This morning we had the privilege of hearing from some great practitioners who make Art on Mission to renew Austin.
- Nate Navarro: founder and co-director of Austin non-profit Music for The City, and City Group Director at Austin City Life
- Steven Bush: photographer and musician who specializes in Music, Portrait, Documentary, and Travel photography. stevenbush.org
- JJ Placensio: Dove Award Winning, Grammy nominated bassist for the the groups Sixpence None the Richer and Plumb, founding engineer and producer at Hot Pepper Studios
Here are a few thoughts that emerged:
Missional Tension in the Arts
- Who should get the credit in making art in the city? The church or the artist? Who should get the credit for non-profit work in the city? The church or the non-profit? If the non-profit, do we miss out on an opportunity to credit Christ change the reputation of the church in our cities?
The Church & Artists
- How can the church re-engage burned artists to join them on mission?
- Teach them to be ministers first and artists second.
- Empower artists to make good art that is kingdom-minded.
- Find out who they are and get to know them, really.
- Discover non-musical artists and figure out how to empower them.
- How can artists use art on mission?
- Work with egotistical artists in humility to demonstrate a counter cultural way of being an artist who embodies Jesus and still makes good art.
Art in Church
- What is the role of art in the Church?
- A visual story is often more powerful than a aural story. People weep over a scene in a movie before they would by hearing the story. Allow art to tell the story of the gospel.
- Appreciate artists instead of assuming and using them.
