Wired for Meaning
Introducing Art and the Search for Meaning
By Linda Stratford
I wonder how many of us could answer “yes” to the following: I find it meaningful to respond thoughtfully to a wide range of visual art, having been encouraged to do so from my church experience.
I remember taking my two preschool aged sons to a planetarium show at The American Museum of Natural History when we lived in New York. I looked forward to a (relatively) carefree day of museum strolling (relatively, given a stroller and toddlers were involved), entertained by simulated shooting stars in a dark theatre, with a treat to sidewalk hotdogs, following. What I didn’t expect was that my 4-year-old would emerge from the planetarium with a pale, stricken face, crying out, “Mommy, I don’t want to die!”
“What do you mean?” I said.
“I don’t want to get sucked into a Black Hole!” he answered.
It turned out that the somewhat overly stimulating celestial presentation had ignited in my child first tortuous concepts of annihilation of the Self. Terms such as “death”, “hell” and “existential angst” had not been on my agenda for that sunny Saturday, but it seems we humans, from the youngest age, are wired to receive and look for meaning, even ultimate meaning, in phenomena we encounter.
The human longing for answers to the deepest questions—the human longing for transcendence and meaning—has been present in every culture and epoch. Historically, works of art have aided pilgrims in that search. Works of art and architecture have helped spiritual pilgrims in the Christian faith over the last two millennia navigate complex journeys of faith, hope and doubt. Depending on one’s answer to my opening prompt, this may or may not come as a surprise. Certain reaches of Christianity are well positioned to embrace the visual arts, both “sacred” and more wide-ranging. Other segments seem to have lost an appreciation and application of this rich, nuanced heritage.
Regardless, it is within the purview and indeed the mission of all churches to cultivate interest in the visual arts. Religious communities are prime sites where the fruitful interplay between the visual arts and spiritual pilgrims can be cultivated. Both rely on the revelatory power of expression. Both serve as “laboratories” for cultural change. Both are “communities of memory”[1] where the rich interrelationship between faith and art can be recalled and renewed. Both art and the Church serve as arenas for contemplative awareness. Both art and the Church serve as agents of social transformation. It is the nature of art to disclose in imaginative ways. It is the nature of Christian faith to welcome honest seeking and to celebrate mystery that exceeds propositional claims.
As stated, certain sectors of Christianity are already well positioned to embrace the visual arts, both “sacred” and at-large. Other segments seem to have lost an appreciation and application of this rich, nuanced heritage more completely. In either case, those from outside church circles are often not present, minimizing the potential for important works of art, past and present, to aid the spiritual pilgrim. For this reason, it is the belief at Creo Arts that churches today will benefit from ongoing, regularly scheduled “tune-ups” in the visual arts—thought-provoking offerings curated to welcome both those within and those outside of church circles into time with and conversation about art, in a winsome way.
To this end, the Art and the Search for Meaning (ASM) program is currently being developed, starting with a manuscript under construction in 2025. Subsequent components will include teaching sessions covering art past and present (in person and virtual); suggested reading and group conversational direction (think Book Club and beyond); optional art site visits (pack your bag); and suggestions for personal and societal application (think application to local and global concerns). Its vision is inspired by Brennan Manning’s dictate that “theology is too vital to be consigned solely to the province of theologians; what is needed in addition are artists, mystics, and clowns.” All ASM components address the question, how can art past and present be more intentionally integrated into spiritual exploration? How can art enhance today’s spiritual pilgrim’s search?
The project originated out of a series taught at Apostles Anglican Church. Pastor Martin Gornik recounted, “The artwork presented in the class opened up a whole new world for us to begin seeing art not as a ‘backdrop’ to Christian faith, but a means of creating conditions for it.” A class member commented, “The connections we made opened art and its links to faith for me in ways I had never imagined.”
Like much of the general public, many Christian audiences are not consistently given the opportunity to engage thoughtfully with visual art, nor are they given opportunity to invite friends and neighbors to do so as well. Art and the Search for Meaning seeks to meet this need.
[1] Alasdair MacIntyre, “The Virtues, the Unity of a Human Life, and the Concept of a Tradition” in After Virtue (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981), 190-209.
Linda Stratford, Ph.D is a historian, writer and educator whose chief mission is to stir up thoughtful discussion about art. Originally a student of studio art, her career trajectory branched into teacher-scholar, creating innovative higher education deliverables such as Asbury University’s Paris Semester overseas; co-founding The Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA); and joining Creo Arts as Scholar-in-Residence.
Photo by StockSnap, courtesy of Pixabay