The Beautiful features thirty-three original artworks, carefully selected to speak to the theme of Beauty as it is found in a fallen world. Encounters with beauty are essential to human flourishing. Indeed, such experiences capture our imagination and animate our souls; they invite us to pause and consider the nature and meaning of our material world and the one who created it all. In the modern period, artists often had a conflicted relationship to beauty. On one hand, they were drawn to beauty’s sublime qualities. On the other, they realized that a superficial understanding of beauty could be either a means to avoid the world’s suffering or a charm that incites consumer desire. Nonetheless, our need for beauty remains. In the shadow of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace there exists what some describe as a “broken beauty” — beauty that captures heart and mind while contending with the fallen nature of our world. This exhibit gathers contemporary works of art executed in a variety of media that bear witness to beauty as it appears to us in the complex landscape of contemporary culture.
This exhibition was organized by Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA), a non-profit organization founded in 1979 dedicated to exploring and nurturing the relationship between the visual arts and the Christian faith. CIVA hosts a range of other traveling exhibits; information can be found at civa.org/exhibits.
And Then I Saw by Charles Peer
When asked to present this exhibit in connection with my upcoming retirement from JBU I decided that I did not want to do a retrospective, but rather display a selection of paintings created since our last faculty exhibit in Nov. 2016. The fact is, I am more interested in my current process of painting and in the forward momentum of my artistic growth than in looking back at my past body of work.
The title, And Then I Saw, was chosen to reflect my excitement in the whole creative process; the act of observation and interpretation of nature, the fascination with color interaction and my love of the pastel medium. I want this title to reflect a theme of discovery.
The whole creative process is one of discovery. Every time I walk up to the easel there is an excitement of “what will happen this time?” What will I learn? What risks will I take and which ones will pay off?” There is always hope that something good will emerge, but there is also the thrill that disaster is right around the corner. With each painting, I learn something new and feel the exhilaration of the process of creating. There is also an experience of enjoying and leaning into the gifts that the Lord has blessed me with. It feels celebratory to bring the gift of beauty and color to others through the blessings I have received.
So much of discovery is about learning to look, and then, more importantly, about seeing. I believe I’m pretty typical in that I usually go through life in a dead rush, never really paying attention to what is around me. Consequently, I miss moments of beauty and unexpected blessings. When trying to develop an idea for a painting, I am drawn to patterns of light but often I just don’t slow down enough to see them in the subjects around me. But when I do, I find a host of beautiful moments of inspiration. Some of these moments are reflected in the work in this collection. It is sometimes the shadow colors in a little downtown side street (Alley), the light hitting the cluster of trees on Sager Creek (The Midas Touch), or the blue and gold contrast of late afternoon light on clumps of dried grass along interstate 412 (Ozark Wetlands).
As I hear the voices in my head speaking the title, And Then I Saw, I heard three main interpretations. The first, with an emphasis on the words “And Then”, was spoken like an excited child sharing the moments of a recent experience . . . “we went to the zoo and we saw a lion, then we saw a giraffe, then we rode the train etc.” The second voice, with emphasis on the word “I”, brought this creative process to a personal level. I was not reading of someone else’s techniques or experiences, I was the one being the decision maker in front of the easel. The third interpretative voice emphasized the word “Saw”. This last voice was one reflecting on gained insights and knowledge. I felt these three voices cumulatively expressed the different facets of my experience is creating the work for this exhibit.
I believe that the Lord has blessed me with these experiences of seeing to help me appreciate his creative nature and to reflect on his power and majesty. In the book of Revelations, John uses the phrase “and then I saw” twelve times as he recounts the visions the Lord presented to him and the power of the images. In many ways, I too feel like I have witnessed His greatness. I only want to see more.
When: This exhibit will be on display from March 27th to May 3rd
Where: Windgate Visual Arts West
Student Works Show
Come see art created by JBU Art Students. These works range from Photography, Graphic Design, Cinema, Illustration, Fine Art, Printmaking, and Darkroom Photography. This exhibit shows a sneak peek at what goes on behind the scenes in the JBU Art Department. Students have worked hard on these pieces. These works are judged by local judges and winners are announced at the 2018 Arties Award Show. This show will take place March 9 at 7pm in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Mark your calendars!
When: This exhibit will be on display from February 16th to March 17th
Where: Windgate Visual Arts West
Vortex by Joel Armstrong
Armstrong is best-known for his "wire drawings," and his work is frequently seen in galleries and art centers throughout Northwest Arkansas and across the country. Now that he is officially retired, he is pursuing a full schedule of gallery shows and installations. On the subject of retirement, Joel remarks in his Vortex artist statement,
"Arriving at the actual point of retirement, I find myself both excite and petrified at the unknown and lack of control. Being an artist is such an honor, and something I have wanted to do since I was young. Always afraid to take the big step- now that I am doing it I am fighting the same fear, but have to trust that God has led me to this place. I metaphorically can see my past as pieces of art circle through the gallery- uncontrolled, unbridled, and unstoppable. With a world that can be defined by the same terms, I can only move on with my eyes on God."
When: This exhibit will be on display from January 18 to February 11
Where: Windgate Visual Arts West
