Retreat for Pastors & Ministers to Artists 2011

I once again had the amazing opportunity to attend the Retreat for Pastors & Ministers to Artists at Laity Lodgehttp://www.laitylodge.org/laity-lodge-retreat-for-pastors-and-ministers-to-artists-2/ outside of Kerrville, Texas. It's a retreat specifically tailored for those of us who find ourselves in the mentor role to artists. There were under 50 of us from all various Christian denominations and from all over the States and the world, who share a similiar heart for artists, gathered at this intimate setting to connect & learn from each other.
Four of us leaders from the VineArts ministry http://www.vineartsboise.org/(under the umbrella of Vineyard Boise Church) embarked on this artistic adventure together. We were excited to share with others what we have within our VineArts community and to learn about what happening elsewheres in art ministries all over.


The retreat center is located in a remote river canyon miles outside of Kerrville, Texas. Laity Lodge can only be reached by driving through the Frio River...literally!!!

It's a beautiful setting for the chance to get away from it all (no cellphone coverage, no internet, no TV, etc.) and relax.
The retreat allows for plenty of mingling and conversing time around meals and free time. This was so valuable in order to connect with each other.


The speaking sessions were created to till the ground for conversations with each other throughout the weekend which fostered relationship and challenged ideas. Along with the main speaker sessions taught by David Taylor & Frederica Mathews-Green, there were workshops given on encaustic art, iconography, theatrical Scripture reading, art & faith in the marketplace, and a tour of an art exhibit about Rwanda in the gallery on site.
I enjoyed getting to know the caliber of people who attended. We were all on the same ground...no matter what our "titles" or "education" or "economic status" or "artistic background" or "faith denomination" was...we were all there for one common purpose to share in community.


They have an art studio at the center and we had the chance to take an encaustic workshop (the ancient artform of layering&fusing with beeswax) taught by Phaedra Taylor & Shannon Newby.

Daniel Domig from Vienna, Austria http://www.currentlynowhere.com/current/(an installation artist) led us in discussion about being artists of faith within the marketplace.

David Taylor http://artspastor.blogspot.com/(artist, author, and head of the retreat) spoke to us about character development as art ministers.

Frederica Mathews-Green http://www.frederica.com/(author, pastor, and wife to Gregory-an Orthodox priest) spoke to us about the importance of prayer & worship when creating art for the artist of faith.

Brooke Waggoner http://www.brookewaggoner.com/(singer/songwriter & musician from Nashville, Tennesee) shared some of her songs with us.

The grounds of Laity Lodge are layed out for the peaceful enjoyment of meditation & contemplative prayer while you stay.
The dock on the river offers swimming, boating, and picturesque beauty to soak up.

I got to kayak (which was a first for me) and had a blast during and after the retreat (as our team from Boise & a few others were able to stayover an additional night before our flights out).

I made some new friends & reconnected with friends I had met last year from all over the world as we shared in rich conversation around intimate meals and gorgeous scenery.
The retreat was once again a highlight of my year...a chance to get away and relax, a chance to meet new people, a chance to learn new things & be challenged, a chance to listen & hear God in regards to direction within arts ministry, and a chance to continue to step into my calling as an art minister/mentor (in & out of the church). I LOVE WHAT I GET TO DO!!!!

Creative Expression of Worship

okay...i am someone who enjoys traditional liturgical worship to God & modern spontaneous worship to God. and whether i'm in a traditional church (like an Anglican church)or a modern church (like a Vineyard church), and whether i'm in the States or another country...i enjoy worshipping with the Body of Christ...however that looks. but i do believe that the winds of change are blowing within in the Christian Church world-wide (regardless of the denomination or if it's Protestant or Catholic). there seems to be a "New Renaissance" taking place within churches around the world. the arts are breaking loose within the Church. what used to be relegated for "special services" or "Holy Day" emphasis is now being brought into the weekly worship experience more and more within churches today. no longer are people just singing songs & listening to sermons, people are allowing more interactive worship...there's a greater acceptance for creative & more Spirit led heart felt worship to God within church services. painting, dance, music, writing, photography, drama, film, sculpting, etc. and with the inclusion of the arts there seems to come an outpouring of people connecting at a deeper more authentic level within worship to God.

a couple of weeks ago i attended a weekend conference called ONE THING REMAINS. Jesus Culture musicians/speakers Kim Walker-Smith and Jake Hamilton led us to a deeper level of understanding God's love for us. during the worship times there were artists who painted to the music.

it was inspiring to say the least! i truly believe that we all learn & connect differently (God made us this way)...and the "model" of church for so long has reached a certain type of people (those who can easily experience God through singing a few songs & sitting & listening to someone speak). But there are so many more of us who learn & connect easier through other types of creative ways (utilizing all of our senses). when a church allows the arts to be a part of worship in a more kinetic way it opens the doors for so many more people to connect with God!

this painting was about the winds of change...

last night i traveled with a team of artists from VineArts to join another church for their worship service. it was so fun to experience worship so creatively! there was music & singing, painting, dance, art being created by everyone, and lots & lots of beautiful people of all ages, expressing their love, praise, thanks, and hearts to God in creative ways.

this was a dance troop called One Force that performed street dancing as a form of worship to God!

this little girl gave it her all as she painted as an expression of her worship to God!

this artist is from Pennsylvania! he flew out to Idaho to partner with us in the arts!

here i am doing what i love to do...paint as worship to God!

this painting was about recognizing the various stages of our lives and how God can use us to bless others within each.

this painting was about Christ the Savior (sacrificial lamb) and Christ the King (Lion of Judah)

this is the painting i created. i call it Furious Love. it's based on Psalm 107:23-31...about God being in the storm & in the calm. we cry out to him in our desperate need & his love stills our fears.

i'm excited to see more and more of the creative arts brought into the church!!! keep a watch out...cuz it's happening!!!

*photos taken by S.Coffield & J.Rold & J.Nilo

VineArts Gallery Exhibit "Broken"

Here is a short video of the Opening Reception for the VineArts Gallery exhibit "Broken".

"The exhibit explores the state of brokenness and pain: having a broken heart, becoming broken over the reality of our own sin, the fallenness of this world, and our desperate need for a Savior; reflecting on how Christ willingly became broken because of His great love for us."

This is the VineArts Gallery 25th exhibit. With 63 artists submitting to the themed/juried show and almost 100 pieces of art...this is our largest exhibit we've installed in the 6 years we've been open.

The show will be up for 2 1/2 months. Please stop by and have a look through the gallery when you can. It is located in Garden City (Boise) inside the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Boise at 4950 N. Bradley St. It's open Tuesdays thru Fridays 9am - 5pm and Sundays 9am - 2pm.

As the VineArts Gallery Installation Coordinator I want to thank my installation team "The Gallery Grunts" and all those who had a hand in installing this exhibit and helping to make it such a success.

Upcoming Summer Art & Worship Conferences

photo from the www.jesuspainter.com

I know it's a long list of links...but take some time to click on each of them to check out what's going on this summer in the world of Art & Worship Conferences in the US (and I know I haven't even found them all! most of these are in the West)...so much to choose from!

I personally will be attending the One Thing Conference at Vineyard Meridian (Meridian, Idaho) in May, the Retreat for Pastors & Ministers to Artists at Laity Lodge (Kerrville, Texas) in May, the CIVA bienniel conference at Biola University (LA, California) in June, and the Cultivation Generation Conference at Vineyard Boise (Boise, Idaho) in August.

AND I have artist friends who will be attending those and also the School of Supernatural Creativity at Bethel Church (Redding, California) in May, and the School of Prophetic Arts at Christ Church (Kirkland, Washington).


http://www.vineyardmeridian.com/calendar/upcoming-events/one-thing-remains-conference/

http://www.laitylodge.org/laity-lodge-retreat-for-pastors-and-ministers-to-artists-2/

http://www.ibethel.org/events/2011/02/bethel-school-of-supernatural-creativity-redding-ca

http://www.schoolofpropheticarts.org/

http://civa.org/resources/civa-events/2011-biennial-conference/

http://www.cultivationgeneration.com/conference/index.html

traveling worship painters

last night a team of artists from VineArts in Boise made a short roadtrip to Onatario, Oregon to join with a small church, (Christian Life Fellowship) there that has an arts ministry (Echo Arts) that was birthed out of VineArts, for an evening art & worship service. while their worship band played and led the congregation in song for almost 2 hours, three of us created paintings as a part of that worship leading. partnering with the Holy Spirit and having worshipful hearts during these kinds of creative moments is key. the images and words that us artists created on canvas resounded with the people and God truly had some very specific things to encourage and impart them (that those of us from VineArts were unaware of on a conscious level). it's these kinds of moments that get me really excited because i get to see and hear God's heart for people in a real specific way...and it's so sweet to play a small part in that interaction.

this artist is from Oregon and she is interning with VineArts to learn more about art ministries...this was her first time painting during worship. she poured her heart into it.

this artist is on our VineArts leadership team. she has painted during worship in many churches here and overseas. at one point while creating this painting she got people to become part of the process...she painted their hands and let them place their handprints on the canvas.

here i am in the process of creating the first layer of the painting i was doing. i painted several layers throughout the night.

this painting is all about God releasing the harvesters to the harvest.

this painting is all about God calming the storms in our lives.

this is what the painting ended up looking like once i was finished. it's based on Malachi 3:10..."bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." i had the sense that God was wanting to tell them that if they give all of themselves to Him, He will honor that and release so much in their lives...whatever, however that would look like.

*photos taken by j.nilo

How to Start an Arts Ministry in Your Church

Reposted from:
http://jscottmc.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/how-to-start-an-arts-ministry-in-your-church/

How to Start an Arts Ministry in Your Church
February 1, 2011 at 7:05 pm
By J. Scott McElroy and Jessie Nilo

Imagine if the local church became the place in culture to experience beauty, imagination, creativity and transcendence.

It is possible.

Hundreds of years ago churches were, in many ways, centers for these experiences. Somehow, over time we’ve abdicated that role. Now, many churches are moving in that direction again and there’s a growing desire to begin developing creative arts programs. (See Notes 1.)

The arts are inextricably intertwined with our culture. The average person encounters performance, music, design, image and the media arts daily, even hourly. Most churches would like to become more fluent in the use of the arts in order to communicate truths about God more effectively. That’s a worthy goal. He designed the arts to jump over our barriers, slip past our intellect, and penetrate our hearts and souls. But God’s value of the arts goes beyond human thoughts about how they could be “useful.” He values them because He IS beauty and creativity. Whether His beauty and creativity are expressed in nature or through the arts, embracing them enables us to more fully understand His personality and enjoy His presence.

Many in the Church are recognizing that God is now calling us to reclaim the arts and integrate them and artists into our worship and outreaches. But most churches around the world don’t currently have an arts ministry or programs, though there are talented artists in their congregations. If God has been nudging you, speaking to you about incorporating the arts into your church, here are a few thoughts on how to get started. Part One offers tips for Pastors and Leaders, Part Two for Artists.

Part One: For PASTORS AND LEADERS who want to start an arts ministry, program or outreach at their church.

1. Start praying now about what God wants to do with the arts at your church. Just as pastors have specific messages from God for their congregations at specific times in history, so it is with the artists He has planted in your congregation. As you train them to hear God’s voice they will bring powerful messages that enhance what He is doing in your congregation. Read a book like Finding Divine Inspiration or Heart of the Artist to better understand how to disciple and encourage artists. The arts have endless applications in ministry. They can enhance worship, illustrate or enhance ideas and concepts, stir emotions, add beauty, enliven outreach and intuitively communicate God’s messages. (See Notes 2 for ideas.) Ask God to give you a vision for what He wants to do through the arts in your church.

2. Pray for the right person to lead your artists. You want an arts ministry to develop naturally, in God’s timing and to not be forced. Arts leaders can be difficult to find. Your ideal arts leader will need to be a mix of pastor and administrator. Their pastoral tendencies will be important to shepherd, encourage and understand the artists, and thier administrative skills will help with the follow-through that artists and artistic projects need. It’s helpful if the leader has artistic talent, but not necessary as long as they understand the creative temperament. Make a commitment to disciple this person; they will be a huge asset to you and your church. (See Notes 3).

3. Invite Artists to meet and pray. Put a notice in the bulletin inviting interested artists and creative types to meet at the church or a nearby coffeehouse to pray and talk about possibly starting an arts ministry. Use the time to gather contact information and circulate a survey. (See Notes 4 for survey). Share the vision God has given you for the arts in your church. You might also take some time during the meeting to brainstorm and listen to God together, asking Him how you can collaborate with Him through the arts to bring His messages to your congregation. (See Notes 5).

4. Understand where they are coming from. Many artists have been offended by the church or Christians. Just spending time with them will help heal that. You will bless them immensely if you take the time to pray for each of them individually at some point during the meeting. As these artists flourish, your congregation will flourish.

5. Later, when you have an Arts Leader, have them call a meeting–which you attend–to talk about specific arts project you and they want to do. Your attendance will help commission them and clarify direction. NOTE: It is important to meet at least occasionally with your arts leadership. Discuss difficulties, challenges and dreams they have. Give them a list of dates, topics or services you’d like to see the arts integrated into. MAKE SURE you’ve spent time listening to them first. If you give them ideas first they may be overloaded. Help them to set up a plan for discipling the artists in their care. Let them know you and the church stand behind them.

Part Two: For ARTISTS who want to start an arts ministry, program or outreach at their church.

1. Start praying now for God’s guidance. First, it’s important to take some time to pray through what role God would have you play in starting or facilitating an arts ministry. You want to ask Him to check your motives, prepare your heart and confirm if He is calling you to step out and initiate or lead. Ask someone else to pray with you about integrating the arts in your church, and for God to open the doors. You want this to happen naturally, in God’s timing and to not be forced. (See Notes 6 for prayer inspiration and direction).

2. Talk with someone in leadership about integrating the arts into your church. Get some input from leadership. Your Senior Pastor may or may not be the person to approach to start this dialogue; it may be the Worship Pastor or maybe an elder who “gets” you. Many churches are somewhat entrenched in the “way we always do things,” so you need to be patient, respectful, and trustworthy in your approach. If your church is more open to the arts, explore where leadership would like to go with the arts in the future. Ask for dates when arts projects would fit in to services. Get permission to hold a meeting for artists, if that seems to be the next step.

3. Invite Artists to meet and pray. See if you can put a notice in the church bulletin inviting interested artists and creative types to meet at the church or a nearby coffeehouse to pray and talk about what integrating the arts into your church might look like. Use the time to pray, get to know each other, talk about possibly starting an arts ministry, gather contact information and circulate a survey. (See Notes 4 for survey). Talk about tentative dates for another meeting, possibly a repeating time once a month or once a quarter. Try to make future meetings a time to connect and be authentic with other artists. Pray for needs, for healing, for projects, for commissioning. Maybe anoint each person with oil, if you do that kind of thing, or have everyone place their hands on the person being prayed for. Foster connection! If you have a large group, break up into groups of 4 people or so.

4. Pray about a project or idea you might suggest during the meeting. It’s a good thing to give people something to do after you get them excited. There are many project ideas that can get your artists, the congregation and leadership involved. (See Notes 7 for ideas). If you have someone who can hold a workshop on an area of the arts, see if there is interest in that. You might also take some time during the meeting to brainstorm and listen to God together, asking Him how you can collaborate with Him in the arts. (See Notes 5).

Starting an arts ministry in your church can be a challenging process, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit it may become one of the richest and most enjoyable ministries your congregation has.
When the arts and artists begin to integrate into a church, that congregation becomes more complete and mature because the Body of Christ is operating as it should, with each part and gift building up the other. (Romans 12:4-6) (See Notes 8).

There is a renewal of the arts– a New Renaissance—that God is activating at this time in history. He wants to restore beauty, creativity, imagination and transcendence to their intended purpose, His glory. A reintegration of the arts into the Church and infusion of spiritually inspired art into the culture is underway and God is inviting you and your church to take your place in it.

Notes:
See a growing list of churches with Arts Ministries at http://TheNewR.org under, “The Arts in Your Church” , “Church Arts Ministries”
For more information, ideas and resources go to The New Renaissance Rising at http://TheNewR.org.
Revolutionary Leadership by Tri Robinson is a good book to read and pass on to arts leaders. See this article: Embracing the Arts in the Church: Pt. 2 for ideas on how to integrate the arts and maintain a standard of quality.
Arts Survey available at http://TheNewR.org in “Materials and Ideas”.
See the book Finding Divine Inspiration (http://FindingDivineInspiration.com) for more on leading artists to hear God’s voice.
“Prayers for the New Renaissance” provided at http://TheNewR.org in “Material and Ideas”.
See “Materials and Ideas” at http://TheNewR.org.
See this article, “The Arts and the Maturity of the Church”.

J. Scott McElroy is Founder and Director of The New Renaissance Rising, the author of Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity (Destiny Image) and Director of Arts at Vineyard Community Church, Indianapolis, IN. He blogs at http://jscottmc.wordpress.com. Reach him at: Scott@TheNewR.org.

Jessie Nilo is Director of Church-Artist Connections for The New Renaissance Rising, Founder and Director of VineArts, the arts ministry of Vineyard Boise Church. VineArts operates with a team of 13 leaders that facilitates arts workshops, mission trips, outreach, studies, a gallery and more. Their permanent studio is open weekly and provides space for the visual arts, writing, culinary arts, film, and design. Reach Jessie at : Jessie@TheNewR.org.

LUX & VineArts Partnership

The owners of the LUX Fashion Lounge have partnered with the leadership of VineArts to showcase VineArts artists in their stores. They have 2 locations. One is downtown Boise (on Idaho St.) and one is downtown Eagle (on old State St.)





VineArts leaders: Myself, Jessie Nilo, and Alyee Willets have all had solo art shows at the Boise LUX location over the past 9 months. And now we get the opportunity to showcase various artists who have displayed in our VineArts Gallery.





When we take a VineArts exhibit down from the our VineArts Gallery, to prepare for another exhibit installation, the owners of LUX will choose some selected works from the previous show to display in their 2 store locations for a month.






Our VineArts Gallery exhibits are juried and themed...and we usually get around 30-40 artists submitting (professional, emerging, and amateur, all ages) anywhere from 40-60 pieces of artwork (2D & 3D, all various mediums).





This partnership with LUX opens up opportunities for local artists to get more exposure in the Treasure Valley community and gives LUX the benefit of displaying local artwork within their stores, drawing in more people.



The month of February 2011 is our first joint exhibit.
You're invited to kick it off with us...

First Thursday in Boise: Opening Night 7pm at LUX downtown Boise
featuring 3 VineArts artists

First Friday in Eagle: Opening Night 7pm at LUX downtown Eagle
featuring 3 VineArts artists

VineArts Gallery Exhibit: Deep + Wide: Kingdom Breaking In

I've had the amazing honor of being the VineArts Gallery Installation Coordinator for several years now. I have a wonderful team of volunteers who work side by side with me to install our quarterly themed & juried exhibits. We open it up to all creative hearts who would like to submit artwork (of all various mediums). We've had artists from all over Idaho, the nation, and even the world submit to our gallery. We charge no entry fee. This is a gallery open to the professional and the emerging artist. We desire to connect art with people's hearts as a way of connecting with our Creator. If you're interested in our gallery exhibits and would like to know more about how to submit art you can go to the VineArts website: www.vineartsboise.org

Here is a short video of our opening reception for the new VineArts Gallery Exhibit: Deep + Wide: Kingdom Breaking In. We just installed this new art show that includes around 40 entries from around 30 artists from all over the Treasure Valley here in Idaho (and even Texas!) utilizing a variety of mediums and techniques. The theme of the show allowed artists to engage with and respond to the current sermon series at Boise Vineyard studying the book of Mark. The exhibit explores putting down deep spiritual roots through worship, prayer, and scripture, so that we’re empowered to reach out wide in loving, serving, and healing others.

Happy Birthday Jackson Pollock!

"Happy Birthday Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956)! The pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, Pollock challenged the artistic tradition of using an easel and brush by pouring and dripping paint onto canvases, creating groundbreaking works with a childlike quality which belied their stunning complexity and sophistication. Influenced by Picasso, Miró, and the Surrealists, Pollock revolutionized a style of painting in which the work has no identifiable parts or point of emphasis (abandoning the traditional idea of composition), painted with a stream-of-consciousness technique called psychic automatism. Driven by inner torment which compelled him to paint, Pollock attached large canvases to the floor, densely pouring, dripping and flinging paint (sometimes embedded with sand or glass) onto them with intense physical movement. This allover manner of Action painting was believed by artists and critics alike to result in a direct expression of the unconscious moods of the artist, leaving interpretation of the work created subject to widely varying interpretations. More than half a century after his death, Pollock's art continues to intrigue and inspire." ~Art.com

a Night to Remember

The Woman of Steel Gallery in Boise is featuring my art for a couple of months and last night was the opening party. The event was called "Art & Elegance". Along with my abstract expressionist mixed media paintings on the walls and metal sculptor & owner Irene Deely's metal artworks & a few other pieces from local artists throughout the gallery...there was live music & dancing. catered hors d'oeuvres. a wine bar. a cigar room. and lots of people who came to support the arts.

My 3 piece series titled "Have Your Way". acrylic, latex house paints, & paper on cardboard. Each piece is 26x30 and is priced at $600 each.

Here is my piece titled "Circumcision". latex house paints. acrylic. paper. objects. It is a 36x48 canvas and is priced at $900. The two pieces to the right of it are both 11x14 canvas. The middle one is titled "Water of Life" and the one on the right is titled "Alive". They are both priced at $150 each.

This piece is titled "Strong Tower" and is 16x20 canvas. oil. acrylic. latex house paint. paper. objects. stone. It is priced at $300.

There was a live band playing music for all to enjoy. Here they are bringing us some jazzy tunes in front of 3 of my paintings. The painting on the left is title "Change" and is a 24x36 canvas priced at $700. oil. acrylic. latex house paint. paper. The large painting in the center is titled "Holy" and is a 40x50 framed canvas priced at $1000. oil. acrylic. latex house paint. paper.

I enjoyed being able to mingle and meet people. Many I knew, but others I didn't know and it was wonderful to chat and experience a night of culture together.

Sometimes I love being incognito as people interact and engage with the art.

Here are some of my fellow VineArts artists enjoying the evening together.

Irene (the beautiful lady in the center of the photo facing forward) has such a unique and atmospheric art gallery. It allows for large events like this but creates an intimate setting for all to enjoy.

Cheers!!!!

What a night to remember! Thank you all who came out to the party to celebrate! I feel very loved and supported!