ECVA Newsletter

Late Have I Loved You
By Mel Ahlborn

From the ECVA Exhibition
Inside-Outside

Faithful Work
Message from Mel Ahlborn –
Chair, The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts

Have you noticed that many ECVA artists are working beyond the mere values of aesthetic beauty? ECVA artists use the process of art making to reflect on and work through their understanding of God. In conversation many artists have shared that their religious practice is closely related to and informed by their art. This is faithful work. The artists doing it “go where there is no path and leave a trail” (Emerson). Through the intimate perspective that faithful work provides, an atlas of spiritual inquiry is revealed to the visitors of ECVA exhibitions. New ways of knowing God, mediated through the sense of sight, are communicated through ECVA artists' hands.

As we begin 2005, the Episcopal Church and Visual Arts (ECVA) is proud to be tending to its own faithful work:

·	A new Committee on the Visual Arts, formed by a Resolution of the Executive Council in 2004, will serve the General Convention of the Episcopal Church through the Executive Council.

·	Thank you to all who have written about forming local chapters of ECVA. We will be getting chapter formation resources online for you in the Chapter section of the ECVA website during the first quarter of 2005. Last year new ECVA chapters sprang up in Boston; North Shore-Boston; Wichita, Kansas and the Diocese of New Jersey. ECVA chapters are emerging in 2005 in Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Virginia; New Hampshire; Fort Worth; Florida; Charleston, West Virginia; Portland; Texas; Mississippi and Atlanta. ECVA Chapters continue in New York City and San Francisco. I hope that each member of ECVA will start or join an ECVA Chapter in their area.

·	Will intentionally increasing the use of art in a congregation’s life have an impact on Christian formation? This and other related questions are the focus of ECVA’s Parish Program Task Force. The task force is preparing a parish program in spiritual formation through the visual arts that employs best-practices for Christian formation and pairs them with small group visual arts activities.

·	Did you know that ECVA operates primarily through the dedication of its volunteer board and associates? We give thanks for the estimated 2300 volunteer hours donated to ECVA projects in 2004.

·	During 2004, the ECVA website visitors received access to four major ECVA exhibitions. In addition, ECVA published more than a dozen vibrantly illustrated resource features. Check out the ECVA website Archives; you'll be glad that you did.

If there's something you think we should be doing more of, or less, or you'd like to help out, contribute time or money, join in or just chat, I'd love to hear from you – my studio is just outside San Francisco and the phone number is 925-631-1387. Together our faithful work is encouraging the visual arts in the life of the Episcopal Church.

Mel Ahlborn
Chair, The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts
illumination@earthlink.net

	Current Exhibition Behold All Things New Our new exhibition features work that was influenced by today's political, social, or economic issues. Curator, The Rev. Gurdon Brewster, invites us to "Look at these images: hope and longing, grief and joy, prayer and gratitude, outrage and compassion . . . and ask questions for yourself about what visual art in our time might contribute to the world and to those on a faith journey who seek to deepen their trust in reconciliation and hope as well as to enliven their compassionate engagement in the world." More . . .		Crossing By Brie Dodson

	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.		If you know someone who might enjoy our newsletter, please forward this issue to them so they can learn what is happening at ECVA. To subscribe, visit www.ecva.org/newsletter.htm and enter your email address.