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September 4, 2015 by Karl Stevens

Arts Communities

As Episcopalians, we feel a special affinity for the arts.  The Anglican spiritual tradition is rooted in the poetry of George Herbert, John Donne, and their contemporaries, and we remained comfortable with images when other Reformation churches were destroying the statuary and stained-glass through which Christians had praised God in Europe for centuries.  Our liturgies are works of art in themselves, and they involve image, sound, smell, touch and taste, in full appreciation of the sensory nature of our incarnate beings.

Our arts communities support the art of worship, while also engaging in art as a spiritual practice, and moving our involvement of art outside of the sanctuary and into the wider community.

Art as a Spiritual Connection

Art as a Spiritual Connection™ is a new kind of experience that uses the art medium as a ground for a relationship with the Divine. With a variety of art programs for all ages, Art as a Spiritual Connection™ creates a nurturing environment, and provides tools for art exploration, to foster connections to God, self and others through the creative process. Giving is at the heart of art making, and when we create something with our hands, we integrate our minds to our hearts, making space for our spiritual life to develop and flourish. In art, we can express our true identity – the Soul.

Visit the Art as a Spiritual Connection website

EASE Gallery

At E.A.S.E. we are committed to the concept that creative expression is a basic human need and seek to provide individuals (regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, creed, class or faith) with the opportunity to meaningfully engage with art.  We believe that a vibrant arts community is a necessary component of a just society. As such we strive to offer programming that supports the professional aspirations of artists, and encourages the building of supportive arts communities.  E.A.S.E. is a nonprofit gallery dedicated to providing an inclusive space for artists to experiment, explore, and engage with the public through exhibitions, educational programming, and more.

Visit the EASE Gallery website

Kelly Latimore, Iconographer

Kelly started painting Christian icons in 2011 at the suggestion of dear brothers and sisters whom he lived with as a part of the Common Friars from 2009-2013. His brother and fellow farmer Paul Clever often posed the question, “how do we become people who, in Jesus’s words, ‘consider the lilies of the field?  This became the focus of Kelly’s first icon entitled “Christ: Consider the Lilies.”  Iconography has since become a practice of more considerations: of color and light, of brush stroke and form, of placing himself in the patterns of the old images and yet making new images.

Visit Kelly’s website

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Praxis is maintained and edited by the Fresh Expressions communities of the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Questions about writing for Praxis or about any of the content that appears on these pages should be submitted to praxiscommunities@gmail.com.

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