Church and Religion Not On Their Radar Screens

I spent most of last Thursday afternoon and early evening in the Collins Library at the University of Puget Sound with the sixty artist books that had been chosen for the juried exhibit “Book Power Redux”. It was a power-filled time that I spent slowly and carefully reading the messages being expressed by artists who had created Artist Books addressing the realities of our social and political world for which they feel passion. (Disclaimer: My granddaughter, Sarah Mallory, was one of the sixty participants whose art book was among those was in the exhibit.)

The art books, all creatively crafted to express their particular message, filled me with a wide ranging mix of feelings. Their books called to my attention in deep and multi-dimensional ways these artists’ messages to us about race, diversity, gender, bullying, guns and gun violence, poverty, civil war, rape, affluence and family – and other social and political issues.

What was NOT on the radar screen as the focus of any of the 60 art books was church and religion. Every one of the art books was chock-full of spirit and passion about issues we, inside church walls, at least express some concern.

Savior, hear our prayer.

I wasn’t attending the exhibit as a reporter but as an interested visitor. Yet, I think I would have received a truthful and direct response from each of the artists present to these questions:

+ Why are you passionate about the issue you have creatively crafted into an art story to call our attention to care about this issue?
+ What are you doing to be actively involved with the issue about which you are hoping to raise our awareness?
+ How do you hope to be making a positive difference in how you and we (the we of the world) respond to this concern?

I challenge us, inside church walls, to be able to answer these questions as they relate to us and our Christian faith.

+ Why are you passionate about being a Christian?
+ What are you doing to be actively involved with with your life centered in Christian faith?
+ How do you hope to be making a positive difference as a Christian in action?

(Disclaimer: I am an admittedly proud grandmother of one of the exhibit participants.) I’m attaching granddaughter Sarah’s art book “Rise” as one example of the art books in this thought-provoking exhibit. Sarah’s book “Rise” calls our attention to the reality that 744 minors died from gun violence in the United States during 2013. Do we care? Why? 

Spirit and passion are highly expressive in all the art books created by these sixty artists. Where is our spirit and passion highly expressive within the life of the Church? Why isn’t church and religion a passionate political and social issue to be the focus of an art book? On whose radar screen is it a passionate issue?

Again, I ask, “Why are you passionate about being a Christian?” We are challenged to answer that question. Think about it.

The exhibit Book Power Redux will be “up” until 10/15 in the UPS Collins Library, main floor and just to the left of the main doors.

Go see it!


MaryAnn