Faith in the Arts

Today, Macclesfield based ceramicist, Rachel Ho introduces us to her fabulous ‘ Gift to the City' project, sparking all sorts of trains of thought. The restorative power of art. Artists as priests. Paying the bills. And, as a podcast first, today's episode is sponsored by a popular energy drink. Kind of.If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show Resources and References:Micah Purnell (text based artist) https://micahpurnell.com/Orla Gilkeson (painter) https://orlagilkesonart.com/Kate Nash's experience of the music industry- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwygdzn4dw4o.amp

What do you think of when you think of prophetic art?Does your mind instantly turn to the subversive power of beauty, energizing hope, alternate realities, toppling empire and the ministry of attentiveness? No? Well, perhaps you should spend an hour with Dr Mary McCampbell and the FITA team!If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.showResources and References:Books:Imagining our Neighbours as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy - Mary McCampbellThe Prophetic Imagination - Walter BrugemannThe Church and The Fiction Writer - Flannery O'Connor (included in the book ‘Mystery and Manners)Art and artists:Lakwena - Nothing can separate us- https://www.vigogallery.com/exhibitions/58-lakwena-maciver-nothing-can-separate-us-covent-garden-london/overview/Alvin Ailey Dance Company Victory Boyd (singer)The Handmaids Tale - Margaret AtwoodLife After God - Douglas CouplandMagnolia (dir Paul Thomas Anderson)Tree of Life (dir Terrence Mallick)Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet)Bible References:Matthew 23:13-39Luke 1:46-56 (Mary's Song)Isaiah 55Psalm 88

Today's guest is internationally acclaimed tap dancer, Andrew Nemr. He leads us on a riveting journey through the history of tap dance, the fracturing of the media landscape, sharing your process, the morning pages and recovering from burnout. Oh, and how art practice can serve as a model for Christian discipleship. To acquaint yourself with Andrew's work, visit andrewnemr.com and artistformation.com. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show Resources, artists and references Andrew's visual art- https://whatweleavebehind.online Kendrick Lamar- Watch the party die (for the more perceptive, you'll notice that this was recorded before GNX dropped) Yussef Dayes- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YASaUI9bhQY Savion Glover Steal Like An Artist- Austin Kleon The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Anselm Mcdonnell is back! Building on the last episode's focus on the avant garde, the conversation moves on to music in general. How is music different to other artforms and how does music specifically relate to Christianity? After all, it's just wiggly air, isn't it? If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show References Music at key moments in the Bible (Job 38:4-7, Luke 2:13-14, Revelation 14:1-3)

Whereas Christian artists are often known for playing it safe in the arts, today's guest, classical composer, Anselm Mcdonnell bucks this trend. His work is experimental and avant garde and that is where the conversation goes in today's episode. What is avant garde art, why does it matter and why should Christians practise in this area? To get an intro to Anselm's work, listen to his piece ‘Cross Purposes' - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjg0L1McnYk⁠ If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at ⁠hello@faithinthearts.show⁠. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website ⁠www.faithinthearts.show⁠ References Hutchmoot - Hutchmoot is a gathering of Christian artists and creatives that happens once a year in Derbyshire. We highly recommend it! ⁠https://www.hutchmootuk.com⁠ Olivier Messiaen - French composer, organist and ornithologist!

How can artists bring the sacred to the streets and what happens when they do? Our hosts are joined by Jason Leith, a Los Angeles based artist and the leader of Saddleback Visual Arts, to explore his work and the intersection between the humble and the holy, the seen and the hidden, the base and the transcendent and whether there will be a Starbucks on the renewed creation! If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show  Referenced resources and artists:  https://sacredstreets.org Vessels project - https://sacredstreets.org/projects/vessels/ Lord of Spirits podcast - https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/lordofspirits Saddleback Visual Arts - https://saddlebackvisualarts.com

AI is reshaping our world and its impact is being felt very keenly in the arts. Programs like Dali, Chat GPT and Sora have all been moving into the mainstream over the last year or so. Are they exciting tools to sharpen are artistry or do they signal the demise of the human artist? George Aytoun, head of design at Mccann Birmingham, joins the conversation to talk us through this revolution in the arts and the threats and opportunities that come with it. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show Referenced resources and artists: Pablo Picasso, Norman Rockwell, JMW Turner Travels in hyper-reality by Umberto Eco 'The Symbolic World' podcast (Jonathan Pageau) Genesis 4:17-22

Last time we talked about Ally's artistry and this time we're shining the spotlight on another one of our hosts: Marlita! We are focusing on her latest dance piece ‘We Need To Talk' and bashing around such weight themes as communication, embodiment and art as language, at times using collections of letters that may or may not be actual words. Prepare for much phenomenological viscerality! To get the most out of the episode (and also because it's brilliant) you'd do well to watch the piece yourself beforehand. You can find it here: https://marlitahill.com/we-need-to-talk  - If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through the link on our website www.faithinthearts.show 

We've talked about some great artists this season but this one is special as it's one of our own Faith In The Arts team. Today, we look at Ally's own art, focusing on the first major monograph of his career, Quodlibet and the paintings All the Postcards sent to my studio (2014) and Above and Below, Bowglass. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show Referenced resources and artists: Quodlibet by Alistair Gordon (monograph, 2023) https://www.anomie-publishing.com/alastair-gordon-quodlibet/ All the Postcards to my Studio by Alastair Gordon (2014) The Feet of Those by Alastair Gordon (solo exhibition, 2014) Planes by Alastair Gordon (2014) Thirty Feathers and one mouse by Alastair Gordon (2019) Above and Below, Bowglass (2023) Alastairjohngordon.com

We loved focusing on the Book of Revelation in the last episode so we decided to keep talking about it while throwing one of the greatest British artists of all time into the mix: William Blake. Join us on a whistlestop tour of William Blake's illustrations on the book of Revelation, focusing on the paintings The Ancient of Days, The Whore of Babylon and The Four and Twenty Elders casting their Crowns before the Throne. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show  Referenced resources and artists: The Ancient of Days (1827) - William Blake The Whore of Babylon (1809) - William Blake The Four and Twenty Elders casting their Crowns before the Divine Throne (1803-05) - William Blake Songs of Innocence and of Experience - William Blake Compare 2 Samuel 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 21:1 The four horsemen of the apocalypse- Revelation 6:1-8 (Zechariah 1:8-10)

Today, we're looking at by far the most popular piece of art in the series so far. It features in a literary anthology that is by far the best selling book in history. It's the book of Revelation by John! There will be beasts. There will be dragons. There will be absolutely no controversial opinions shared of any sort… (well, two out of three of those statements are true!) If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show Referenced resources and artists: On Fairy Tales- JRR Tolkien (essay) (available free online- google it!)

After a mid season break, the FITA team are back, discussing the work of painter Peter Howson. Peter's visceral, unflinching work sparks a discussion about artistic portrayals of good and evil, how becoming a Christian affects an artist's work and the wildness inside. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show   Referenced resources and artists: Peter Howson paintings- Prophecy, Swarm, Barrier Sunset, The Heroic Dosser and the album cover of ‘Throwing Copper' by Live Dante's inferno

We had the privilege of hosting a main session at Hutchmoot 2023 and here it is! Marlita, Ally and Jonny are joined by Andrew Peterson and Mark Meynell to talk about artistic community and give a bit of an introduction to their own artistic groups- Rabbit Room, Morphē Arts, Kingdom Artist Initiative and Sputnik Faith & Arts. This episode also features a live version of the song ‘Shine Your Light On Me' by Andrew Peterson. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show References and artists Pablo Picasso Frida Kahlo Vincent Van Gogh Lucien Freud Beyoncé David Caspar Friedrich- Wanderer above the Sea of Fog Bryan Eno JRR Tolkien- The Fellowship of the Ring Soulquarians (Inc the Roots, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu and J Dilla) Paul Gauguin J M W Turner Tony Wilson (the Hacienda, Factory Records) The Good Life Café (health food store that became known as a centre of an alternative hiphop scene in LA in the 1990s) L'Abri (www.labri.org)

When you think of Christian art, what's your first thought? Horror movies! Of course it is. Today, the team delve into the genre of horror through a conversation around Scott Derrickson's 2013 scarefest ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose.'  If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show  Recommended resources and artists: The Exorcism of Emily Rose Chicago Film Critics Association listed the film at #86 in their Top 100 Scariest Films Ever Made (2006) The Screwtape Letter by CS Lewis A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor The Wolf of Wall Street (Dir. Martin Scorcese) Judges 19 Revelation 14:20- blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. Hieronymus Bosch Psalm 88

In this episode, Marlita presents the 2013 album, Songversation by India Arie and it inspires a conversation about artistic success, how we relate to our audiences and what it means to be a good guest. Before listening why not check out the album? If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show  Recommended Resources and Artists: Songversation by India Arie 1 Corinthians 9:22- ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.'

Today, Ally introduces us to Vincent Van Gogh and Jonny and Marlita struggle with the Dutch language! Art isn't just worth talking about, it's worth feasting upon, so to get the most out of this episode, you should check out the two paintings ‘The Sower' by Van Gogh and ‘The Vision' by Paul Gauguin. (Links below) If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show   Recommended resources and artists: The Sower by Van Gogh https://tinyurl.com/ywejewra The Vision by Paul Gauguin https://tinyurl.com/yc49894r Still Life by Van Gogh Colossians 3:2- ‘Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things' Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (original hymn by Helen Lemmel) Paul Cezanne

This season, we're going to be basing our episodes around pieces of art and the artists that create them. Today Jonny introduces the album, The Big Day by Chance the Rapper and sparks a conversation about authenticity, expectations and language. To get the most out of this conversation, it would be good to give the album a listen or two if you haven't already. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show Resources, references and artists: Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper Romans 7:14-25 Philippians 3:8- I consider them rubbish (NIV)/ worthless (NLT)/ loss (ESV)/ dog dung (The Message). This word is skubala in Greek. Most scholars agree that this was an impolite word that meant excrement.

Ally, Jonny and Marlita are back! To kick the second season off, they catch up on how the faith and the arts conversation has moved forward in the last year, navigating AI, the London urban music scene and artistic isolationism. And there are puns. Lots of puns. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show Recommended resources and artists from this episode: JMW Turner, The Blue Rigi (1841-2) Apocalyptic Lockdown Blues- David Benjamin Blower Untitled (Black is)- Sault Raven Wilkinson

We asked for your questions and you sent in some crackers. Today Marlita, Ally and Jonny round off our first season by dealing with questions ranging from creativity, to art and culture, to personal humility. Although Season 1 is now finished, we are planning a podcast party soon, so follow us on Twitter or Instagram to hear more details. Resources and references: Morphe Arts (Ally) Faith and Work Mentorship for Artists (Marlita) Sputnik: Faith & Arts (Jonny) Renew the Arts podcast Peter and unclean food - Acts 10:9-23

Deconstructing faith is a contentious topic. Some see it as highly destructive, others deeply enlightening and, for others, it is an inevitability that every person of faith will have to face at one time or another. As we continue our episodes asking 'why we're still Christians?' Jonny opens on why he is still the type of Christian that he is and how his faith has changed in the last few years. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show

There can be a real tension between being an artist and being a Christian. An easy way to relieve this tension might be to stop being a Christian! So, today we ask Marlita why she is still a Christian. Prepare to have your heart warmed as she talks us through her faith journey, how she hears from God and why she wouldn't be able to know art without God. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website, www.faithinthearts.show.

There can be a real tension between being an artist and being a Christian. An easy way to relieve this tension would be to stop being a Christian! However, none of our hosts have taken that option. In the next few episodes, we ask them why, starting today with Ally. If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show. ___ References in this episode: Hans Rookmaker, 'Modern Art and the Death of a Culture' Francis Schaeffer, 'The God who is There' Radio 4 series: 'When things Fell Apart' Mark Noll, 'The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind' Robert Hughes, 'The Shock of the New'

Could it be that imagination is not only something that is important to artists, but is actually something that we all need: to be human, to live out our Christian faith and even to have any sort of understanding about God at all? In today's episode, Marlita, Jonny and Ally continue their exploration of the imagination, asking the questions: what is a Christian imagination and why is the imagination important? If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you like what you're hearing, please consider enabling us to make more episodes by donating to us directly through our website 'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website, www.faithinthearts.show Artworks mentioned: Thomas Aquinas (on religious language as analogy) The Pogues, Fairytale of New York

The imagination is a vitally important human faculty, but it is little understood, and often greatly marginalised in society and in churches. Ally, Jonny and Marlita start exploring this topic by asking: what is the imagination, and how can you develop it? If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you like what you're hearing, please consider enabling us to make more episodes by donating to us directly through our website, www.faithinthearts.show. Resources/artists mentioned: Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit Nederlands dans Theater (NDT), or The Netherlands Dance Company JRR Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings Flannery O'Connor, Wise Blood Basil Spence, Coventry Cathedral Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Last time, Ally, Jonny and Marlita explored how artists can help the church thrive in its relationship with the arts. This week they turn their attention to those of you who wouldn't consider yourself to be artists. How can we best make space, not just for the arts, but for artists themselves in our churches? If you'd like to join the conversation or to help us make more episodes like this, check out our website or email us at hello@faithinthearts.show Resources mentioned in this episode: The Visual commentary on Scripture — https://thevcs.org The Human Library — https://humanlibrary.org

How can churches thrive in their relationship with the arts? How can they become communities where artists can thrive too? In this week's episode, the FITA team explore ways in which artists can help churches towards this goal. And guess what - maybe it's not just about playing in the worship band! If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website.

Marlita, Ally and Jonny continue their survey of art from the Christian imagination in the last 100 years, crashing into questions like: Is the church vitamin deficient? Does God care about how a film is lit? And why has almost every musical innovation in the last half a century come from a particular section of the Christian church (and why doesn't anyone talk about this)? If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. We mention Patreon in this episode, and we've actually decided to go a different route for now - but if you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website.

Marlita, Ally and Jonny survey some of the art that has been fuelled directly by the Christian imagination in the last century. Is Christian art more about fuzzy felt and kitsch, or Kieslowski and Denzel? And what does that tell us about the church's relationship to the arts? If you'd like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. We mention Patreon in this episode, and we've actually decided to go a different route for now - but if you'd like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website.

The relationship between Christianity and the arts has always been one of extremes. For long periods of time and in different cultural settings, the two parties have got on fabulously: strengthening faith, promoting beauty, booming out an arresting prophetic voice and working for the common good. At other times… well, it's been a bit of a car crash. Recently, there has been a growing feeling that it's time to attend to this relationship again. Fix broken bridges. Re-examine sources of contention. Explore new ways to co-exist for the flourishing of all. Faith in the Arts is a new podcast that wants to move this conversation forward. And this is our pilot! We're raising money on Kickstarter to record, produce and promote the first season. In this first episode, we introduce the team: Marlita Hill, founder of the Kingdom Artist Initiative as well as a choreographer and author, residing in Southern California. Alastair Gordon, co-founder of Morphē Arts, painter and art tutor at Leith School of Art, Edinburgh. Jonny Mellor, co-founder of Sputnik Faith and Arts, hip-hop artist and church leader, living in Birmingham, UK. Marlita, Alastair and Jonny discuss what they love about the arts, how their experiences of faith spaces affected them, and why there is still need for conversation and encouragement among artists who belong to the church: why there's still room for one more podcast. If you enjoy the conversation, don't forget to support us on Donately!