Around the Blog--Misfit Artists, Storytelling, and Dancing

(1) You remember my misfit post, yes? And though I'm a part of a church that embraces me (and which I embrace), and though I have many friends, both "real" and cyberly, there's still a part of me that's misfitian. So how could I not rejoice in this series?

I find a kindred spirit in these misfit artists (though my work is not the quality of theirs!). They were rejected, their work declared ugly (as I write that, I realize that it sounds a little like Christ). Here's one of my favorite lines from the post:

No simple or singular definition of their art, or their lives, would suffice: they were surprisingly varied in their personalities, political persuasions, and aesthetic dispositions, but found a common ground in their ambitions and in their brokenness.

Fujimura goes on to talk about the spiritual influences of the artists, the artists' influence on spirituality, and what we can learn from them.

He says,

For me, even to reflect on the work of a contemporary artist is to wrestle deeply with questions of faith. For me, the role of an artist and a follower of Christ in contemporary culture is to transgress in love, learning from Jesus. 

He mentions John Cage, one of the composers I studied in college (and performed some of his works). I always considered him almost more of a philosopher than musician, but I think I was wrong. I see now that you can't separate the two in an artist--art is philosophy and philosophy is art.

Great article. You must hope on over to see it.

Other related links:

Impressions at a Museum

Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah

Movies and Theology--Pollock

On Aesthetics

Aboard the Black Pearl

(2) There's a conference in Hollywood in the fall on Storytelling in the 21st Century. Let me tell you, if I didn't already have so much going on in the fall, I'd be hopping on a plane for that one. It's hosted by Act One. They're asking some great questions. Since I can't go, perhaps it'll be interesting to bat around some of the questions here. Go to the link and come back and tell me which questions are most interesting to you. My readers are smart people, and I'd like to discuss these things with you.

(3) I saw this video at Diary of an Arts Pastor, so I know many of you have seen it. It's a picture of the gospel. It reminded me of Philippians 2, of every knee and every tongue glorifying Jesus. It's fun and beautiful and good. David Taylor said he almost cried at the end, and I thought (before watching it), how silly. Cry at a man dancing?

Then I watched it.

And I cried.

All I can say is, like Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember, beauty makes me cry.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.