Theme 1988: Art and the Bible
This Christian Artists week had each day a plenairy meeting in the format of a plenum. These plenums were done by key speaker Gerald Coates. This eigth year was related to having a wider look at art in the bible.
- The Bible is full of art and full of stories using the arts.
- Believers have though, based on their own interpretation, that making images was wrong. The Bible teaches that making images TO WORSHIP is wrong. So the problem does not lie in creating images (the visual arts). So other denominations have made great examples of art expressing aspects of faith and the Bible. You can find them in churches and musea around the world.
- In Old Testament and New Testament you find beatiful examples of singing, instrumental music, dance, visual arts, architecture, poems, litterature, performances, storytelling. Jesus must have been a great artists too, as He was using storytelling (as an art form) to communicate with his audiences. And we still like those stories after 2000 years.
- All these examples and its functions are a great challenge for every creative person today to invest in qaulity, in ongoing learning, in working on skills and content. The challenge is towards the best.
- So these Christian Artists seminars should be a help for those challenges.
- Welcomed was the growing percentage of visual arts, graphic arts, sculpture as part of the annual seminar, that has now 3 sections: music (all styles and forms), performing arts (all styles and forms) and the visual arts. The challenge is to start working on cross-over projects, integration, cooperation and mutual understanding.