The display shown here, as it has been appearing this month during a series of talks about Marriage and Celibacy and the community in the Church. the title is "Imitating God: Becoming like Jesus in Marriage and Celibacy". I enjoyed the contributions of multiple artists, all of us part of the same Church body, yet so different in life experience.
I am including a post written by the artist who headed up the project and created the art based on a traditional iconic image of the Resurrected Christ pulling Adam and Eve out of the grave.
Here is a link to view Laura Tabbut's artwork and her complete writing on the subject.
(the following is quoted from Laura Tabbut in a blog post)
"The Assignment"
Part of imitating Christ is acknowledging the fact that God created us as creative beings. When God created Adam and Eve, He gifted them with imagination and an appreciation for beauty. At Church of the Resurrection we seek to use our artistic and creative gifts to help lead others into the presence and worship of our God. In the middle of September, the worship arts team gathered a group of artists to begin creating art on the theme of imitating God and becoming like Jesus in marriage and celibacy. Seven adult artists worked in collaboration with four children to create artwork for the marriage sermon series. These artists include: Lois Easley, Brittney Dunn, Matthew Larson, Michael Skura, Laura Tabbut, Janice Wood, and Ray Wu. The artists were given the traditional iconic image of the resurrected Christ pulling Adam and Eve out of their graves for inspiration. However, the artists were allowed to develop their own artistic ideas apart from this image. After painting, the canvases were collected and attached together in the shape of a cross.
Part of imitating Christ is acknowledging the fact that God created us as creative beings. When God created Adam and Eve, He gifted them with imagination and an appreciation for beauty. At Church of the Resurrection we seek to use our artistic and creative gifts to help lead others into the presence and worship of our God. In the middle of September, the worship arts team gathered a group of artists to begin creating art on the theme of imitating God and becoming like Jesus in marriage and celibacy. Seven adult artists worked in collaboration with four children to create artwork for the marriage sermon series. These artists include: Lois Easley, Brittney Dunn, Matthew Larson, Michael Skura, Laura Tabbut, Janice Wood, and Ray Wu. The artists were given the traditional iconic image of the resurrected Christ pulling Adam and Eve out of their graves for inspiration. However, the artists were allowed to develop their own artistic ideas apart from this image. After painting, the canvases were collected and attached together in the shape of a cross.
“Out of the Mouths of Babes”
Noel, one of the fo
ur children involved in the project, created a unique painting about his family. When I, Laura, first met with Noel to work on his painting, I was quite astonished by the initial sketch he created for his final painting. I had suggested to the kids that they should draw a picture of what they thought family was all about. Completely out of the blue, Noel brought me a picture a pomegranate to paint on his canvas. I thought I would be seeing a picture of his family or his new baby brother like all the other kids had drawn. When I asked him why he had chosen to draw a pomegranate. He said to me: “Well, the pomegranate is like a family. It is one fruit, but it has lots of seeds in it - like grandmas and grandpas, moms and dads and kids! And a pomegranate is like the church.” In the early Christian art of the catacombs, the pomegranate was used as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and the Christian hope for eternal life. Later, the pomegranate was used to symbolize the church with many seeds unified in one fruit. With his pomegranate painting, Noel added over two thousand years of artistic tradition to this collaborative artwork.
The image of the pomegranate is one that I myself would like to explore in a future work!
Noel, one of the fo
ur children involved in the project, created a unique painting about his family. When I, Laura, first met with Noel to work on his painting, I was quite astonished by the initial sketch he created for his final painting. I had suggested to the kids that they should draw a picture of what they thought family was all about. Completely out of the blue, Noel brought me a picture a pomegranate to paint on his canvas. I thought I would be seeing a picture of his family or his new baby brother like all the other kids had drawn. When I asked him why he had chosen to draw a pomegranate. He said to me: “Well, the pomegranate is like a family. It is one fruit, but it has lots of seeds in it - like grandmas and grandpas, moms and dads and kids! And a pomegranate is like the church.” In the early Christian art of the catacombs, the pomegranate was used as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and the Christian hope for eternal life. Later, the pomegranate was used to symbolize the church with many seeds unified in one fruit. With his pomegranate painting, Noel added over two thousand years of artistic tradition to this collaborative artwork.Bring It All Together
The unique quality of this artwork is that eleven people created very different images, and yet they all work in a harmonious dialogue. Together they create an energy that is greater any one of the individual images. Whether married, celibate, or a child still growing up, God has profound things to teach us, and very unique journeys for all of us. Art by Laura Tabbut, Written by Laura Tabbut
The unique quality of this artwork is that eleven people created very different images, and yet they all work in a harmonious dialogue. Together they create an energy that is greater any one of the individual images. Whether married, celibate, or a child still growing up, God has profound things to teach us, and very unique journeys for all of us. Art by Laura Tabbut, Written by Laura Tabbut
The image of the pomegranate is one that I myself would like to explore in a future work!
