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ This piece is a mix of my own experience and an image that kept reappearing grotesquely in my head as I read through Jude. While I am not an alcoholic, I have been through the 12-step program with a group of wonderful ladies as a way of discovering and recovering from co-dependent tendencies. It dramatically changed my life, how I relate to other people, think of God, sin and myself. While the program was originally created to help alcoholics get sober, it translates beautifully to work for any kind of addiction. And if we’re truly being honest, we’re all addicted to something – some things are just more culturally appropriate than others. Jude tells his readers to “show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh”. To always show mercy first, but to simultaneously not condone behavior that is harmful or hurtful. This garment stained by the flesh kept lodging itself in my brain as a sweater soaked in vomit. A garment more literally than figuratively stained by the flesh. Stinking, rotting, putrid, something you’d plug your nose to avoid and want to help your friend out of as soon as humanly possible. In this piece, this garment comes into play at a character’s absolute rock bottom point. The point that moves her to finally admit her weaknesses and seek help and recovery. At some point or another, most have had a similar moment, that moment where we realize we can’t do this life on our own, the moment we finally ask for help or guidance from a friend, a group, or God, the moment that changes forever the path we’ve been on and propels us in a new, better direction. My prayer is that this piece reminds you of those moments that changed you and the moments you helped changed others; that it moves you towards your next life changing moment and reminds you to look upon other struggling humans first with mercy, then plug your nose and get that sweater off them. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Caroline Cole is a theatre maker based in Dallas, TX. She works as an actor onstage and behind the voiceover mic, a writer, and a teaching artist. She is a proud playwright and actor with The Aviary, supporting local playwrights and creating an incubation space for new plays. Caroline studied theatre at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, CT, finished her undergraduate degree in theatre performance from Rice University and graduate studies in Theatre Education from the University of Northern Colorado. She firmly believes that nothing delights our Creator more than his creation being creative and is humbled by all the opportunities she has been given to tell stories. www.carolineturnercole.com Website Caroline Cole About the Artist Caroline Cole Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art STEP ONE PERSON, mid-30’s STEP FOUR/FIVE PERSON, late-20’s STEP TWELVE PERSON, mid-30’s View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . STEP ONE PERSON, mid-30’s STEP FOUR/FIVE PERSON, late-20’s STEP TWELVE PERSON, mid-30’s Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Musician Angelo Spagnolo created this song, a transformed man, in response to Matthew 11:15-17 and the theme of "Dancing." Matthew 11:15-17 a transformed man By Angelo Spagnol ​ Credits: Written, Composed, and Performed by Angelo Spagnolo Curated by: Evan Mazunik 2013 ​ ​ ​ Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ No matter how many times Jesus talked about it in the Gospels, the Good News seemed to be something that people couldn't quite wrap their minds around. I imagine Jesus after just being raised from the dead, strapped with a headset-mic, shouting with the vigor of an aerobics instructor: "C'mon people! It's me, you see! GET UP AND DANCE!" But the people still doubted and very few of them actually end up dancing. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Angelo Spagnolo (born October 1, 1987) is an American artist who works with music, sculpture and a variety of image-making media. He is currently the composer/guitarist/singer for In One Wind and performs in Lily and the Parlour Tricks. Angelo is also an active music teacher in New York City. http://angelocspagnolo.blogspot.com/ Website ​Angelo Spagnol About the Artist ​Angelo Spagnol Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Elise Bergsten Grandmothers Shrine Front Closed Grandmother's Shrine, Detail (Interior) Grandmother's Shrine, Detail (Exterior Back) Grandmother's Shrine, Detail (Exterior Right Side) Grandmother's Shrine, Detail (Exterior Left Side) Grandmother's Shrine, Detail (Interior Top Shelf) Grandmother's Shrine, Detail (Interior Middle Shelf) Grandmother's Shrine, Detail (Interior Bottom Shelf) Loading Video . . . Artist Elise Bergsten wrestled with the passage of 1 Timothy 5:3-16 and produced this gorgeous piece that stands as a personal tribute to overcoming adversity and as a memento to the universal journey through life that we all take. 1 Timothy 5:3-16 Grandmother's Shrine By Elise Bergsten ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Laurel Justice 2018 18 x 14 x 5 inches ​ Mixed Media Collage Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ This passage is referred to as "The Widows List". Paul was giving guidance to others for the new church, and most of the passage is in regards to defining requirements that a true widow ought to meet in order to merit help from the church. Widows seemed pretty unfortunate, whether they fit into the narrow rules or whether they were left outside of them. Widows that brought property to their marriage or widows that had sons that could inherit their father's property and take care of their mothers were the most fortunate. I found that there were three different words for widow in the original Hebrew that differentiated between three types of widows. The widows list only pertained to widows with no means and no family to take care of them. As the passage makes clear, these widows still had a very small eye of a needle to fit through to receive help from the church. I researched the passage and the historical context, and found myself processing my own feelings regarding marriage, various ways humans become trapped by their circumstances, and the concept of "widow" as helpless victim versus the opportunity of any human to make choices about how they act within their life circumstances. We humans have the ability to be free within very difficult conditions. I was reminded of the Hero's Path, written by Joseph Campbell : We have not even to risk the adventure alone for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known…we have only to follow the hero path. And where we had thought to find an abomination we shall find a God. And where we had thought to slay another we shall slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outwards we shall come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone we shall be with all the world. The widow story that is most personal to me and is also a hero's journey is that of my maternal grandmother, so I reflected about her life, the ways in which she was trapped within very difficult circumstances, and how she lived her life in response to those conditions. She lived for more than two decades as a widow, and was fortunate to have property and means to live independently during that time. This three-dimensional piece is a shrine honoring my grandmother. It has three levels, which represent many different trinities: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Maiden, Mother, Crone. Death, Life, Transcendence. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Elise Bergsten was educated at the University of Wisconsin where she in majored in Fiber Arts. Her recent work is in paper and mixed media collage, and explores archetypal symbols and humanity’s search for meaning. Website Elise Bergsten About the Artist Elise Bergsten Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . 2016 Artist in Residence Lauren Ferebee shares the final development of her "Book of (H)ours," reflects on her presentation of the work, and looks forward to how she would like to continue the development of her piece that illuminated Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8:1-6 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee By Lauren Ferebee ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2016 2016 ​ ​ ​ Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ In Proverbs 8, Wisdom says: Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it. (vv. 1-5) On a cold Saturday at the end of November, right before Thanksgiving, about twenty people gathered into a small house generously donated by a friendly organization to listen to me talk for an hour. They were people intentionally invited to share an intimate experience with me, which was the book of hours I created over the last year. I invited each person individually to the performance, and they were mainly people I have met over the last year in Dallas. At the bottom of this post, you can see the intimate setup. The stage was a music stand, a stool, and a lamp. Each audience member, upon arriving, selected a hand-held instrument to use, and they marked the transitions from hour to hour with their instruments. I performed with no makeup, in a sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers. I left my ideas about who I was and who I was supposed to be at the door, and I let who I was in honesty lead the way forward. It was very scary, and I still don't know if I did it "right," but I know that in that space of speaking and being listened to, I learned a lot. I have plans in the works to continue this piece. My dream is to tour it to all the places where I have community, and to share it with those communities. When I began this project in January, I had anticipated creating a large online resource. However, after much discussion with friends and evolution of my own ideas, what I realized was that this would not, actually, be in the spirit of the book of hours or of wisdom. A book of hours was a personal object, made with painstaking work, made for someone on a journey of self-discovery. The template I made for my own book of hours was my own version of that, and it was how I performed it. What I know of wisdom, what I have learned over the last year, is that it is created in the space between people, in communication and understanding. I think Wisdom herself, in Proverbs 8, understands this. As I meditated on the figure of wisdom, standing at the gate, or on the hill, I was struck by the comparable women throughout history, who have called out truth to the masses, often without response, or little response. There is nothing impersonal about it, nowhere to hide behind. To be Wisdom, you have to put your body in space, speaking words, to others. It is just that simple. To receive and ask for wisdom is a deeply personal experience, and a radical sharing of oneself with others In that spirit, I have chosen to share only a piece of what I created that night. However, in thinking about how to share with you the process that I went through, I decided the most beneficial offering I could make would be a template, which you can download here. The template is a guide to making your own book of hours. I suggest doing it with others: perhaps six others, so everyone can take on a day. I continue on my quest to make contemplative objects for others: that practice will take longer and be more time-intensive than I had imagined, but I have found each moment spent creating to be an incredible gift. CLICK HERE TO READ THE BOOK OF (h)OURS GUIDE Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Lauren Ferebee is a Texan native and a multidisciplinary artist whose primary mediums are playwriting and installation/video art. Most recently, her play The Reckless Season was selected for Stage West’s Southwest Playwriting Competition Festival of New Works, and her alternative screwball comedy Sexual Geography was a finalist for the Reva Shiner Comedy Award at the Bloomington Playwrights’ Project. In 2014, she was a juried fellow at Saltonstall Arts Colony, a semifinalist for the Shakespeare’s Sister fellowship and the first theatre-artist-in-residence at HUB-BUB in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where in addition to writing, she did community-based theatre work. Her most recent work includes Sexual Geography (developed at HUB-BUB), The Reckless Season (The Spartanburg Little Theatre/HUB-BUB), Somewhere Safer (FringeNYC 2013, Inkwell finalist), and Blood Quantum (At Hand Theatre & WET Productions). Three of her short plays, jericho, jericho , Bob Baker’s End of the World and The Pirate King are published online at indietheaternow.com , where Somewhere Safer is also published as part of the 2013 Fringe Collection. She is a member of playwriting collective Lather, Rinse, Repeat, and studied playwriting, screenwriting and television writing at Primary Stages/ESPA. Lauren also has regional and NYC credits as an actress on stage and in film, and from 2007-2010 was co-artistic director of a site-specific classical theatre company, Rebellious Subjects Theatre. She especially enjoys acting in and teaching Shakespeare and working on new plays. She holds a BFA in drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Website Lauren Ferebee About the Artist Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 1 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 2 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 3 while in a foreign land Wonders of the Deep Lauren Ferebee Other Works By Follow the previous development of Lauren's 2016 Artist in Residence project by reading her first , second , and third post. Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

difference-and-unity_katie-musgrove.jpg Loading Video . . . British artist Katie Musgrove's new work responds to the theme of "Community" as reflected in both Genesis 1:27 and 1 Corinthians 12:25. Genesis 1:27 1 Corinthians 12:25. Difference and Unity By Katie Musgrove ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Alex Douglas 2012 30 x 42 centimeters ​ Watercolor Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ "God created mankind in his own image" (Gen 1:27). It is the uniqueness of each and every individual which demonstrates that God is a God of infinite variation. And yet, despite the endless differences which lie within humanity God tells those who have committed themselves to following Jesus to be and live as a part of a whole. "There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (1 Cor 12:25). In visual terms, each of us has been given a unique colour and yet, with the grace and power of God, we must find a way for all of our colours to work together and reach out to those who have not recognised or accepted the source life, the source of colour. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Katie Musgrove currently teaches 16-18 year old students’ art and design in Liverpool, UK where she has been since 2009. In addition to teaching, Katie enjoys developing her own creative practice. Over time her work has organically evolved into a detailed and unique language of abstract shapes and vibrant colours to represent emotions, abstract concepts and reactions to the world around her. In order to further her understanding of art Katie has recently enrolled on an Artist Teacher Masters course at Liverpool John Moore’s University, which will culminate in an exhibition at The Tate, Liverpool. Website Katie Musgrove About the Artist Katie Musgrove Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This video art work by artist and priest Regan O'Callaghan explores the edges of faith and the liminal space between the holy and the mundane in response to 2 Peter 2:18-21. 2 Peter 2:18-21 Fonisoun By Regan O'Callaghan ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2018 ​ ​ Site-specific Video Art Performance Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ The scripture from 2 Peter is a reminder to be aware of false teachers. Their words are a façade. As a priest in the Church of England I am aware of the power of spoken words. They can build up or break down, enlighten or deceive or simply bore and fall onto stony ground. As an artist I am thankful there is another way to explore the indescribable mysteries of faith, a creative alternative to verbal expressions and proclamations. As an outward sign some priests wear the clerical collar, which is meant to denote their role and their responsibility in sharing the Word of God. But it is also just a strip of cheap plastic which when worn to tightly restricts and suffocates not only the wearer but also the listener. But wonderfully in the midst of religious grandstanding and performance, sometimes the living word can be seen, heard and experienced in the mundane, simple events of every day life. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Regan O’Callaghan is an artist who lives in London, England. Originally from New Zealand he moved to the United Kingdom in 1993 where he studied art and religious studies including the technique of icon painting. In 2001 Regan was ordained into the Church of England. He combines his religious ministry with art leading many art projects and workshops as well as painting a number of commissions including an icon for Saint Paul’s Cathedral London. He believes in a ministry of encouragement where art is the facilitator. Artist Statement "The nature of my practice is based on the application of contemporary and traditional techniques and the morphing of different religious themes and symbols in painting, installations and video. All my work explores ideas of ritual, the sacred and profane with the intention of drawing the viewer into challenging realms of order and chaos, apophatic and cataphatic, light and dark." www.reganocallaghan.com Website Regan O'Callaghan About the Artist Regan O'Callaghan Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Creative writer Lancelot Schaubert brings us this inventive mini-series as he weaves together a small newspaper in response to a collection of Scripture passages. This first offering focuses on the theme of "lost" as found in Luke 15:3-7. Luke 15:3-7 Dragonsmaw Daily | 1 By Lancelot Schaubert ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2020 ​ ​ Creative Writing Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ The theme of lostness comes up a ton in this section of the paper: and of how to find your way back. I wanted to hold that theme up to the light in as many unorthodox ways as possible. The Dragonsmaw daily is a paper circulating on LOMEDAY of the month of BLAGUROEDD 47 in the year 1109 P.T. on Gergia, one of the Vale Universe ( short story series here ). It may seem like a high-shelf sort of entry for the average reader, something that takes a herculean effort to embrace in terms of the suspension of disbelief or secondary belief in my created world. However, I think it's quite easy: if you'll trust me, it'll read as a wonderfully foreign paper from a wonderfully foreign world. It's ephemera: something like an in-world artifact I happened to pick up from a newsboy who was hawking EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA copies in order to have enough ₮ to get his sister through the week on an onion (actually it's more like a leek) based soup. She beat the fever, in case you were wondering. But I brought it back from Gergia and gave it to my friends at Spark and Echo that it might supplement the stories I've written here and elsewhere about these fantastic worlds I travel so frequently. For those that have followed along in any capacity, this paper tells of events taking place prior to the events in the Moon Boys series from my artist residency and quite far in the past from the other commissions here at Spark and Echo. It occupies the region around the Imperial Crescent in Gergia (top left of the main land mass on that false map I drew of the world) . Each of the events recorded in this paper feature major workings in the region. All together I wanted to bind up the themes of extinction, of power dynamics, and of being lost and found into one piece. So I stitched together three commissions in a more unified form than normal. Of course some parts of the paper will remain out of reach for some time — like any foreign country, Gergian customs and economics and politics only make sense after you've lived there for quite some time. But one day the times, dates, seasons, and currency will make perfect sense to you. And then the dread realization of what the paper really reveals will come all too clear, as clear as a Bell Hammer. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Lancelot has sold work to The New Haven Review (The Institute Library), The Anglican Theological Review, TOR (MacMillan), McSweeney's, The Poet's Market, Writer's Digest, and many, many similar markets. (His favorite, a rather risqué piece, illuminated bankroll management by prison inmates in the World Series Edition of Poker Pro). Publisher's Weekly called his debut novel BELL HAMMERS "a hoot." He has lectured on these at academic conferences, graduate classes, and nerd conventions in Nashville, Portland, Baltimore, Tarrytown, NYC, Joplin, and elsewhere. The Missouri Tourism Bureau, WRKR, Flying Treasure, 9art, The Brooklyn Film Festival, NYC Indie Film Fest, Spiva Center for the Arts, The Institute of the North in Alaska, and the Chicago Museum of Photography have all worked with him as a film producer and director in various capacities. Website Lancelot Schaubert About the Artist Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 3 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 2 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 1 Posh Girls As Waters Cover Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 Dragonsmaw Daily | 3 Watchtower Stripped to the Bonemeal Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Philadelphia Bloodlines Lancelot Schaubert Other Works By As with most shared newspapers, some of the pages have been pulled out and are out of order, so you will have to piece them together as the project is released. You may find the other parts of the project at Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 and Dragonsmaw Daily | 3 . You may also view the entirety of the project, here — as a brand new newspaper. Related Information View More Art Make More Art Five months ago, Vritra — ill and desperate — crashed headlong into the loadbearing wall that Stornheist shares with the North Gate and ever since our surrounding lands grow nothing, bear nothing, receive nothing, and hold no measure of moisture. View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Five months ago, Vritra — ill and desperate — crashed headlong into the loadbearing wall that Stornheist shares with the North Gate and ever since our surrounding lands grow nothing, bear nothing, receive nothing, and hold no measure of moisture. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Brooklyn-based stop-motion animator and mixed media artist (painter, sculptor) Jessie Brugger chose Isaiah 59 for this fanciful and macabre exploration of Spark+Echo Arts' 2012 theme "Hands." Molding clay, Jessie inquires of the imagery in the passage, vividly animating the poetry of the ancient prophet's grim language. Isaiah 59 Webs By Jessie Brugger ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Charis J Carmichael Braun 2012 ​ ​ Film, Stop Motion Animation Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ Born into a Catholic family and having a father who was a Catholic priest, I am intrigued with religion and how it takes such a presence in society. There are a lot of unknown's when it comes to Religion; for me, and my work is an exploration into that unknown. The church has been a main influence on my life and work; as it is the first place I understood hierarchy, power struggles and gender injustice, at the same time experiencing beauty, light, and spirituality. I often use the "Carnivalesque" as a vehicle to portray my thoughts and stories. I was interested in the Bible project that Spark and Echo Arts is doing because there were no limits placed on my interpretation of any passage from the Bible. I chose hands as my theme because I believe the Bible is a mixture of Man's hands and spirituality. I chose Isaiah 59 because it was so visually dark and showed how evil man could be, yet somewhere in hands that can do evil, they can also do beauty and goodness too. Hands have always been my favorite thing to draw since I was a child. My hands are my tools. Creating my vision through clay maquettes that I build in order to tell a story, I use the maquettes as a world to draw from, and then animate. The sculptures are raw and imperfect. I am interested in video because of the time element, I am interested in stop-animation because of the freedom of imagination it allows for: each photo that is taken in the process of a stop animation video is a moment in time that is captured, and complete, yet it is part of a bigger picture. My maquettes, paintings, drawings and videos are all part of a bigger world, in which I am creating. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Jessie Brugger was born in Puyallup, Washington. She started her artistic studies of painting, drawing, and mixed media at Western Washington University in 1997. In 2000, she transferred to Concordia University, in Montreal Quebec, receiving her Bachelors of Fine arts in 2002. Jessie moved to Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn in 2005, and in 2010 she completed a Masters of Fine Arts at the New York Academy of Art. She started doing stop animation in 2010 with her drawings, clay, and other mixed materials. The videos that Jessie makes are colorful and whimsical, yet disquieting and socially political. In April 2011, she was awarded “Best in Animation” at the New York International Film Festival for her video, “The Stained Glass Window.” Jessie works on her animations, maquettes, paintings and drawings in Brooklyn, New York. Website Jessie Brugger About the Artist Jessie Brugger Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

don-nyugen-air4th_first-supper-seating-layouts.jpg Loading Video . . . Hi, my name is Don Nguyen and this is my second post for the Artist in Residence project. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Luke 22:14-48 Artist in Residence 2015: Don Nguyen Part 2 By Don Nguyen ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2015 ​ ​ Theatre Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ July 6, 2015 Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Don Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam, grew up in Nebraska, and now currently resides in New York City. As a playwright, Don has written several full-length plays including: SOUND, a sign language play which was a finalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and was previously developed at The Playwrights Realm. Don’s first full-length play RED FLAMBOYANT was developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference and was both a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival as well as the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. THE MAN FROM SAIGON has been developed at Naked Angels and was a NYSAF Founders Award recipient. THE COMMENCEMENT OF WILLIAM TAN was developed at New York Stage and Film and was a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Don was also recently one of 48 playwrights commissioned for The Flea Theater’s 5 1/2 hour epic production of The Mysteries, directed by Ed Iskander, which was a stage adaptation of the Bible. Don is a proud member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, a member of the inaugural Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater in New York and served five years as artistic director for The Shelterbelt Theatre. Don is also a frequent volunteer for the 52nd Street Project. Website: thenuge.com Website Don Nguyen About the Artist Artist in Residence 2015: Don Nguyen Part 1 Artist in Residence 2015: Don Nguyen Part 3 Artist in Residence 2015: Don Nguyen My Million Spectacular Moments Don Nguyen Other Works By To follow the developmental process of Don's play read his first , third and final posts as a 2015 Artist in Residence. Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work