Group Art & Worship Events

Once in awhile I get the wonderful opportunity to be a part of group Art & Worship events. VineArts has facilitated several of these over the years...to different groups of people in different venues for different occasions...but always for the purpose to help people experience an intimacy with God & their fellow human being in a creative way. Many of these people aren't comfortable with artistic expressions...or don't consider themselves artists...BUT we believe that everyone is creative (because God-the ultimage creator-created us in his image and we all have his creativity in our genes...creativity isn't just drawing, painting, or sculpting). Also, many people arent' familiar with creative expression as a viable form of worship to God...BUT we believe that worship is in everything we do and say...we were created to worship Him...and so whenever we do things from our hearts (even if it's expressing love to another person....or expressing joy through creating art) we are allowing ourselves to worship. So yesterday I got to be a part of an Art & Worship event that VineArts facilitated at a local university in the Boise area. We met with around 60 students for this event. We provided everything (canvas, paints, supplies, etc.). The event began with blank canvases that we stretched, primed, and prepared with outlined images for the group to paint on. We as the leadership are there in the background to help pour paint on pallettes, change out water for the brushes, and occasionally encourage a participant.

We invited people to come and paint on the canvases together side by side (they could use whatever colors they chose). The only rule was they can't destroy something someone else painted...but they could add on or enhance it. This is a practical lesson in working together for a common purpose.

Music, coffee, refreshments, and an ambiantic setting was provided to help the participants feel comfortable to create together. One of our VineArts leaders spoke out encouraging words, read poetry, and shared heart to heart stories of life with the group throughout the event.

It's an incredible experience to watch so many individuals come together side by side and create something so beautiful together...there were no directions on how to...it all just developed naturally.

Here are the finished canvases after only 3 hours!

Once the students left to go to lunch, our team got busy with clean up and also cutting up the 3 canvases!!!! Yes!!! I read that right!!! We cut the canvases off the frames and then flip them over, grid them out and cut them in squares!!

Each person who participated gets to take one of the squares home with them (they are randomly distributed)...as a memento of the event...but also as reminder that their individual piece is vitally important to make up the big picture...and they also need each other in order to have the entire picture. It's an amazing lesson in the importance of community and our own purpose in this life.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a part of these kinds of events (and I don't even do any painting!!!)....it's so cool to talk with the participants and find out how impactful such a simple experience is in their lives and it's also such a fun experience for those of us on the leadership team as we work together to put on the event and as we get to see God move in other people's lives.