Art 129 Prof. Lisa J. DeBoer Art Center 101 Fall 2008 Art Center T-Th 1:15-3:05 The Arts and Christian Worship “Churches and synagogues, museums and galleries, and community art programs are playing an increasing role in bringing Americans’ interests in the arts to bear on their questions for the sacred. In the process, new attention is being given to the religious imagination, and many people are experimenting with the arts in their devotional lives, at their houses of worship, and in their efforts to serve others. The consequences are sometimes profound.” --Robert Wuthnow, All in Sync, 2003, p. xiv “Common worship is the locus where the church’s distinctive vocabulary, narratives, and rituals are developed and enacted...as much as any other dimension of the church’s life, [worship] writes the ‘lived theology’ of the Christian community—that is, the theological vision that most believers live by, whether or not that vision matches that of official creeds, confessions, and classic texts.” --John D.Witvliet, Worship Seeking Understanding, 2003, p.17 “Looking at images, giving and receiving them, conducting prayer and Bible study before them, displaying them in the home, handing them on to the next generation—these are some of the iconic practices of belief, acts of visual piety….These are not mindless actions but embodied forms of cognition and collective memory that reside in the concrete conditions of social life.” --David Morgan, Visual Piety, 1998, p. 4 In the past generation, there has been a groundswell of interest in the intersection of the arts, and spirituality and worship. From detailed academic studies like Robert Wuthnow’s examination of artists and religious belief, to church groups gathering to read through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, to touring exhibitions like “100 Artists See God,” scholars, churches and artists alike are devoting enormous amounts of energy and creativity to the visual and tactile manifestations of religion, piety, and spiritual experience. In “Art and Christian Worship” we will address the historical and theological intersections of the arts in worship, with a special emphasis on the place of the visual arts. Beginning with some basic reflection on worship itself as well as a consideration of the place of art in different Christian traditions, we will then visit churches, speak with pastors, priests and lay leaders in order to see how the arts function within the context of worship. Over the course of the semester, students will be asked to think about the Christian doctrines, traditions and social contexts that have shaped their understanding of art, and reflect on how art and faith and worship intersect here at Westmont. During the last weeks of the semester, students will be asked to apply what they have learned in a very concrete way, researching and writing a grant proposal intended to address the intersection of Art and Christian Worship here at Westmont. Course Information Course Objectives The Arts and Christian Worship is intended to achieve four goals. • You should gain a more nuanced understanding of the historical and sociological roles that the arts have played in worshipping communities. • You should become more sensitive to the theologies enacted by or embodied in the various arts and their role in worship.Art 129—The Arts and Christian Worship 2 • You will practice the valuable skill of being genuinely participatory, and analytically engaged at the same time. Though we will practice this in the realm of worship, it is a skill that all thoughtful people need to develop. • You will be better equipped to understand, with generosity and gratitude, your own past experiences in worship and with arts in worship, and move into the coming years with a deeper awareness of the potentials and challenges present in all forms of Christian worship. Westmont’s Learning Standards Nearly every course at Westmont engages our six learning standards. But most courses also have a particular emphasis in a sub-set of those standards. Of the six standards, “The Arts and Christian Worship” is particularly engaged with two: Christian Orientation: “The Arts in Christian Worship” will give you sustained opportunity to learn about other parts of the Christian Church, both those that belong to the past, and those that share our present world. You will become more conversant with the historical development of Christian worship practices, with the theological and confessional frameworks that shape (and are shaped by) worship practices, and the crucial ways in which the arts are a part of that history and practice. You will become more appreciative of your own history in the Church, be that a long one, or a short one, a relatively smooth one, or a difficult one; You will be come more aware of how images and objects help us enact our faith. Finally, in the words of our learning standards, as a class, we will practice “pursuing these goals in a spirit of hospitality and invitation, rather than in a spirit of coercion, manipulation, or intimidation.” Active Societal and Intellectual Engagement: “The Arts in Christian Worship” will also provide you with an important opportunity to apply what you are learning to the needs of a real community—that of Westmont College. Writing a successful grant proposal requires a sympathetic understanding of Westmont and its needs, a clear grasp of the interests of the granting agencies to which we may apply, and a creative approach to finding a good match between our needs, and an agency’s interests. A successful grant is the mark of learning put to good use, for the benefit of others. Art 129 has generated two proposals. Not only were both funded ($15.000 and $11,700 respectively) but the granting agency chose both of them as “exemplary projects.” Westmont’s General Education Curriculum: “The Arts in Christian Worship” also serves Westmont’s general education curriculum by fulfilling the requirements for the “Competent and Compassionate Action” rubric of “Performances and Presentations.” As described above, writing a successful grant requires working at an advanced level and presenting this work to others—namely the granting agency. Each student in the course will take