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Loading Video . . . "There Is Room" was composed by Jonathon Roberts as a tribute to the composer's piano teacher, integrating his favorite verse of John 14:1-4 with themes from the classical works they studied together. John 14:1-4 There Is Room By Jonathon Roberts Credits: Words and Music by Jonathon Roberts Musicians: Jonathon Roberts, piano, voice; Emily Clare Zempel, clarinet Recording and mixing by J Scott Hinkley Filming by Michael Markham Mastering by Christopher Colbert Location: Clocktower Lofts, Bronx, New York Curated by: Jonathon 2013 Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link This song was written for Gustav Abrahamson, my piano teacher and most steady musical influence throughout childhood and high school. Just about any piano skills and good habits I’ve held on to through the years are thanks to Gus. The song quotes two of our favorite pieces we worked on together, Chopin’s “Raindrop” Prelude Op. 28, No. 15, and Grieg’s Nocturne Op. 54, No. 4. This spring, after hearing a Spark & Echo concert, Gus said something like, “ You know Jonathon, my other star pupils have composed and dedicated major works to me over the years, for wind ensembles and so on…” He continued, “Just so you know, my favorite verse has always been ‘In my father’s house are many rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you…I will come back to take you to be with me where I am…’ because of the promise to us.” That is quite a promise. Gus this song is for you; you taught me how to play the piano, and I’m forever grateful. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection J onathon Roberts is a composer and sound designer for games, film, theatre, and ensembles. His style grew out of classical and jazz training, and evolved through quality life adventures: touring the country in an RV with a one person theater piece on the Apostle Paul, living in Brooklyn with an improv music ensemble, performing in a downtown NYC absurdist comedy band, and a long stint writing music for the renowned slot machine company, High 5 Games. He has released four albums including the latest, Cities a song cycle personifying biblical cities. He created the popular podcast/web series ComposerDad Vs. Bible , in which ComposerDad accepts intense compositional challenges from a mysterious Bible while out with his kids. He frequently collaborates on music and theater projects with his wife, actor Emily Clare Zempel. They live in Beacon, NY, with their two boys and a tangled box of electrical cords. www.jonathonroberts.com Website Jonathon Roberts About the Artist Loving Arms I Make Tents The Sower Response These are My Sons Consider Me a Partner Weakness The Day Is Almost Here Surrogate Babbler Remember Me Prayer How Beautiful I Am a Fool The Constant Ecclesiastes Cows Blessing Fools for Christ More Than Rubies Only a Few Years Will Pass Dear Friend Jonathon Roberts Other Works By This album is part of the Spark+Echo Band's video album In the Clocktower . Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Fools for Christ is a composition for saxophone quartet, voice, and electronics setting some of Apostle Paul's more intense words, primarily from his letter to the Corinthians. It is part of the larger theatrical production, Project Paul. 1 Corinthians 4:8-21 1 Corinthians 4:3 1 Corinthians 6:12 Acts 26:24 Acts 20:31 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Galatians 4:12–16 Galatians 5:15 Fools for Christ By Jonathon Roberts Credits: Saxophone Quartet: Chris Clouthier, Allison Davis, Mark Determan, Kim Reece // Voice (Apostle Paul): Jonathon Roberts // Additional Voices: Jacob Allen, Paris Brown, Charlie Christenson, Anneliese DeDiemar, Brendan Marshall-Rashid, Maryl McNally, Aram Monisoff, Emma Sweet, Delilah the Guinea Pig // Image: Scott Baye // Additional Text: Christy Bagasao // Artist Location: Wisconsin Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2005 Music (Saxophone Quartet, Vocals, Effects), theater, performance Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Fools for Christ was originally composed for saxophone quartet and voice, setting part of the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. It was then reworked through electronic processing as part of my multimedia theater piece Project Paul . In his travels Paul used a variety of methods to speak to different groups of people depending on what he thought they needed to hear. Sometimes he used kind words of encouragement, other times sarcasm and humor. In the case of “Fools for Christ”, he spoke with intensity, frustration, discipline and even anger. It’s important to remember that at the root of all is his words is love. He loved the Corinthians and was trying to reach them in any way possible with the hope and love of Jesus that had been shown to him. The piece begins with a montage of Paul’s more intense words. The driving sounds accompanying the first half of the piece are a combination of sampled instruments, vocal effects, toys and one guinea pig named Delilah. Excerpts from a choral setting of Psalm 46, a jazz ensemble version of the hymn “Oh, Sacred Head Now Wounded”, and some of my other compositions are woven together in this collage. The soundtrack of the second half of the piece features a recording of saxophone quartet (playing the original live concert version of “Fools for Christ”) that has been distorted. As Paul’s stern message warms in love, so the saxophones’ distortion is stripped away revealing pure tones. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection J onathon Roberts is a composer and sound designer for games, film, theatre, and ensembles. His style grew out of classical and jazz training, and evolved through quality life adventures: touring the country in an RV with a one person theater piece on the Apostle Paul, living in Brooklyn with an improv music ensemble, performing in a downtown NYC absurdist comedy band, and a long stint writing music for the renowned slot machine company, High 5 Games. He has released four albums including the latest, Cities a song cycle personifying biblical cities. He created the popular podcast/web series ComposerDad Vs. Bible , in which ComposerDad accepts intense compositional challenges from a mysterious Bible while out with his kids. He frequently collaborates on music and theater projects with his wife, actor Emily Clare Zempel. They live in Beacon, NY, with their two boys and a tangled box of electrical cords. www.jonathonroberts.com Website Jonathon Roberts About the Artist Loving Arms I Make Tents The Sower Response There Is Room These are My Sons Consider Me a Partner Weakness The Day Is Almost Here Surrogate Babbler Remember Me Prayer How Beautiful I Am a Fool The Constant Ecclesiastes Cows Blessing More Than Rubies Only a Few Years Will Pass Dear Friend Jonathon Roberts Other Works By Fools for Christ I care very little if I am judged. (1 Corinthians 4:3) “Everything is permissible”—but not everything beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but I will not be mastered— (1 Corinthians 6:12) Festus shouts, “You are out of your mind, Paul!” “Your great learning is driving you insane.” (Acts 26:24) “Everything is permissible” but I will not be mastered by anything! (1 Corinthians 10:23) So I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I have not yet taken hold of it. (Philippians 3:12) Be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each you night and day with tears! (Acts 20:31) Do not put out the Spirit’s fire. (1 Thes. 5:19) By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people. (Romans 16:18) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, (Gal 3:13) I plead with you brothers, become like me, for I became like you. What has happened to all your joy? If you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Gal. 4:12-16) You were running a good race. (Gal 5:7) Who cut in on you? Who has bewitched you? (Gal 3:1) You bite and devour each other. You bite and devour each other and serve your own appetite. (Gal 5:15) Where are we without God? The most powerful man will one day be dust. The highest mountain beneath the torrent ocean. The highest mountain beneath the torrent ocean. The highest mountain beneath the torrent ocean. (Christy Bagasao) ________ Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of a procession like men condemned to die in the arena…like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me, for this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus. Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip… or in love and with a gentle spirit? (1 Corinthians 4:8-21) Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . 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lucasbianchistrangerhighres.jpg Loading Video . . . We are proud to premiere this work by Chicago artist Lucas Bianchi in response to the verse of Romans 14:4 and the theme of "strangers." Romans 14:4 Seated By Lucas Bianchi Credits: Curated by: Lucas Bianchi 2014 14.5 x 26 inches Pastel on Paper Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link What I do: I embrace the act of drawing as a means to maintain a physical connection with my subject and the created work. Having been trained traditionally, I acknowledge and participate in 21st century art making in this manner. When I fully experience the moving dynamic within and around my subject, I develop a relationship with the subject. The process occurs as an exploration of the 3-dimensional construct and implied space around the motif. By confronting my subject, I discover a rhythmic quality to inform the surface. I find my subject's structure through repetition of line and tone, and the examination of pictorial space. By indicating broad zones and working with a limited palette, I maintain freedom in the process of locking in final decisions within my work. The simplicity of this palette of light and dark allows me to the experience of a variety in surfaces, mediums and mixed media. In the developing stages of the drawing I use gesture and repetition. I find patterns initiated by the marks, through the planar construction of the subject and areas of space. These patterns scale in rhythm initiating from the marks, through the planes of the subject, and into various facets of the space. I wish to share my point of view and encourage the viewer to enter the image and become part of my overall experience through the scale of the image. I seek to maintain a playful quality in my subject while staying true to my perception of it. My works act as the reminder of my youth and reflect the progress I have made in incorporating this discipline. My Work for Spark and Echo: Romans 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. The subject is seated in scene against a mirror. He himself carries a humble gesture to suggest a thoughtful and meditative state while the lighting suggests a presence from above. His relationship to his own reflection is like that of a man to a stranger. The visual detail within the scene was left out in order to emphasize this relationship. And yet his own reflection is a person no different than himself. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lucas Bianchi is a Chicago based artist who studied Life Drawing at the American Academy of Art. His work carries a blend of influences from design and classical tradition. He enjoys studying the figure while working with complex compositions in his personal works. Website Lucas Bianchi About the Artist Lucas Bianchi Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . In this final post, completing a poetry collection responding to every theme from the year, 2013 Artist in Residence Emily Ruth Hazel brings us a beautiful poem in reflection of the theme of "Memory" and Jonah 2:5-7 as a 2013 Spark+Echo Artist in Residence. Jonah 2:5-7 Undressing Prayer By Emily Ruth Hazel Credits: Photo Credit: Justin T. Shockley Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, 2013 Artist in Residence 2013 Poetry/Spoken Word Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link It's been a privilege to journey through 2013 with Spark and Echo Arts, responding to each of this year's six themes as a Resident Artist. For this last piece on Memory, I was inspired by the biblical story of Jonah: specifically, his prayer from inside the whale that swallowed him (and became the vehicle of a second chance to fulfill his calling). I drew from my own memories as well—my experiences as an editor and as a college student before that, as someone on a continual quest for quiet who likes sitting in empty churches, and as a New Yorker fascinated by the daily mix of clothing styles worn by people from all walks of life. I'm interested in how what we wear reveals something about who we are, and in how frequently we connect with people (or don't) on that basis. Likewise, I wanted to explore how dressing God "in our own [human] image" can lead us to dangerously inaccurate perceptions of human/divine relationships, and on the flip side, how humanizing God can give us fresh perspectives that bring the spiritual within reach. (Of course, that kind of exploration requires acknowledging the gap—or chasm—between our limited understanding and who God actually is.) One of the images that came to me is from the publishing world. Back when editors' offices had narrow windows over the doors (often left open for air), writers sometimes submitted unsolicited manuscripts by tossing them "over the transom"—hence the phrase still used today. I've heard of a similar practice among musicians and would-be DJs eager for airtime on college radio stations. Artistically and spiritually, I can identify with the hopefuls looking to break in. As I was thinking about ways in and ways of reframing tradition, I was reminded of my occasional encounters with the Book of Common Prayer, which is used in Anglican church services. I also recalled a term I hadn't heard of until recently: Ordinary Time, which in the Christian liturgical calendar refers to all the months between Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. While certain seasons point us toward remembrance in more obvious ways, as a poet, I'm most interested in what we hold onto in the ordinary in-betweens. To remember is to return internally to a place we've been, to an image or idea, to an impression of or relationship with someone. Jonah's prayer inside the belly of the whale—"When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord"—is an expression of returning. And at its essence, every prayer is a return: to ourselves and to God, to a belief, or simply to a sense of gratitude. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Emily Ruth Hazel is a poet, writer, and cross-pollinator who is passionate about diversifying the audience for poetry and giving voice to people who have been marginalized. Selected as the Honorary Poet for the 25th Annual Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading in Providence, Rhode Island, she presented a commissioned tribute to the Poet Laureate of Harlem in February of 2020. She is a two-time recipient of national Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prizes and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for a residency at The Hambidge Center in 2014. Her chapbook, Body & Soul (Finishing Line Press, 2005) , was a New Women’s Voices finalist. Emily’s work has appeared in numerous anthologies, magazines, literary journals, and digital projects, including Kinfolks: A Journal of Black Expression and Magnolia: A Journal of Women’s Socially Engaged Literature. Her poetry has also been featured on music albums, in a hair salon art installation, and in a science museum exhibition. Emily has written more than twenty commissioned works for organizations, arts productions, social justice projects, and private clients. Currently, she is developing several poetry book manuscripts and writing lyrics for an original musical inspired by the life of the extraordinary singer and Civil Rights icon Marian Anderson. A graduate of Oberlin College’s Creative Writing Program and a former New Yorker, she is now based in the Los Angeles area. EmilyRuthHazel.com Instagram: @EmilyRuthHazel Facebook.com/EmilyRuthHazel Website Emily Ruth Hazel About the Artist Artist in Residence 2013, Emily Ruth Hazel Word of Mouth In the Wake of the Storm Circling the Waist of Wisdom Give Me a Name Homecoming Runaway Give Us This Day Emily Ruth Hazel Other Works By Explore the other works composed throughout the year in Emily's poetry collection, created as a 2013 Artist in Residence . Explore her works created throughout the year: “In the Wake of the Storm” LIGHT AND DARKNESS (JANUARY 21, 2013) “Circling the Waist of Wisdom” FOOLS (APRIL 26, 2013) “Homecoming” DANCING (JUNE 27, 2013) “Runaway” LIES (AUGUST 8, 2013) “Give Us This Day” HARVEST (NOVEMBER 14, 2013) “Undressing Prayer” MEMORY (JANUARY 6, 2013) Artists in Residence Spark+Echo Artists in Residence spend a year developing and creating a major work in response to Scripture. Click on their names to view their projects. Current Artists in Residence Spark+Echo Arts seeks to develop and support communities of artists who engage with and create in response to the Bible. Due to the impacts of COVID-19 and some internal changes, we decided to pause the Artist in Residency for a year so that we could regroup our resources. Our hope is to continue offering this opportunity in 2021. Previous Artists in Residence 2020 Sapient Soul, Marlanda Dekine (Poetry + Spoken Word) 2019 Lancelot Schaubert (Short Story) 2018 Elias Popa (Installation Art) 2017 Aaron Beaumont (Music), Lily Maase (Music) 2016 Ebitenyefa Baralaye (Visual Art), Chris Knight (Film), Lauren Ferebee (Theatre), Stephanie Miracle (Dance) 2015 Benje Daneman (Music), Jason DaSilva (Film), Melissa Beck (Visual Art), Don Nguyen (Theatre), Christine Suarez (Dance), The Spark & Echo Band (Music) 2013 Nicora Gangi (Visual Art), Emily Ruth Hazel (Poetry) Related Information View More Art Make More Art As the one who turns the wheels inside our minds, behind the sky—the shifter and shaker of galaxies—is upstairs getting dressed in our own image View Full Written Work Undressing Prayer by Emily Ruth Hazel As the one who turns the wheels inside our minds, behind the sky—the shifter and shaker of galaxies—is upstairs getting dressed in our own image, God becomes a brand name proudly worn by a loud, forgetful people, though it clashes with their actions. A label others can’t afford to own, or dismiss as someone else’s style. And what is the founder changing into? Just another suit stiff from the hanger, second skin of a CEO who flies home to a mansion on a mountain of clouds, barely glancing through gleaming glass floors between prime time shows? What if God came down in everyday jeans and a t-shirt, at work invisible to us, like a radio DJ, a speaker of the air whom everyone and no one knows? Would God wear corduroy, a blazer with elbow patches, large feet propped up on a desk containing continents mapped with coffee stains, pushing papers off the back edge—another accidental avalanche? What if God is digging through the geologic strata of waiting pages, an editor who sees the sun-spark in our layers of schist, opens our hearts with a red pen of dynamite, then helps us in laying new foundations and moves us into the stories we are meant to inhabit? Thirsty for purpose, the brave ask for interviews, pitch their manuscripts and mixtapes over the transom, hoping someone will read their thoughts, listen to their midnight music. As for me, I worry that I’ll burn through some unspoken quota, wear out my welcome with the magnanimous powers that be. Rarely do I send an SOS, unless the bluff on which I’ve built my life is eaten away by the waves’ relentless hunger—stalling till I am poised to plunge into the ocean. One college semester, I drifted miles from shore, breath spent treading water, before I finally raised my arms, ready to be thrown a rescue ring from any passing boat. Washed up on the doorstep of an Econ professor, seaweed tangled in my throat, I stood outside mustering my nerve, scripting an appeal for an extension I knew I didn’t deserve. Minutes later, I walked back to my dorm bowled over by his Yes. And so it is during God’s infinite office hours in the four-chambered chapel of the heart. While thumbing through the days of Common Prayer, the book of Ordinary Time, a conversation picks up where it left off. The undressed approach: simply confessing a need, a lack of answers, a yearning to kneel on a cushion of grace instead of the bare stone floor. As I prepare to enter in, to strip down to the struggle, to unclasp all my anxieties, sometimes still I hesitate, knuckles to the wood. But even before I knock, from somewhere deep within, I hear a voice as solid as black walnut benches, luminous like turning pages, calling, as if not for the first time, Come in—the door’s unlocked. Close Loading Video . . . As the one who turns the wheels inside our minds, behind the sky—the shifter and shaker of galaxies—is upstairs getting dressed in our own image Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Responding to Galatians 4:21–5:1, author and 2019 Artist in Residence Lancelot Schaubert presents the first of his four short stories that will ultimately become chapters in the third novel within his White Trash Magic trilogy. Find the complete progression of the work linked below. Galatians 4:21-5:1 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 1 By Lancelot Schaubert These stories contain strong language and may not be suitable for all audiences. Credits: Curated by: Spark & Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2019 2019 Fantasy Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link March 25, 2019 This story marks part one of a serialized work in four parts, all of which will eventually nest itself within a larger novel I’m loosely calling The Moon Boys, part one of the Bell Hammers (or “White Trash Magic” trilogy). The story features two boys struggling between the son of the flesh and the son of the spirit, the Wordsworth / Coleridge dichotomy, the wonder of the mundane and the wonder of the fantastic, and the great modern split between urban and rural with families ties barely holding it all together. In this story, you’ll get a flavor for the initial magical appeal as well as watch me t-up some of the coming themes in the other three pieces. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lancelot has sold work to The New Haven Review (The Institute Library), The Anglican Theological Review, TOR (MacMillan), McSweeney's, The Poet's Market, Writer's Digest, and many, many similar markets. (His favorite, a rather risqué piece, illuminated bankroll management by prison inmates in the World Series Edition of Poker Pro). Publisher's Weekly called his debut novel BELL HAMMERS "a hoot." He has lectured on these at academic conferences, graduate classes, and nerd conventions in Nashville, Portland, Baltimore, Tarrytown, NYC, Joplin, and elsewhere. The Missouri Tourism Bureau, WRKR, Flying Treasure, 9art, The Brooklyn Film Festival, NYC Indie Film Fest, Spiva Center for the Arts, The Institute of the North in Alaska, and the Chicago Museum of Photography have all worked with him as a film producer and director in various capacities. Website Lancelot Schaubert About the Artist Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 3 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 2 Posh Girls As Waters Cover Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert Dragonsmaw Daily | 1 Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 Dragonsmaw Daily | 3 Watchtower Stripped to the Bonemeal Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Philadelphia Bloodlines Lancelot Schaubert Other Works By Read Lancelot's second , third and final pieces in the development of his 2019 Artist in Residence Project Related Information View More Art Make More Art "Flower in Hand" View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . "Flower in Hand" Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Prayer, a direct setting of some of Apostle Paul's most beautiful words, also is the final scene in the theatre production Project Paul, by Jonathon Roberts. Ephesians 3:16-19 Prayer By Jonathon Roberts Credits: Vocals: Jonathon Roberts Special Thanks: Scott Hawley Artist Location: New York City Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2010 Composition for Baritone and Tape Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Prayer was originally commissioned by Baritone Scott Hawley for his senior recital at Lawrence University. I then developed it into the version here, as the final scene in Project Paul, the multimedia show I co-wrote about the Apostle Paul. The text is directly from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and was not changed at all. It’s beautiful writing by Paul–passionate and expansive–that comes back to me often in my life, feeling new each time as the demands of life change. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection J onathon Roberts is a composer and sound designer for games, film, theatre, and ensembles. His style grew out of classical and jazz training, and evolved through quality life adventures: touring the country in an RV with a one person theater piece on the Apostle Paul, living in Brooklyn with an improv music ensemble, performing in a downtown NYC absurdist comedy band, and a long stint writing music for the renowned slot machine company, High 5 Games. He has released four albums including the latest, Cities a song cycle personifying biblical cities. He created the popular podcast/web series ComposerDad Vs. Bible , in which ComposerDad accepts intense compositional challenges from a mysterious Bible while out with his kids. He frequently collaborates on music and theater projects with his wife, actor Emily Clare Zempel. They live in Beacon, NY, with their two boys and a tangled box of electrical cords. www.jonathonroberts.com Website Jonathon Roberts About the Artist Loving Arms I Make Tents The Sower Response There Is Room These are My Sons Consider Me a Partner Weakness The Day Is Almost Here Surrogate Babbler Remember Me How Beautiful I Am a Fool The Constant Ecclesiastes Cows Blessing Fools for Christ More Than Rubies Only a Few Years Will Pass Dear Friend Jonathon Roberts Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

n.-gangi-peace-with-god.jpg Loading Video . . . Nicora Gangi uses color, movement, and shape to invite contemplation of Romans 5:1-2 via exploration of the symbolism in her abstract art piece. Romans 5:1-2 Peace with God By Nicora Gangi Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2022 11 x 14 inches Paper Collage on Archival Drawing Paper Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link In this piece, I attempt to convey the great comfort flowing from the pen of the Apostle Paul as he writes about the high privilege of having peace with God through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. The fresh green triangles, a symbol of regeneration, refer to Christ as the giver of His peace. According to the Scriptures, at the beginning of the created order, Adam had perfect peace with God. But that peace was severed when sin entered the serene landscape of the earth and the heart. This is represented in the dark and fiery portions in the bottom of the image. The piercing divide between God and humanity now infects us with quarrels, wars, and deep upheavals of the spirit and soul. The rich and loving friendship we now have with our maker is symbolized by the royal-purple slices at the bottom of the collage, rising to the top of the piece. We wear His royal color, studded with the stars of the universe. We have access to God's presence. The light-rays emanating from the top triangle speaks to this hope. Other passages of influence for the collage include Revelation 1:16 ; Revelation 4:3 ; Revelation 22:1-2 . Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Nicora Gangi was educated at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA (BFA 1974 and MFA 1976). She was a Professor of Art at Syracuse University for 29 years. Gangi has been awarded many Grand Prize and First Place awards and grants. She has been and continues to be published in numerous artist’s books on pastel paintings. She has lectured regionally and nationally as a visiting artist at universities and artist’s guilds. She is represented by: Edgewood Gallery (Syracuse, NY), and Gangi Studio (Winter Garden, FL ). Website Nicora Gangi About the Artist The Mountain of the House of The Lord I See Him but Not Now So Shall Your Descendants Be This One The Body without the Spirit | 1 The Body without the Spirit | 2 The Body without the Spirit | 3 The Sealed Ones The Everlasting Protective Love of God Our Father When the Lord Gives Us The Land I See Him but Not Now The Mountain of the House of The Lord Paneled and Ruins Series The Harvest Spirit of God-The Spirit Hovering Memories Lies Fool Dance Your Truth from the Great Congregation Psalm 18 Sound of Their Wings Psalm 16 Kiss the Son EAST, WEST, NORTH & SOUTH AT HIS TABLE Nicora Gangi Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Christopher-Williams_Queen-of-SheebaQueen-Esther-resized.jpg Loading Video . . . Visual artist, Christopher Adam Williams (AKA "The Black DaVinci") celebrates the enduring beauty of women of character in this meditation on Proverbs 11:16. Proverbs 11:16 The Modern Day Queen of Sheba & Queen Esther By Christopher Williams Credits: Curated by: Rebecca Testrake 2020 84 x 49.5 inches Oil on canvas and copper leaf Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link "The Modern Day Queen of Sheba & Queen Esther" seeks to contribute to my emergent dialogue and expression of black joy. This body of work is dedicated to the joyous, resilient black women in my life. The use of the color purple invites a conversation about the color of our skin. Often our skin is associated with oil, darkness or dinginess. Darker skin, throughout history, has been considered ugly. However, the choice of the color purple is rooted not only in its beauty and luster, but also its royal ancestry. Colonial kings and queens decreed only royalty and the sophisticated were allowed to wear purple. Purple dye was considered more valuable than gold. My work depicts that African Americans wear their royal ancestry on their skin everyday. I then look back to early modern art history from the Byzantine art period, the gold, copper and silver leaf used in the background highlights my subjects as being blessed by God or as an object of veneration. The relationship of purple and gold allows for each portrait to project a majestic, heavenly glow. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Christopher Williams’ art practice focuses on Black Joy — a spiritual feeling that has uplifted the African Diaspora through countless trials and tribulations in the quest for freedom and equality. It defies a simplistic explanation. He explains its experience: Black Joy is like a heartbeat. Never bitter, it is sweeter than the blackest of cherries or the richest of chocolates. It’s like a steady climb or an out-of-frame kiss. It is a moment that is magical and void of being Black, judged and discriminated against. My joy, my Black Joy may not be the same as the next. It is my vehicle for connection, educating others and sharing my experience as a Black man. What makes the journey of my work unique is my ability to develop authentic empathy for my subject matter. I have found this process is like walking to the edge of darkness and then summoning the courage to take one more step to understand what lies beyond our differences. These steps are necessary to overcome bigotry, hatred and indifference, to embrace the pursuit of joy. Website Christopher Williams About the Artist Honor Thy Father Christopher Williams Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

revelation21_kgoetzinger_for_web.jpg Loading Video . . . This gorgeous mixed media textile work of Karen Goetzinger depicts the vivid text from the whole chapter of Revelation 21 describing a "new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21 Revelation 21 By Karen Goetzinger Credits: Curated by: Jonathon Roberts 2011 30 x 30 inches Mixed Media Textile Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Revelation 21 is a triptych consisting of Italian pima cotton organdy, cotton, tulle, gold lamé, acrylic paint, and gold leaf. Three 30″ x 10″ canvasses combine to make a 30″ x 30″ work in reflection of Revelation 21:16 -- "The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide." The city skyline is layers of organdy (often used in wedding gowns) built up as a city and then monoprinted with acrylic paint, connecting to verse 2: "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." The bottom portion of each section was made by painting cotton fabric – cutting up the fabric into small rectangles of varying sizes and reassembling, overlapping the rectangles slightly. That new “fabric” was then stitched over the top in interlocking rectangles. Sheer tulle was stitched over the top in reflection of verses 19-20: "The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst." Each section of the triptych was monoprinted: the red “splotches” symbolizing the blood of the Lamb, the portions of text as well as the gold lamé Alpha & Omega, and Chi Rho. This stems from verse 6: "He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End." The gold leaf cross illuminates the city from verse 23: "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." The piece now resides in the east entrance of the chapel at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection In a world increasingly enthralled with high speed technology and quantity over quality production goals, Karen Goetzinger finds artistic inspiration in time honored traditions. She uses techniques that compel her to savor the process of creating; from the exhilaration of selecting colours and textures to the rhythmic lullaby of stitching by hand. Ms. Goetzinger is an award winning artist, teacher, and lecturer currently living in Ottawa, Ontario. She is known and sought after for her finely detailed mixed media textile works that are influenced by her roots in traditional quilt making, couture construction, and her lifelong passion for the urban landscape. Since 2005 she has taught at the Ottawa School of Art and is currently a mentor/instructor in the Fine and Contemporary Craft Mentoring Program. Website Karen Goetzinger About the Artist Karen Goetzinger Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

nicora-gangi_2013-air-4_lies_small.jpg Loading Video . . . Resident Artist Nicora Gangi's fourth work for 2013 deals with the theme of "Lies" and responds to Isaiah 59:2-4 as part of a collection inspired by each of the six themes for the year. Isaiah 59:2-4 Lies By Nicora Gangi Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts, 2013 Artist in Residence 2013 12 x 15 inches Paper Collage on Strathmore Paper & Adobe Photoshop Mixed Media Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Out of this abundance of wickedness in the heart of this unregenerate people their mouth speaks falsehood. They speak lies pretending to be kind when in truth they intend the greatest mischief. These blasted the reputation of those they hated. They took from them their estates and lives. A false tongue is sharp arrows, and when they could not speak openly against their neighbors, for fear of being disproved, they muttered it secretly- backbiters are called whisperers. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Nicora Gangi was educated at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA (BFA 1974 and MFA 1976). She was a Professor of Art at Syracuse University for 29 years. Gangi has been awarded many Grand Prize and First Place awards and grants. She has been and continues to be published in numerous artist’s books on pastel paintings. She has lectured regionally and nationally as a visiting artist at universities and artist’s guilds. She is represented by: Edgewood Gallery (Syracuse, NY), and Gangi Studio (Winter Garden, FL ). Website Nicora Gangi About the Artist The Mountain of the House of The Lord I See Him but Not Now So Shall Your Descendants Be This One The Body without the Spirit | 1 The Body without the Spirit | 2 The Body without the Spirit | 3 The Sealed Ones Peace with God The Everlasting Protective Love of God Our Father When the Lord Gives Us The Land I See Him but Not Now The Mountain of the House of The Lord Paneled and Ruins Series The Harvest Spirit of God-The Spirit Hovering Memories Fool Dance Your Truth from the Great Congregation Psalm 18 Sound of Their Wings Psalm 16 Kiss the Son EAST, WEST, NORTH & SOUTH AT HIS TABLE Nicora Gangi Other Works By Visual artist Nicora Gangi created a collection of mixed media works in response to scripture and the six themes of the year as a 2013 Artist in Residence. Explore her works created throughout the year: Spirit of God – The Spirit Hovering Light and Darkness (February 4, 2013) Fool Fools (April 13, 2013) Dance Dancing (June 13, 2013) Lies (This piece) Lies (August 22, 2013) The Harvest Harvest (October 17, 2013) Memories Memory (December 12, 2013) Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

sound-of-the-prophet-transparent-png.png Loading Video . . . The Sound of the Prophet by international artist Duda Penteado is a response to the wild conversation between God and the Prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:9-18. 1 Kings 19:9-18 The Sound of the Prophet By Duda Penteado Credits: Artist Location: Jersey City, New Jersey Curated by: Barret 2011 31 inches diameter Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link The real question for me today is: how can an artist working in the twenty-first century continue to create original works of art after the overwhelming presence of remarkable twentieth century art movements like Cubism , Dada, Surrealism, Bauhaus and Cobra? When I go to museums, I look at art from two different perspectives. One is from a historical point of view and the other is from the perspective of an artist. I will never paint like Jackson Pollock or Francisco de Goya but I profoundly admire the challenges they both brought to the aesthetics of art. The last two years have been significant for me in terms reflecting on art, history, and war. Dada was one of the most significant avant–garde art movements, born in the heart of Europe in the midst of World War I. This war remains the most brutal conflict ever seen in history and the artists of the period challenged tradition. Art as it was known would never be the same: industrialization, the photo-illustrated press, radio broadcasting, and commercial cinema. They created new strategies of art–making, including collage, montage, assemblage, readymades, and media pranks. My art installation Beauty for Ashes Project is a response to the history of modernism and functions as a twenty-first century parallel that reflects on the consequences of our times. The real challenge is to know when an artist stops quoting someone else and begins to quote himself. Great art comes from within, it is the true language of the soul. To create art is an act of faith in itself. In my case my faith in Christ Jesus is an endless source of inspiration and empowerment in the areas of creativity, love and hope. —Duda Penteado Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Duda Penteado was born in São Paulo in 1968, and studied at FIAM – SP. Throughout the 1990s, he exhibited in Brazil, then moved to New York City where he obtained a position at Muriel Studio in Soho, NYC, as an assistant to Sheila Marbain, the inventor of a new "silk monotype" technique, which was employed by many leading contemporary artists. Active in Brazil and the USA, as well as in Europe throughout the late-1990s and the early 21st Century, he showed in The Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, N.J.; Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy, 2009; Monique Goldstrom Gallery, NYC; The Museum of Art and Origins, Harlem, NYC (NY); BACI-The Brazilian American Cultural Institute, Washington, DC; Museo de Las Americas, Denver, CO; CITYarts 272nd Mural, "Nature is Love on Earth", New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, The St. John's Recreation Center, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NYC, 2008, 2009; Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY, New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ, Kean University, Union, NJ; Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ; Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ; Drew University, Madison, NJ; Middlebury College, Vermont; UFES- Universidade Estadual do Espírito Santo, Vitoria, ES; UNESP-Universidade Estadual Paulista, SP, and SESC – SP. He was President of the Artist Certification Board, Jersey City, NJ, until 2010. His awards and recognition from various institutions in the United States include: Urban Artist Fellowship Award, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT; Goldman Sachs Student Art Project Grant, Jersey City, NJ (2006, 2007, 2008); Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, Claremont, CA; Special Guest for Artistic Achievement & Commitment to YMCA Greater, NY-Youth, NYC; American Graphic Design Award, Interactive Multimedia Installation, NYC; Humanitarian Award from the Hudson County Chapter of the American Conference on Diversity, Jersey City, NJ, and received a Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity Award, Eta Rho Chapter, New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ. Along with Mario Tapia and Dr. Carlos Hernandez, he has been at the helm of the We Are You Project since 2005. Website Duda Penteado About the Artist Crislaba Duda Penteado Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . Screenwriter Samuel Gray Anderson explores the theme of healing and Hebrews 11:13-16 (below) in his new script about a father attempting to reunite with his son from a past life. Hebrews 11:13-16 Distant Greetings By Samuel Gray Anderson Credits: Artist Location: Gardena, California Curated by: Michael Markham 2014 Screen Story Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link Distant Greetings is a potential title that has accompanied me for many years. It was inspired by Hebrews 11:13-16: ‘All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.’ (NASB) I find these words deeply moving in their description of these heroes who glimpsed salvation from afar and held to that promise, refusing the false consolation of a return to a prior – lost or abandoned – homeland, insisting on the existence of something better, something which alone merits that name, ‘homeland.’ Yet my mind constantly seizes on the distance in this expression, ‘welcomed them from a distance.’ There is hope in this, but also a deep longing. Each time I have tried writing something with this title, my mind has gravitated toward the distance rather than the promise; or perhaps you could say that it has lost its way in that distance. I find this aspect much more palpable, but trying to articulate it, I seek a stronger sense of the promise that lies beyond it. I don’t think that I have ever succeeded in these attempts, which is perhaps why I turn to these words so often. As I was contemplating this passage again recently, the title resonated in my mind with a story that I have wanted to tell for a long time, loosely inspired by an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, ‘Babylon Revisited’; the story of a man trying to reunite with his child, lost due to many failings that he is trying to make right, not yet finding himself capable of doing so. The central character in this story experiences it on a much different level, but he also lives in this tension between something that lies behind and a promise of life to come – in this case, embodied in his child and the potential for reconciliation. Following this basic framework while writing my own story, I sought to draw out this dynamic, making the promise of life more pronounced in certain moments while also deepening the sense of separation. Fitzgerald’s story is about a man working to convince others that he deserves to be a father; with mine, I wanted to present a man who still has to convince himself, and who struggles with the tension between coming to terms with one’s past and forgetting, never quite certain where healing lies. Fleshing out this story, I found that I was able to inhabit it more deeply by working within a form that is new for me; a screenplay form that incorporates short story elements, or a short story form constructed in a way that points toward a film. Pasolini wrote of the screenplay as an art form that aspires to become another art form: it is not complete in itself, but always points toward another work that will fulfill it. Exaggerating this aspect of the form seemed fitting for exploring this idea of living in between a promise and its fulfillment, and for exploring the tension between forgetting the past (but possibly losing all it meant) and seeking reconciliation with it (but risking to live perpetually in its shadow). In order to live more fully in the skin of my characters, and with the hope of giving the reader a more intense, if more indirect, taste of the subsequent film that could arise from this form, I tilted the screenplay in the direction of prose. At times, the process took me much further than I expected or intended, and certain passages will clearly be impossible to recreate in a film without significant translation. But I found this to be very fruitful, as it helped me more fully to feel what was at stake in the questions driving it. The more I ponder these questions, the more I find that they are central to my understanding of what is potential in art. Art gives us a sense of what is possible beyond the world as we know it, but often does so by deepening our sense of a wound that we have all experienced, together and individually. In this, perhaps, it offers us the strength to resist false consolation, to continue to insist that there is something more, ‘a better country,’ as the passage reads. Even when it offers us no specific promise, art gives us the sense of this country, filling us with yearning. This yearning may heighten our experience of the wound; but it also guides us toward healing, at times by insisting that true healing is possible, at others by reminding us that we have not yet experienced true healing, and perhaps haven’t even conceived what true healing would be. It helps us to welcome the promise ‘from a distance,’ perhaps; in any case, this is what, in the best moments, the act of writing and filmmaking does for me. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Samuel Gray Anderson is a writer and filmmaker living in Gardena, CA with his wife Susan and son Theodor. He was born in Latrobe, PA, grew up in South Carolina, and studied English at Yale University. He is the co-founder of the production company Almond Tree Films, with which he has written and produced the feature films Munyurangabo (2007), Lucky Life (2010), and Abigail Harm (2012). His work has participated in the Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, and Tribeca film festivals, among others. Website Samuel Gray Anderson About the Artist Samuel Gray Anderson Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art A faint din of glasses chiming, being filled with ice and liquor; distant chatter echoing across a lounge. View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . A faint din of glasses chiming, being filled with ice and liquor; distant chatter echoing across a lounge. Download Full Written Work