Through over a decade of commissioning Biblical art in this unique way, we have developed some fine-tuned processes for seeking and evaluating this special kind of expression. While still "more of an art than a science," we are careful, thoughtful and prayerful about the experience we seek to curate both for our artists as well as for our Bible readers. 

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In Brief:

We respect the artist, the Bible, and the audience. We ask each artist to approach the task of responding to the Bible with an open mind, to focus on the passage itself, to treat the text and our audience with respect. Likewise, we respect each artist by giving them the freedom to respond in their voice and not censoring their work or process. Finally, we ask our audience and patrons to approach each response with an open mind, with that same kind of respect.

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Through this approach we will all experience the Bible in a new way: we’ll hear a verse come to life in ways we never imagined, watch world-class artists wrestle with Scripture in powerful ways… thousands of times over. 

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In More Detail:

The primary guidance we developed is the three pillars of Respect: for the artist, the word, and the audience. 

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Deeply inherent here is the support for the artist to learn more about the scripture. 

 

We work with them to ensure theological integrity, consulting pastoral insight and other academic resources. 

 

We also stress to the audience and artist that if they read a verse for the first time and it viscerally comes alive to them and they want to create in that moment, that is a totally valid way to create and also has deep theological and artistic relevance. 

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This is something that makes this project unique. By communicating that culture and approach, we also communicate to both artist and audience that God’s Word IS alive and speaks to us in countless ways. So we try to validate and support the many ways you can respond to Scripture. 

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In addition, we've also defined "respect" as "an artist's respect for themselves." It encourages them to consider and evaluate if the work they're producing for Spark+Echo is matched to the nuance and quality of the full body of art they produce.

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We're particularly proud of the "Spark Notes," the artist's statement about their own work.  “I read the verse and it came alive for me in these ways because of the experiences I've had in my life.” These personal revelations have helped audiences tremendously to align and "settle in" to the art they find. We think those kinds of works are some of the most exciting, because even though we might not see similar things in that verse, we understand that something was there for them.

 

And that makes us want to peer into Scripture even more, through other lenses. What do I see? What is God saying to me? And even what did God say to me through your work?

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If the work is just challenging for an audience and skews from a “traditional” interpretation, we spend extra time with the artist's statement. Periodically, we include an “editor’s note” to help orient the audience.

 

For additional questions about the project or process, check out our FAQ, or feel free to contact us.

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