By Lawan Glassock How do we see movement in art when in reality it is still? As seen from Classical to Modernism, there are certain qualities of art that are able to convey an imagined movement. Historically artists have accepted to a large extent, the inherent static nature of their work and contented themselves with… Continue Reading
Category Archives: civablog
Kanye’s Epiphany
By Will Montei Sing every hourEvery minuteEvery secondSing each and every millisecondWe need YouWe need YouWe need YouOh, we need YouSing ‘til the power of the Lord comes down– “Every Hour,” Kanye West Told people God was my missionWhat have you been hearin’ from the Christians?They’ll be the first one to judge meMake it feel… Continue Reading
Storing Our Tears
By Micah Behr After a house fire claimed most of my possessions and temporarily displaced my housemate and me earlier this year, I noticed that I wasn’t feeling the sense of loss that one might naturally feel after a significant life event like a fire. I traced part my lack of grief back to the… Continue Reading
An Advent Visio Divina
By John Skillen During the season of Advent, I keep handy a photograph of my favorite painting of the Nativity from the Renaissance: the altarpiece in the family chapel of Francesco Sassetti in the church of Santa Trinità in Florence, featuring the Adoration of Baby Jesus by three tender-faced shepherds. The infant lies on the… Continue Reading
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