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Not infrequently, artists wonder if they really have a place at the table—a seat where their greater joys and deeper fears are welcome.
For more than three decades, CIVA has been such a place, a place of welcome, helping artists to find their home in the larger Christian community and bringing Christian faith to innumerable circles of creativity.
Regarding hospitality, the story of Abraham entertaining three mysterious guests near the oaks of Mamre comes to mind (Gen. 18:1-15). The famous icon created by Andrei Rublev—wherein this trio of visitors suggests the Trinity—depicts the scene. While these visitors are strangers to Abraham, he receives them fully. Genuine hospitality offers a full embrace without question or caveat—like the father running to greet his prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), like churches welcoming an exhibition of edgy artwork, or like collaborators trusting each other to co-create.
Hospitality is a core value for those of us who lead CIVA.
We seek to be an organization that invites arts professionals to bring their whole selves to the table. We labor to be a place that welcomes solace and action, honesty and meaningful connection. And we hope that our daily actions serve to build a bridge between the many worlds to which our members and friends belong.
As we look to 2013, it is our plan to be an organization marked by hospitality. We want to be a place where serious faith and serious art intersect but, more than that, a community of hope that sets a welcoming table for our members, friends, and yes, even those in exile.
At the end of each year we invite our friends to contribute generously to this welcoming place called CIVA.
We need your financial support.
As you give, who knows whom you may actually entertain?
Cameron J. Anderson
Executive Director