Utilizing Art in Worship

Here at Carrot Top Studio we focus on the use of fiber art in worship....stoles, banners, paraments, etc. But of course this isn't the only way to utilize visual art in worship. The very easiest might be adding images to your worship bulletin cover or multi-media screen. There are a wealth of copyright free images available, artists often will let you use an images if you seek permission first and give them credit or you may purchase images for use from a specific artist (for example, see how artist Jan Richardson's available work here).

Last week I stumbled (online) upon a church that is going a step further. They actually line the sanctuary walls with art. The space is used like an art gallery. The art aids worship and the space is also used at other times as an art gallery.

Glade Church, Blackburg, VA

Whenever you use art it is helpful to guide the viewer that maybe isn't used to examining or responding to art works. This image below supports the Lectionary this week. JESUS MAFA is a response to the New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings were selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings.

Jesus Welcomes the Children, JESUS MAFA

If you were to help someone examine this art you would ask them to:

1. Describe what they see. Just keep to the facts.
2. Analyze the evidence.  Look for relationships – similarities, differences or repeated patterns.
3. Interpret the artwork by making a good guess about the meaning of the work.  
4. Judge the artwork. A critical judgment can be made after you have interpreted an artwork.  Judging art is always a matter of being fair and logical.

We need to keep in mind that some worshipers are visual learners. By including art you are helping to draw them in (pun intended!) to the moment of honoring the Almighty!

A Brief Interview With the Artist at Carrot Top Studio

Tell us about your shop and the idea behind it.
Carrot Top Studio can to be after creating a liturgical year's worth of worship banners as a volunteer for my home church.  I discovered I loved the tactile materials combined with the design process, the connection to my faith and my appreciation of worship and worship spaces. The name "carrot top" hearkens from the childhood when I experienced my fair share of teasing for my orange hair. 

Here's one from 'back in the day!' As you can see my mom was a 'carrot top' also!

Tell us about your previous working situation.
Prior to becoming a sole proprietor I was a preschool teacher, an elementary art teacher, and a stay at home mom to my son and daughter.

Back in my elementary school teaching days on a field trip to the Contemporary Art Museum in Houston, TX. Could you guess this was the 80's?

What steps did you take to prepare for transitioning into full-time selling?
I checked out and read every book I could from the local library on how to start a small business and how to sell online. There wasn't any start up money for this endeavor so I'm forever grateful for libraries! 

Ebay gave me the opportunity to tryout online sales. The initial offering were vintage items I scooped up at estate sales. Because I'd enjoyed making worship banners so much my marketing aficionado (always thinking of the next thing) husband suggested I take the worship banner techniques I learned and apply them to ministry stoles. I was SO reluctant but he wins the prize for this idea! The first stole was sold on eBay and Carrot Top Studio then quickly swung into action! It's still fun to watch the excitement of the eBay auctions that we sell at least one stole through each week. 

Click here to see these auctions on eBay that close Thursday this week!

What is your favorite part in the process of making stoles for worship leaders?
The idea process is very invigorating--whether it's collaborating with a client on the idea, or researching  scripture for inspiration or stumbling upon a new thought and then working it out in the sketchbook.

What’s been your most popular item or line to date?
It's interesting to note that red stoles move most quickly through the inventory. That funny guy that I'm married to say's that they're red hot!

Something from the 'red collection! See the Pentecost stoles here and the Ordination stoles here.

What do you enjoy most about not having a traditional day job?
Hearing from a client that we've met their needs and helped in their ministry to connect the Word to the visual is always gratifying. And I must confess it's nice to have a short commute (walk down one flight of stairs from my kitchen to my studio!) And, oh yeah....no uniform or makeup required.

What’s the hardest part about running your own business?
Learning to balance it all. I'm the webmaster, artist, warehouse manager, accountant, research assistant, media specialist, marketing guru, cleaning crew, education consultant, shipping department, and last but not least seamstress. I have to make sure that artist and seamstress don't get lost in the shuffle because the rest can consume me!

This is Jenny Gallo ending this brief interview (with herself) with gratitude that I have work that I love to do. Thanks for your support clients, friends and family. 

Welcome the Children

Does your church kick off fall programming andnew Sunday School classes or celebrate Rally Day this weekend? This is the tradition in my home faith community. Therefore when I came across this scripture and painting it seemed right for the blog post this week. The passage is of course familiar.

Jesus sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then Jesus took a little child and put the child among them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:35-37

Emil Nolde, Christ Among the Children

The interpretation of this painting in Imaging the Word reads as follows: In this rather abstract painting from the early part of the twentieth century, Emil Nolde presents Jesus leaning toward eager, responsive children with his back to the viewer. The artist visually invites the observer into this joyous encounter. Adults are presented in the left and darker segment of the picture. It is they who have been preoccupied with an argument over who was greatest among them.

As you know, Carrot Top Studio is in the business of using the visual to make connections to the Word primarily in worship. But reading the above as made me think of the visual as our body language and postures also. The painting is a "joyous encounter". Do we enter into worship with this same visual joy? If we did/do it might be as contagious as it seems in the scene in the painting!