ECVA Newsletter

April, 2006

 
 

eNewsletter Archives

 
 
Angels on High
By Dan Hardison
   
 

 

Wings of the Morning
Melissa J. Strickler
(Oil on canvas)

From the ECVA exhibition
Illustrating the Hours

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 

Celeste #1
Colleen Meacham
(silver gelatin print)

From the ECVA exhibition
Out of Darkness Into Light

If there is a common idea or concept that spans across the various religions of the world – it is the belief in angels. Angels appear in more than half the books of the bible and according to a 1993 survey, 69% of Americans believe in angels. Is it no wonder that angels have figured so strongly in works of art throughout history?

The word "angel" means, "messenger," and angels most often appear in scripture as messengers of God or to perform specific divine tasks. As children, we learn about angels through stories such as Daniel and the lion’s den, Mary learning that she would bear a son named Jesus, and Christ’s resurrection from the tomb. In addition, we are given the names of some of these angels such as Gabriel and Michael.

Angels have long been a favorite image during Christmas, but in recent years, there has been a growing fascination with angels. This fact has even appeared in the comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes” when Calvin observes, “I think angels are everywhere.” A surprised Hobbes asks, “You do?” To which Calvin responds, “There’re on calendars, books, greeting cards, almost every product imaginable.” Hobbes can only reply, “What a spiritual age we live in.”

Angels have been described as being entirely spiritual. An angel has no material body and is apparently genderless – although they are usually referred to as men in scriptures. Yet, they are neither ghost nor spirit. There has long been debate on the role of angels in our lives and just how an angel might appear. It is here that artists have been free to interpret angels in their work. If there is a common element in the portrayal of angels, it is their wings.

With limited information from the Bible, angels are often misrepresented in popular culture. Nevertheless, whatever our belief or interpretation, there is comfort in the idea that there is a being created by God to be a guide, messenger, and protector in our lives. As The Rev. George W. Jones wrote, “Sometimes little children are so precious that it is quite certain their angels are with them. And when on some infant’s head a curly wisp quivers, it is quite likely, the air has been fanned by an angel’s wing.

Dan Hardison
Editor, The Episcopal Church and Visual Art
Email: editor@ecva.org

 
     
  New at ECVA.org  
     
 
Multimedia

Easter Vigil: A Dramatic Performance

For the Easter Vigil at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Benjamin Privitt created dramatic interpretations based on readings for: The Story of Creation; Israel's Deliverance at the Red Sea; A New Heart and A New Spirit; and The Valley of Dry Bones. "It was something they had always wanted to do when they were in church and never thought was possible, until now.” More . . .

 

 
     
 
 
     
 
Liturgy Resources

Pentecost - Taking Flight
St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Greeneville, North Carolina

The Visual Artist’s Guild at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church conceived an aerial sculpture as a project for Pentecost. With the entire congregation participating, prayer doves took flight as a way to enhance their worship experience. More . . .

 

 
     
     
     
 

From the ECVA Registry:


Archangel Gabriel
Anne Pinkerton Davidson
Coldwater, Michigan
(Acrylic Gouache on hardboard panel)

  Remarques
The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts now has its own weblog or blog, "Remarques", online at www.ecva.blogspot.com. Remarques provides a welcoming place for discussion without having to receive a flurry of email messages. For more information, please click here.

Registry
If you are an artist, part of an organization, or just an individual with an interest in the arts, please join our registry. ECVA Registry

RSS Feed
ECVA now offers a RSS feed for use in news reader programs. By subscribing, you will automatically be notified when a new ECVA newsletter is available at our Web site. Use the XML-based information linked to the button below and follow the instructions in your news reader to add a new channel. For more information, please click here.

 
 
  Submissions  
     
  ECVA is seeking submissions from artists and writers within the Episcopal community. All work should be based on the topics listed below. For examples of what we are looking for, view our current features online at www.ecva.org and view past features in our Archive. All submissions can be sent by email to editor@ecva.org or by postal mail to:

ECVA
PO Box 4765
Wilmington, NC 28406

Please include your name, desired contact information, local ECVA Chapter (if applicable), parish or other Episcopal Church community, and concise biographical information (optional).
 
     
 

Congregations
We are seeking stories about congregations with works of art. Please include information on the artwork, artist, church, and provide photos.

Community Arts
We are seeking stories about congregations or institutions using the visual art as part of their ministries or community outreach that incorporate the visual arts within the church. Please include information on how the project was developed, those involved, and provide photos.

Articles
We would like stories reflecting on the visual arts and its intersection with church life. Please include images on the topic.

Visual Essays
The concept is to feature an artist's work that was created as a series based on a single theme where the images tell the story. The theme is the choice of the artist and could be anything related to the church, worship, or that is inspirational. We would prefer five or more images and an artist statement reflecting the work and the theme.

 

Illustrated Word
Writers are invited to submit up to 3 poems at a time for consideration. There is no limit in length, though the shorter, the better. Previously published poems are accepted. After a poem has been selected, a work of art will be selected as an illustration for the poem. The poem and image will be posted together at the Web site.

Multimedia
We are seeking multimedia presentations that bring together image, word and/or sound. Presentations could be videos or Flash graphics.

Resources
We are interested in art related projects designed to celebrate a season or holy day that is usually temporary and involves the members of the congregation in its creation. It could be something used during Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost.

Events and Books
Send us your news releases and information on upcoming events at editor@ecva.org. We will list the announcement on our Events Web page and in the News section of our eNewsletter.

eNewsletter
Writers are invited to submit short essays (300 to 600 words) for consideration in our monthly emailed newsletter.
The theme is the choice of the writer and could be anything inspirational relating to the visual arts.

 
     
 
 
     
 

The Worship Well
Church Publishing Incorporated has partnered with ECVA, the Office of Liturgy and Music, and the All Saints Company to provide an online community for conversation, collaboration, education, and the sharing of liturgies, images, music, art, multimedia, scripture tools, and more. The goals for ECVA are to increase visibility of ECVA and ECVA artists through The Worship Well; support increased use of art and image in worship and liturgy; and create support for ECVA artists in the areas of how to use art in church situations and how to ask for remuneration for the use of their art in church situations.
www.theworshipwell.org.

 
 
  About ECVA      
         
  The mission of The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts (ECVA) is to encourage artists, individuals, congregations, and scholars to engage the visual arts in the spiritual life of the church. ECVA values the significance of visual imagery in spiritual formation and the development of faith, and creates programs to support those who are engaged in using the visual arts in spiritual life.

To learn more about ECVA, please visit www.ecva.org.
 

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