Category Archives: civablog

items in this category appear on the civa blog page

Making Home in the Negative Space

By Steven Homestead “And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Through these words, God invites us into this season, offering richness and mystery through sign and symbol. In the manger, I find an opening to explore our faith and think about… Continue Reading

Padraic Colum Evokes Gratitude

By Sharon Chace Seldom, if ever, has a poem struck me on a first reading with as much import as did Padraic Colum’s An Old Woman of the Roads. Unlike the unnamed woman in the poem who longed to have a little house, my husband and I actually own a little house. This old woman… Continue Reading

Pudding or Cathedral?

By Will Montei In the TV adaptation of Dan Simmons’ novel “The Terror,” there’s a scene of two doctors examining a dead body. Looking at the brain matter exposed on the table, one doctor remarks, “It’s a pudding, basically.” The other doctor responds, “I would have said ‘cathedral.’” Despite both doctors viewing the same dead… Continue Reading

Tiny Home Life

By Heather Hornbeak Tiny Home life didn’t begin for us overnight. We don’t have the experience like many others of being dissatisfied with our jobs or seeking this lifestyle out of passion for the environment. My husband Jesse and I have watched countless videos about tiny home owners, bus conversions, and van dwellers. At first it seemed to… Continue Reading

Artist Residencies

Editor’s Note: As we segue from reflections on CIVA’s biennial conference toward thoughts of House & Home, the theme of the upcoming SEEN Journal, we’re kicking off with a post inspired by a conversation between artists Leslie Iwai and Allison Luce on the topic of Artist Residencies – an artist’s version of home away from… Continue Reading

Get to Know Joe

Editor’s note: At CIVA’s biennial conference this past June, Joe Cory was elected to his new role as Board Chair. Please read all about him here! CIVA: Tell us a little about yourself. Joe:  I am a painter and Professor of Art at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, I hold… Continue Reading

How ARE WE THERE YET Influenced Me

By Alex Haunty My name is Alex Haunty, and I’m an artist.  I have been asked to reflect on how the ARE WE THERE YET conference influenced me. The conference has made me think more deeply about the role that my faith plays in the creation of my art. Just what does this mean? How do… Continue Reading

Still Moving

By Laura Tabbut During the months leading up to CIVA’s biennial conference, I thought a lot about Homer’s Odyssey. I was on a journey of my own that felt a bit circuitous and prolonged. Odysseus’ journey home takes him ten years – the exact interim that I spent between my undergrad years and teaching in… Continue Reading

Welcoming the Other

By Christen Mattix During the recent CIVA conference, I resonated with the theme of welcoming the “other” which kept emerging in the presentations of my fellow artists and community activists. One spoke of welcoming the other, for example, by “porching”—a practice of sitting on the porch every week at a designated time and inviting people of… Continue Reading

Mary Driving Jesus to Mother’s Day Out

Editor’s note: Leading up to CIVA’s biennial conference, Lawan remembered this piece by her friend Robert Feuge that we thought could be beautifully showcased as a bumper sticker and made available to conference attendees. Good news: additional stickers are available to purchase in the CIVA Store – go check them out! By Robert Feuge The title of this… Continue Reading