Loading Video . . . "Surrogate" is a song and soundscape dwelling on a deeply difficult decision made by a Sarai and Abram in Genesis 16:1-2. Genesis 16:1-2 Surrogate By Jonathon Roberts ​ Credits: Performed by Jonathon Roberts Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2011 ​ ​ ​ Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said. This song imagines a modern couple in this situation. While his wife is busy showering in another room, a husband prepares to propose a similar solution as the one Sarai and Abram navigated. The great thing about exploring the Bible using music or other time-based art is that it can stretch out moments that are hugely significant yet only represented by a few verses. It also helps us understand and empathize with people from a seemingly very distant time and culture. The artwork accompanying this piece is a detail of a painting entitled "Premonition" by Charis Carmichael Braun, used by permission. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ J onathon Roberts is a composer and sound designer for games, film, theatre, and ensembles. His style grew out of classical and jazz training, and evolved through quality life adventures: touring the country in an RV with a one person theater piece on the Apostle Paul, living in Brooklyn with an improv music ensemble, performing in a downtown NYC absurdist comedy band, and a long stint writing music for the renowned slot machine company, High 5 Games. He has released four albums including the latest, Cities a song cycle personifying biblical cities. He created the popular podcast/web series ComposerDad Vs. Bible , in which ComposerDad accepts intense compositional challenges from a mysterious Bible while out with his kids. He frequently collaborates on music and theater projects with his wife, actor Emily Clare Zempel. They live in Beacon, NY, with their two boys and a tangled box of electrical cords. www.jonathonroberts.com Website Jonathon Roberts About the Artist Loving Arms I Make Tents The Sower Response There Is Room These are My Sons Consider Me a Partner Weakness The Day Is Almost Here Babbler Remember Me Prayer How Beautiful I Am a Fool The Constant Ecclesiastes Cows Blessing Fools for Christ More Than Rubies Only a Few Years Will Pass Dear Friend Jonathon Roberts Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Ayakoyoshida The Earth Is Round No Matter What Happens Copy Loading Video . . . Textile artist Ayako Yoshida incorporates the visual aesthetic of Kabuki theatre and responds to the events of March 11, 2011 in her work's reflection on Psalm 46:2-3. Psalms 46:2-3 [the earth is round no matter what happens] By Ayako Yoshida ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Rachel Carvosso 2015 ​ ​ Textiles Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ Through discussion with the curator I chose this bible verse because it is about protection in the middle of great disaster. On March 11th 2011 Japan experienced a huge tsunami and earthquake; so this is an important theme for us. How can we be safe even if the world is breaking? The center of the image is the world, and it can also be viewed as a hat. I chose to use hat as a motif because, for me, the image of a hat evokes childhood memories of being protected from elements that can become harmful – for example sunlight or strong rain/wind. In Japan teachers train children to wear a hat to protect our heads when an earthquake occurs, so we are familiar with the hats. Japan is also known as the Land of the Rising sun, everyday we see the sun sinking to the other side of the sea. It is a rhythm and is something reliable – in the bible verse even if the physical world disappears there is something that remains. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Ayako Yoshida graduated from Tama Art University in 2012. As an emerging textile designer she has exhibited in a group show, Shinchou Art; was selected for the Aomori Triennale Print Prize in 2014; and is currently working as a textile maker. “My textile work/designs are inspired by the color of the Japanese Kabuki Theater, Ukiyoe prints and European Paintings and space. I make surface design and create two dimensional patterns/hangings that allow the viewer to see the space as if looking through a window. I want viewers to enjoy looking ‘into’ the work as if they are looking at another world.” 主なテーマは色彩と空間です。 世界にはたくさんの色があります。 日本の伝統的な歌舞伎や浮世絵に使われている色を見て作品を作ったり、 西洋のたくさんの画家の描いた絵からインスパイアされることもあります。 パターンを繰り返すことによって空間が現れます。 一枚の布を壁にかけた時にその布がまるで窓のようになる。 私たちは窓の向こう側を見ているような気分になる。 別世界をのぞいているような楽しい気分になるようデザインしています Website Ayako Yoshida About the Artist Ayako Yoshida Other Works By The first artist of the 2015 season, Ms. Yoshida is also the first artist of a three-part series featuring artists from Japan, selected by curator Rachel Carvosso. VIEW THE SECOND AND THIRD WORKS IN THIS SERIES: PARADISE BY SHINO YANAI AND HOPE BY SATSUKI ICHIKAWA. Ms. Carvosso also shares some thoughts on her process as a curator below: From the Curator: I have been intrigued and inspired by the illuminated manuscript concept of Spark+Echo Arts. Having lived in Japan for 10 years, I wanted to invite Japanese creatives into the process. With little general cultural saturation of biblical background and imagery I decided to connect to a more general relevant theme of finding hope within the brokenness. Japan was hugely affected by the events of March 11th. Fukushima and Tohoku in particular continue to be places where recovery in ongoing. How do artists respond in the aftermath and what does the Bible have to say about disaster, fear, suffering and hope? All three artists have considered their identity as “Japanese” artists post March 11th in addition to how the Bible could relate to God`s bridging of the gap created by brokenness and sin: what should be questioned and how hope can be found even in the middle of the most painful and confusing circumstances. Personally, each of the works in this series remind me of the Japanese tradition of Kintsukuroi (Kintsugi). In Kintsukuroi, broken pottery — rather than being discarded — is delicately restored, the cracks filled in with gold resulting in what was/is broken becoming more beautiful than before. I find that Japanese artists responding to the Bible through the prism of the disaster have significantly beautiful and important insights to share. Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . "A Call to Solitude" is five movements of prose set to music. After writing the prose, I collaborated with John Forsleff to compose musical aspects of the piece, with the idea that the violin and guitar would provide the emotional content of the text. Hosea 2:6-23 A Call to Solitude By Ariele Macadangdang ​ Credits: Composed by Ariele Macadangdang and John Forsleff Performed by Sarah Amos, narrator; Ariele Macadangdang, violin; John Forsleff, guitar Artist Location: Southwestern Michigan Curated by: Benje and Ashley Daneman 2014 ​ ​ ​ Primary Scripture Therefore behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, that she can’t find her way. She will follow after her lovers, but she won’t overtake them; and she will seek them, but won’t find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.’ For she did not know that I gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied to her silver and gold, which they used for Baal. Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my new wine in its season, and will pluck away my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness. Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will deliver her out of my hand. I will also cause all her celebrations to cease: her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies. I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, about which she has said, ‘These are my wages that my lovers have given me; and I will make them a forest,’ and the animals of the field shall eat them. I will visit on her the days of the Baals, to which she burned incense, when she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and went after her lovers, and forgot me,” says Yahweh. “Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will respond there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. It will be in that day,” says Yahweh, “that you will call me ‘my husband,’ and no longer call me ‘my master.’ For I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and they will no longer be mentioned by name. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the animals of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the creeping things of the ground. I will break the bow, the sword, and the battle out of the land, and will make them lie down safely. I will betroth you to me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, and in compassion. I will even betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know Yahweh. It will happen in that day, I will respond,” says Yahweh, “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, and the new wine, and the oil; and they will respond to Jezreel. I will sow her to me in the earth; and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; and I will tell those who were not my people, ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘My God!’” Hosea 2:6-23 Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ "A Call to Solitude" is five movements of prose set to music. After writing the prose, I collaborated with John Forsleff to compose musical aspects of the piece, with the idea that the violin and guitar would provide the emotional content of the text. The first movement is about a woman's invitation to a feast and the discovery of a new place. In the second and third movements she struggles to accept that the feast is set for her, and that it is given to her freely. In the fourth movement she shows up weary from a trying season of life, bringing a set of expectations to the rich man. She is a person who cannot put down her pride to accept love from the true source. The fifth movement is my attempt at depicting the unwavering invitation of the rich man and the release of freedom that comes from receiving love. The feast is symbolic of intimacy with the Lord. In a way the woman is Israel, but to me she represents followers of Jesus in different seasons, relating to the King. Every day Jesus invites us to a feast and most days we can't see the feast for what it is. At times when we can see it we shy away from it, thinking it is not ours to have. As a result we often settle for what we think we can provide for ourselves. Performers on this recording are Ariele Macadangdang, violin, John Forsleff, guitar, and Sarah Amos, narrator. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Ariele Macadangdang is a violinist from Southwest Michigan. In June 2012 she was a featured soloist in the Wal-Mart Annual Shareholders Meeting held in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Through her activities at Western Michigan University she has performed in collaborative concerts with jazz pianist Ed Simon, and Israeli jazz pianist/composer Alon Yavnai. She has twice performed at the Orfeo Music Festival held in the Italian Alps, where her current teacher, Renata Knific, is a faculty member. Since 2010 she has been a founding member and planter of a fine arts community outreach, Imago Dei, with InterVarsity Christian Ministry on her campus. Ariele is a freelance violinist for independent studio and recording projects with singer-songwriters in her area. She also enjoys improvisation and collaboration across artistic disciplines. She completed her undergraduate studies at Western Michigan University and is to begin her graduate studies at the University of Miami, Florida, in August 2014. Website Ariele Macadangdang About the Artist Ariele Macadangdang Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Kristiekoll Whats Underneath 1 Loading Video . . . "What's Underneath" by New York City artist Kristie Koll is a response to the hope expressed in Romans 5:5. Romans 5:5 What's Underneath By Kristie Koll ​ Credits: Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Jonathon + Emily 2011 30 x 48 inches Acrylic and tracing paper on canvas ​ Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ 'Hope does not disappoint' from Romans 5:5 is where this painting began and is hidden in the early layers. This passage contains a promise that I continually need reminding of. As I worked on the painting, it moved away from the original direction and was gessoed over and started anew. Still some of the earlier work showed through. The layers with tracing paper and blue acrylic was highly intuitive and straight from my soul or center. "What I found most interesting is this piece had the most conscious scripture and focused prayer and was the work 90% of people engaged with in a recent open studio event. They stepped into it as if they could see the hope through the layers of tracing paper and gesso." -Kristie Koll Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ New York City artist Kristie Koll uses unlikely materials to create complex and captivating works of visual art. Website Kristie Koll About the Artist Kristie Koll Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Poet Meg Freitag explores the duality of the human experience through her poem which illuminates Genesis 6:5-9:17. Genesis 6:5-9:17 Once to Speak of His Brightness By Meg Freitag ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Kent Shaw 2016 ​ ​ Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ I find myself going back again and again to this idea of duality, and how one can feel despair over the state of the world, regret over choices they’ve made, disappointment over unmet expectations, etc., and yet still experience moments of profound joy, gratitude, delight simultaneously. A person can do a horrible thing and still be loveable. A perpetrator can also be a victim. People are burdened with conflicting desires all day long. The desire to be cared for versus the desire to be free, for instance. Or the desire to be respected versus the desire to be liked. I’ve long been preoccupied with the Noah’s Ark story. About God commanding the deluge, and what happens to Noah and his family after the flood. I think it’s an incredible narrative with incredible imagery. But it’s also deeply unsettling. There’s so much going on in this part of Genesis that is so confusing, even unfathomable at times, particularly the moments in which God seems to contradict Himself. I wonder if perhaps coming to terms with the irreconcilably dual nature of selfhood and desire is necessary for all acts of creation. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Meg Freitag was born in Maine and currently lives in Austin, Texas. She has a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA from UT’s Michener Center for Writers, where she was a finalist for the 2015 Keene Prize for Literature. Her work has appeared in Tin House, Boston Review, Indiana Review, Day One, and Narrative, among others. Website Meg Freitag About the Artist Meg Freitag Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art How do You let your children Go like that, every which Way into the world Like chess pieces Set to a terrible music. View Full Written Work O n c e t o S p e a k o f H i s B r i g h t n e s s By Meg Frietag ( o n e ) How do You let your children Go like that, every which Way into the world Like chess pieces Set to a terrible music. How Do You just stand there And watch them pedal their bikes Away from you, downhill At breakneck speeds. Tiny softShelled crabs so numerous as to seem Like a single, disorganized organism, Clamoring all over The tops of each other Trying to get to the best air. How do You let them bury Each other in the black Suede of the sea? The first time I rode in an airplane, I felt as if I was somehow getting closer to You. I felt like my prayers For my friend Joanna, who had been hit By a car and broken Her back, would be louder In Your ear. But the higher we went, The farther I realized You were. It didn’t Even occur to me, then, That she might die, or to worry about her Never being able to walk again. I just wanted her to be well Enough to accompany me To the waterpark. I wanted to go to her House and play Operation. She was the only person I knew Who still had all the bones And organs that went to the game. That summer, I listened to the Jewel CD on repeat, singing along Alone in the sunroom of my grandparents’ Pensacola house. Picture A child, small for her age, drenched In a large new vibrato. Picture the shivering Lizards adhered to the window Screens, picture how green. And the rain That came each evening, roaring Sheets of percussive music. I thought then Of the Old Testament God, so notoriously shortTempered, still figuring Himself Out. For the longest time I couldn’t Reconcile him with You. You, Who I spoke to at night when I was afraid I might do something to accidentally conjure The devil and needed reassurance. You with the dovelight That trailed behind You Everywhere you went. How Do the two of You decide When it’s time to reach Down, pick someone Up by the scruff of his neck? The clouds turn to brick Red scabs as the sun sinks, the streetLights flashing on Like minnows. I watched The movie My Girl. It felt like a hole Had been punched through The world when the boy Was stung to death by bees As he tried to retrieve The mood ring his best friend had dropped In the woods. I felt myself projected Into the body of the girl who loved him, When she finally lost it At his funeral Because he wasn’t wearing His glasses. ( t w o ) And in real life, there was Snowflake. They called him that In seventh grade because of how Pale he was: his birch- White hair, his see-through eyelashes. The veins in his arms like radio Wires. I swear they did But when I saw him again, years later, He didn’t know what I was talking about. You’re confusing me With somebody else, he said, And I never mentioned it again. Something happened to him In Afghanistan. Orange dust Rose around him So dense I couldn’t see him Through it whenever he tried to talk To me about his time there. What does one do When they are suddenly void Of all desire? Like they couldn’t grab Hold of a want If their life depended on it. I have been Before to this place, but have always made it Back in time. Desire, this bright Spot we carry by its handle Like a lantern as we move Forward. Without it We are blind as animals that live Their entire lives underground, living The small way, with their mouths Full of dirt. Long ago, The Earth was covered In a fine white fur. Animals Slept out in the open and ate Grain from the palms Of our hands. You learned the hard way That something white won’t stay Clean for long. The bacchanalian Stench became so thick We had to line our nostrils With camphor oil just to sleep At night. You took down Everyone’s number, said I will be back For you later. No one believed You, That’s how hollow the sounds Of Earth had become. But You Showed them. I think Snowflake killed people And he was violent with me, once. I didn’t speak A word to him In the three years leading up To his death. And yet I still remember him as mostly A gentle person. A boy with crooked Wire glasses and filthy sneakers, Who had panic attacks Every time he thought About what would happen Once the landfills filled up. A summer Morning, scored by garish, Unkind light. Blue Jays scatter from the yard Like marbles, every which Way, as I cross To the compost. I know It’s in their best interest, but I wish You’d not taught the animals to fear Us. Everything Is always getting smaller As it moves away. Do you see Me, how alive I am? Growing Old as a saint down here In my little skiff. Caught Between a desire to be loved— Deeply, permanently— And a desire To be weightless. A foil Wrapper in the soup-warm sea, Gleaming Like a beacon every now and again. When the light strikes just right. Close Loading Video . . . How do You let your children Go like that, every which Way into the world Like chess pieces Set to a terrible music. Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . The Spark+Echo Band brings to life the wild imagery of Isaiah 6 in their lively song Ruined, featuring nimble flute and piano underscoring Isaiah's text. Isaiah 6 Ruined By The Spark & Echo Band ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2010 ​ ​ ​ Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ Six winged angels flying to your lips with a live coal, ravaged fields and ruined cities‚ÄìIsaiah 6 is full of dramatic imagery. It's a vivid story filled with uncertainty and atonement that takes some time to sink in. This is the text that inspired "Ruined." The recording is from the Spark+Echo Band's debut album. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ The Spark & Echo Band is a family outfit of songwriting-storytellers led by husband and wife duo Jonathon Roberts and Emily Clare Zempel. Their music brings forgotten poetry and wild stories from the Bible to life: visions of sparkling wheels in the sky, hunger and thirst, and legends of love as strong as death weave with memorable melodies and captivating rhythms. Drawing from a classical background, influenced by the pianism of Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds, and emulating Paul Simon’s narratival techniques, Spark & Echo sings epic tales of love and adventure. The duo has collaborated on three full lengths albums (Spark&Echo, Inheritance, Cities Project), one video album (In the Clocktower), in addition to many theatrical collaborations, this very nonprofit, and two children. They live in beautiful Beacon, New York, with all of the above. Website The Spark & Echo Band About the Artist White Robe What a Day Deep Calls to Deep Yo Sé Do You Love Me? Where Can I Go? How to Be Free Flesh Lifeblood Artist in Residence 2015: Spark & Echo Band Take to Heart The Wheels Frogs Inheritance The Spark & Echo Band Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

collected-thoughts_chris-knight_featjpg.jpg Loading Video . . . I’ve always loved stories. As a kid, I carried books with me everywhere, reading in the car, disappearing under racks of clothes while my parents shopped. I lay on the floor in front of the TV for hours, re-watching my favorite movies on loop, soaking up mindless cartoons, watching another dumb sit-com with a book pressed close to my face. Stories were a way to meet new people, to break into their lives, to learn about the world I was still too young to experience. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Ecclesiastes 1:8-13 Artist in Residence 2016: Chris Knight Part 1 By Chris Knight ​ 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 ​ March 14, 2016 I’ve always loved stories. As a kid, I carried books with me everywhere, reading in the car, disappearing under racks of clothes while my parents shopped. I lay on the floor in front of the TV for hours, re-watching my favorite movies on loop, soaking up mindless cartoons, watching another dumb sit-com with a book pressed close to my face. Stories were a way to meet new people, to break into their lives, to learn about the world I was still too young to experience. As individuals, as a culture, stories are the tools we use to define ourselves. We remember our victories and our failures. The things we’ve done, the people we were with and the things that matter to us. They let us outsource our memories, preserving our experiences, our identities against our inevitable disappearance. Or at least, that’s what we hope. But the Preacher of Ecclesiastes reminds us not even our stories will last. They will all be forgotten. We will be forgotten. In the central line from the passage I’ve chosen, the Preacher writes, “There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.” So then, who will to do the work of downloading us? Where do we go once we’re copied? And what if we change our minds? I’m still not sure where the story I’m writing is going. But I know that’s where it will start. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Chris Knight is a director and writer based in New York City. His short films and feature scripts have been selected for a variety of film festivals across the country. Website Chris Knight About the Artist Artist in Residence 2016: Chris Knight Part 2 Artist in Residence 2016: Chris Knight Part 3 Carried from Jericho Artist in Residence 2016: Chris Knight Chris Knight Other Works By Follow the developmental journey of Chris' project by reading his second , third and final post as a 2016 Artist in Residence. Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . The phrase “a chasing after the wind” occurs five times within the passages I have selected. This short dance video was created in reflection to that phrase. My creative process is about responsiveness rather than execution. In my first post for this residency I wrote out a clear artistic goals for myself. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Ecclesiastes 1:8-18 Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 Ecclesiastes 3:11 Ecclesiastes 6:7-12 Ecclesiastes 8:6-17 Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 3 By Stephanie Miracle ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2016 2016 ​ ​ Dance Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ September 19, 2016 The phrase “a chasing after the wind” occurs five times within the passages I have selected. This short dance video was created in reflection to that phrase. My creative process is about responsiveness rather than execution. In my first post for this residency I wrote out a clear artistic goals for myself. But over these several months I can see that my work takes a less direct path. For all of the work in progress videos I had intended to use locations near my home in Essen, Germany; but while at an artist residency in Ghent, NY I spent several days collecting video of me dancing in the fields. After looking at the material I began to see a connection to the texts in Ecclesiastes and it sent me on a journey of questions: Is chasing after the wind a bad thing? Is it meaningless in that is cannot see what you are after?> Is it meaningless because it is un-catch able? What or who is the wind? Is the wind strong or gentle and thin? Should the wind move us? In this video I am seeking after something, something that is not seen. My movement is often passive, not extremely vigorous. I see that I am grasping at something. I move the camera in search of “it”. The days I worked in the fields the air was thin. I did not have much to clutch. I did not feel the wind on my skin or through the trees. Where did you go, wind? from Stephanie Miracle on Vimeo . Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Stephanie Miracle is an American born independent choreographer and performer currently based in Essen, Germany with her husband visual artist Jimmy Miracle. She earned her MFA in Dance at the University of Maryland and a BA in Dance from Belhaven University. She is also a teacher of Klein Technique™ and holds prestigious honor of being a 2014/15 German Fulbright Fellow in the Performing Arts. In 2015 she joined as a full-time dancer with the Folkwang Tanzstudio/FTS. In addition to performing with the company she often works in collaboration with Henrietta Horn (DE), Carla Jordao (PT), Ana Farfan (MX), Paola Ponti, (IT) and Anna Shchkleina (RU). She is the director of Fakers Club, a site-specific performance experiment based on film and serial television. Stephanie's choreography has been described as “iconic and nuanced…with an irreverence that makes you smile unconsciously”(Rick Westerkamp, 2014). Often in vivid technicolor, Miracle’s works are crafted with a cinematic sensibility and follow subtle narrative threads. In addition to creating choreographies for traditional proscenium theaters her unique aesthetic finds special significance in common spaces for example, parking lots, bus stops, woman's prisons, hallways, staircases, and rooftops. in Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Russia, New York City, and Washington DC by various institutions including MetLife Foundation, Exchange Festival, Dance Place, Supernoval Festival, Open Look Festival, Performatica, Belhaven University, ES WIRD SOGAR SCHÖN, Barnes Crossing, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Other awards include the Smith Scholarship Grant to attend ImPulsTanz in 2012, dance artist-in-residence at OMI International Residency 2012, DC Innovation grant in 2013, Bates Dance Festival Merit Scholarship 2013, Goldhaber Travel Scholarship 2014, and NextNOW new work grant 2014. Her collaborative piece “Drafting Plan” was awarded Best Duo at Barnes Crossing Festival 2015 in Cologne and at the 2016 SzoloDuo Festival in Budapest. She is honored to be a 2016 Artist in Residence at Spark and Echo Arts. Website Stephanie Miracle About the Artist Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 1 Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 2 Treasure Heart Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Stephanie Miracle Other Works By Follow the developmental journey of Stephanie's project by reading her first , second , and final post as a 2016 Artist in Residence. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;the more knowledge, the more grief. (Ecclesiastes 1:14-18) Everyone’s toil is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied. What advantage have the wise over fools? What do the poor gain by knowing how to conduct themselves before others? Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 6:7-9) Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Comedian Paul Schissler explores the unseen side of the comedian's life in response to Ecclesiastes 4:13-16. Ecclesiastes 4:13-16​ A Comedian's Bedtime Story By Paul Schissler ​ Credits: Written and Read by Paul Schissler Curated by: Michael Markham 2017 ​ ​ ​ Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ There’s a side to comedy that the audience doesn’t see. A side that’s not filled with laughter. So often people question what it’s like being a comedian -– how hard it is, what’s the motivation, what’s the goal? You work obsessively on something that results in mostly failures, setbacks and self-doubts. It’s incredibly lucky to “make it” in comedy, and often feels futile. Like chasing the wind. This bedtime story is an honest look at the roller coaster feelings inside a comedian -– hope, determination, joy, self-doubt, hopelessness. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Paul Schissler is a NYC comedian and co-founder of Comedywire.com . Paul’s been part of the NY Comedy Festival and seen on The Steve Harvey. Website Paul Schissler About the Artist Paul Schissler Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art A troubled young boy was looking for joy and so he laughed. When he laughed at mean comments and poked fun of himself-- he escaped the heartache, the teasing, the toils. View Full Written Work A Comedian's Bedtime Story By Paul Schissler A troubled young boy was looking for joy and so he laughed. When he laughed at mean comments and poked fun of himself-- he escaped the heartache, the teasing, the toils. He was in charge. The pain he had, created laughter. Laughter had conquered his pain. This young boy loved the thrill of making others laugh. It made them feel good and so for him too. A win-win. When there was conflict, he delivered a joke. Upon seeing tears, he would do a funny dance. Anger? He huffed and puffed and made funny faces. Humor was his sword. The more laughter he made, the more they wanted to be around him. Laughter was contagious for all. "Give us more laughter, do your faces and dance," he heard more and more. And that 's what he did. He grabbed a microphone and stood in front of a light, that way eve more could experience him and delight. They told their friends and their friends told theirs. Soon a great big audience was laughing, all just for him. The troubled young boy had become a man of great jokes‚ repeated and loved by people, filling their hearts. Bigger stages, brighter lights, illuminated his laughs; it attracted more people and inspired others to take part. One unhappy girl, in the crowd that was laughing, found joy in these jokes. She saw visions of grandeur and wanted a stage of her own-- bright lights and a microphone. Then all of the happiness, praise and laughs, would be all her own to have when she wants. She wrote her own jokes, and it made others happy. "Tell us some more," people cheered after her shows. Her laughter was new, her jokes were exciting, and people were tired of watching the old troubled man night after night. "We like the new laughs and the way she makes us feel. She will be our new laugh giver who gives us a thrill." The man of great jokes stepped off of his stage; he believed in his laughter no more and was filled only with rage. Though older now, the troubled young boy was still inside. He had never escaped, he was always just along for the ride. "What was the point if only to be forgotten? Chasing the laughter but now it 's all gone." The troubled old man took his place in the crowd. He smiled outside but had no joy in his heart. The people around him were laughing as one. Down by his side a boy grabbed his arm. "Mister, one day all these laughs will be mine, I 'll have a stage, lights and a microphone to make me shine." Close Loading Video . . . A troubled young boy was looking for joy and so he laughed. When he laughed at mean comments and poked fun of himself-- he escaped the heartache, the teasing, the toils. Download Full Written Work

collected-thoughts_chris-knight_featjpg.jpg Loading Video . . . For a couple of summers, I worked as a private investigator, mostly just recording the comings and goings of people into an office building. Someone was suing someone else, and my job was to create a record that they either were or weren’t doing the things they said they were. What I offered was knowledge, information that could be used to make a point or draw a conclusion. But there were always limits to the information I could provide. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Ecclesiastes 1:8-13 Artist in Residence 2016: Chris Knight Part 2 By Chris Knight ​ 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 ​ June 13, 2016 For a couple of summers, I worked as a private investigator, mostly just recording the comings and goings of people into an office building. Someone was suing someone else, and my job was to create a record that they either were or weren’t doing the things they said they were. What I offered was knowledge, information that could be used to make a point or draw a conclusion. But there were always limits to the information I could provide. In the film I’m developing, those limits are slipping away. If it were possible for a person’s memories to be recorded, accessed, searched, we could know what they knew. Everything they knew. That kind of knowledge wouldn’t only be sinister — it would be an unprecedented historical opportunity to see, hear and understand what everyone alive has seen, heard and understood. The people who did it could describe themselves as the keepers of the greatest library the world has even known. What might begin as a voluntary way to ensure you leave your mark might quickly become compulsory, to make sure no data is lost. I’ve written what I think are going to be the two central scenes for the film — well, one scene and one sequence. The film is about a woman who doesn’t want to remember, doesn’t want to be remembered as she was. On the other side are the technicians whose job it is to record her history. I’m still not sure how these scenes will fit together. To begin with, they both take too long to get where they’re going. But more importantly, while I think they stand well next to each other, they need to integrate in some way. I’d like to avoid a simple cross­cut, since I think that would weaken the one long conversation. The conversation itself is having to do too much expository work, so another scene to establish the world and the rules might likely help. And right now things happen, but there’s no real trajectory to anything. So yeah, a plot would probably be a good next step. Read Chris Knight’s working script here . Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Chris Knight is a director and writer based in New York City. His short films and feature scripts have been selected for a variety of film festivals across the country. Website Chris Knight About the Artist Artist in Residence 2016: Chris Knight Part 1 Artist in Residence 2016: Chris Knight Part 3 Carried from Jericho Artist in Residence 2016: Chris Knight Chris Knight Other Works By Follow the developmental journey of Chris' project by reading his first , third and final post as a 2016 Artist in Residence. Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This fantastic and unsettling creative piece from author Jeff Martin responds to Titus 1:5-14; 2:9-15; 3:8-14. Titus 3:8-14 Titus 2:9-15 Titus 1:5-14 Slow Belly By Jeff Martin ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2018 ​ ​ Creative Writing Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ Poor Titus. Think about what he’s been asked to do in this letter – find job candidates who are not only holy and just, but who are also blameless (“a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God”). It’s a tall order at best, a laughable one at worst, since how many people can say unequivocally that they’re entirely without blame? It got me thinking about what that job application would look like in our HR-driven modern era, and the fact that the very first question would necessarily have to be, “Are you blameless?” The other requirements are equally demanding: Are you holy? Are you just? Are you righteous? In other words, exactly the kinds of questions that the truly holy, just, and righteous would probably never answer yes to. It was both interesting and frightening then to write a story about someone who would answer yes to those questions and fully believe he was in the right in doing so. I say "frightening" because it strikes me that it's precisely this reaction – assumed, but unexamined, righteousness – that's brought our political discourse these days to a full stop, a stop the vast majority of us, myself included, are likely complicit in. Political sentiments aside (if that can be done these days), it’s a strange story for sure. What I wanted the narrator to have the experience of, but never understand – the understanding is for the reader – is that he can believe himself to be holy and just all he likes, but God is still going to remain maddeningly mysterious, maddeningly unexpected, always near, always far. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Jeff Martin co-directs the UVA Young Writers Workshop and has been published in New England Review , Alaska Quarterly Review , and No Tokens Journal , among others. Find more of his work online at readjeffmartin.com . Website Jeff Martin About the Artist Winebibber Jeff Martin Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art Bishopric Application Posting Number: 19213 Are you blameless? View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Bishopric Application Posting Number: 19213 Are you blameless? Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . I read a devotional recently that touched upon our disposable culture. We are all too familiar with this in regards to our use of products, ever growing pace of production, and consumption of physical objects. Exodus 28:1-5 Exodus 28:29-30 Proverbs 19:20-21 Isaiah 50:7 Hebrews 12:2 Romans 7:15 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 1 By Melissa Beck ​ Credits: ​ Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2015 ​ ​ Installation, Film Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link ​ March 30, 2015 I read a devotional recently that touched upon our disposable culture. We are all too familiar with this in regards to our use of products, ever growing pace of production, and consumption of physical objects. However what fascinated me beyond that was the connection to disposability in the more intangible things, our relationships and commitments, which is something far more consequential. A quote from the devotional: “…Many times true commitment in relationships is seen as optional. Marriages struggle to survive. Long term employees are discharged just before retirement for cheaper options….It seems as if nothing lasts.” I began thinking about commitment versus disposability as well as temporal versus permanent. I find it interesting how we often opt for temporal or disposable commitments to each other, to our goals, to our convictions, to our Lord. Yet at the same time, we were made for eternity, we believe in loyalty, we long for committed relationships and need them. However no one is exempt from this struggle of keeping promises or not letting commitments fade out. It is a constant battle within us. For me personally, reading this devotional hit home as I realized that I often make commitments to myself and to God that I don’t keep. So often I decide to face my fears and complete a project, focus on developing a good habit, or even something more invisible as being aware of my own selfish attitudes. While I believe heartedly in these good things, I find that after a brief time of establishing a commitment I have long forgotten about them or feel less convicted and let them slip into the periphery of my life. Why is it that we so often dispose of what we truly deem as of utmost importance? For this yearlong residency with Spark and Echo Arts, I will create a series of works that will explore the struggle and beauty of this battle we each face. Each piece will be tied to a Bible verse or verses that I personally feel holds the heart of this reality and yet inherently explains universally what we all face in some way. I have spent the past few months both being inspired and wrestling with how to connect my own artwork with the Bible and how to bring that forth to speak to an audience. After many late nights of trying to pin down vague inspirations and contemplating the feelings around these concepts, I’ve honed my ideas into four concrete pieces. These will come in the form of sculptures, performance, video, and a documented event. Although I am setting out to make these specific works, I anticipate things will change, but even in that lays some truth about making commitments and what time does to that. More on this will be explored later. I am very excited to see these ideas become reality, to move from my personal warehouse to the public sphere, and to experience dialogue with others of how these works relate to personal lives, communal living, and the specific stories we each carry. Disposable Commitments, Melissa Beck “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15) This first piece, while simple is a pertinent way of sculpturally manifesting this idea of “disposable commitments.” Porcelain china dishes are stacked in a plastic bag, taking the place of disposable foam plates. Two similar yet vastly different entities juxtaposed. Dishes that are long lasting, intended to be used over and over have been cheapened to mere disposable plates. What was intended and made to last a lifetime has become temporal and discarded. As a sculpture artist, I am drawn to objects and things in the visible world that when arranged in a certain way or setting reflect an invisible truth or reality. It helps me to see what is beneath the surface in our lives, but is most definitely there. I could have used any objects, but dishes reminded me of a marriage. Permanent not disposable dishes are a traditional gift at weddings because they symbolize two becoming one for the long haul. In this commitment is a lifetime promise to not just experience and create dreams together but also to do the mundane daily life of eating meals, cooking, cleaning, entertaining guests, and continuing routine together year after year. Yet this ultimate commitment, which is esteemed as the most committed relationship two people can have, is often reduced to less. It is cheapened, abandoned, severed and lost. Even in our loyalty to friends or goals, sometimes they start out as permanent in our minds and souls, but somewhere along the line they seem to fade, blending into the periphery of our lives and being cluttered among other discards. In photographing this piece, I found that the stack of dishes amongst trash blends in quite easily. The colors mesh with the environment and yet there is something odd about these china dishes inside a plastic bag. It isn’t right. It isn’t right because we know these plates like our commitments were made for more and yet we constantly battle to keep ourselves from doing the very things that cause us to discard of our commitments. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection ​ Melissa Beck ’s work explores elements of the everyday redefining the familiar in unexpected ways so as to reawaken our eyes to what is often overlooked. She is an emerging artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. Melissa grew up in Los Angeles and San Diego. She achieved her MFA in sculpture at Pratt Institute and graduated in 2013. Her dream is to create large-scale public artwork and to become an art professor. When Melissa isn’t making art, life for her consists of freelance sewing and display work, nanny-ing, dancing, laughing with her friends, visiting the California sun and taking life one step at a time with her Creator. Website Melissa Beck About the Artist Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 2 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 3 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 4 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Breadth Melissa Beck Other Works By View Melissa's second , third , fourth and final posts to follow the development of her 2015 Artist in Residence project. Related Information View More Art Make More Art ​ View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . ​ Download Full Written Work