TMC Artist Circle

Two weeks ago, on September 20th and 21st, four members from the TMC Artist Circle had the privilege of attending the 2012 STORY Conference at Park Community Church.  STORY brands itself as “fuel for the creative class,” but provides so much more!  The two-day event brings in Christian speakers from around the country who are active in the arts.  Writers, painters, musicians and filmmakers all gave their stories as inspiration for all those in attendance.   Notable speakers from this year include Isaac Rentz, Bob Goff, Makoto Fujimura and Kyle Idleman, just to name a few.  Two of the four volunteers who attended from the Artist Circle had this to share:

Stephanie:

What did I love about STORY 2012? What didn’t I love?! I love that everyone is still excited about it – two weeks later I’m still seeing tweets and Facebook updates with quotes from the speakers and photos of the event. I loved the “kid in the candy shop” look in everyone’s eyes during those two days: The excitement brought about from being with other creatives, other Christians with the same passions, in an environment bursting with random things… a contortionist one moment, a string quartet the next. Who thought of randomly choosing four lucky attendees with a surprise lunch with four other strangers… who happened to be from Second City and dressed in costume?! 

But the most awesome moments for me came from the speakers. They were inspiring and encouraging, and directed our thoughts to Christ and the beauty of creativity. There were too many “golden quotes” to be able to share, I would be hard pressed to choose just one. But I went away with three overarching themes: 1. Make some art for you own sake – something not subject to a goal or dictated by what others want to see or hear. 2. Take a risk, let go, be vulnerable and passionate in what you do – even if you crash and burn there is something good to be found there and those are the times when we rely not on ourselves the most, but on God. 3. It is the job of artists (especially Christian artists) to call attention to what could be – to show the difference between the grief that is and the hope of what could be – and in that we are God’s vessels.

Mark:

STORY was an absolute blast!  I’ve been to many other conferences for work in the past, but I’ve never felt so empowered and ‘full’ as when I left Park weeks ago.  Being an animator, I was super geeked to hear Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales, speak.  I really enjoyed hearing Phil’s personal story and could really relate to some of his frustrations and successes in the business.  Phil provided an engaging picture of what it looks like to walk in obedience to God while submitting all of our small plans and ambitions to His greater will.  I really liked this memorable quote: “If I have given my life to Christ, where I am in five years is none of my business.”  Wow.  Talk about living a life of faith!  Phil also told a small anecdote of how Bob the Tomato literally prevented a father from killing himself.  After hearing Mr. Vischer speak, I feel incredibly convicted to live a life of purpose and to use my craft as a way to worship God and encourage others.  As Phil quoted Mother Theresa, “There are no big great things, only small great things done with love.”

STORY is also a great place to connect with others.  I was able to personally meet many artist that I respect and admire from afar via Twitter, etc.  Volunteering also allowed me to connect with talented folks who are native to Chicago.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to Ben Arment and the entire team that makes STORY a reality.  Being a volunteer not only allowed me to serve fellow artists, but really showed me the extreme attention to detail that went into making this event.  Everything down to piping pleasant scents into the HVAC system was done with the intent of giving attendees the most premium and profound experience.  Bravo!

Be sure to check out the photos we took at STORY on Flickr HERE.

Use the links below to connect with STORY:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
Vimeo

In line with the Artist Circle’s vision to network, interact, and collaborate with other Christian artists, the STORY conference draws folks from all over the nation for a two-day conference right here in Chicago!

The STORY Conference was created by Ben Arment, who envisioned getting a larger community of Christian artists and ministry workers refreshed, inspired, and connected. In fact, it may even be the only conference of its kind. The conference brings together folks from all over the nation as attendees, volunteers, presenters and sponsors. Each year STORY invites a variety of speakers and musicians across all disciplines – some of whom you’ve heard of and some of whom you WILL. Session topics range from a particular technical expertise to biographical journeys to general Q&A, but not matter the session topic each seems to speak to all other disciplines. As the STORY folks themselves say, “We strive for associational learning across disciplines, believing there’s much a filmmaker can learn from, say, an entrepreneur, and so on. You’ll find no fill-in-the-blanks or formulas to copy. Our metric for success is what you are inspired to go out and create.”

The theme for STORY 2012 is Everywhere, which speaks to the power of redemptive ideas in the most unlikely, unexpected places of the world. In addition to the main-stage program, STORY offers themed environments where you can learn from creative practitioners and interact with others in your field.

The conference does have a cost to attend, but you can also attend as a volunteer! The STORY folks are hoping to confirm their pool of volunteers by the end of June, so if you’re not sure you can afford a ticket, why not volunteer? In fact, the entire conference is mostly run by volunteers (there’s only a handful of staff who actually plan the event during the year)!

One of our Artist Circle members, Stephanie Bettig, volunteered last year, and remarks:

“I decided to volunteer last year and was very pleasantly surprised by the entire experience. While volunteering, I met a lot of new friends from other Chicago churches (that I didn’t even know existed, let alone had invested groups of artists) who are also pursuing their own artistic passions. I was able to attend almost all sessions and had lunch provided both days. I was inspired to worship with a thousand other creatives from all over the nation. I was encouraged in how to use my craft by hearing what many of the speakers had to say about being used of the Lord. I was spurred on toward artistic excellence and to be ‘relevant’ to my non-Christian artist friends.”

The 2012 STORY Conference will be held all day on Sept. 20 and 21st at Park Community Church.  Seating is limited to only 1,000 people and their prices go up next month!

To volunteer, contact Rachel Moran at rachel (dot) moran82 (at) gmail (dot) com

To register, click HERE.

Use the links below to connect with STORY:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
Vimeo

Recently, 24-7 Prayer, an international movement of prayer, contracted animation studio cumi to create a project entitled ‘Why Pray?’  The Artist Circle caught up Mark Kessler, Creative Director with cumi, for a quick Q&A regarding their roots and their creative process:

What is Cumi and where are you located?

Cumi is an animation company based in Wembley, London. After my wife and I had just got married we both lost our jobs and we felt that God wanted us to begin our own animation company. We prayed about the name and He gave us the name cumi (Mark 5:41). Over the past years we have been non-stop.

What type of work do you do? Animation, Illustration, Print? What types of clients do you serve?

We do all types of animation work and have a real passion for illustration which I think is apparent in the kind of work we do.

Cumi appears to do a lot of charity work. What value is there for cumi as a business to do work with charities?

A lot of companies pay a fortune to get the best advertisements done and I’ve always felt that charities deserve the best and shouldn’t have to pay for it. The charity work we do is an opportunity to give back plus I find it keeps us humble and not focused on money.

Read the rest of this entry →

Remember sitting in Sunday school thinking, “That’s a cool piece of art”?

Neither do Jim LePage and Troy Deshano. That’s one reason why the artists and friends started the Old & New Project —  to replace artwork typically associated with the Bible that they viewed as low quality. The project officially launched in late 2011, and since then about twenty pieces of art have been featured on their site.  The design above, entitled John’s Visions, was completed by Adam Grason.

This first round of the collections has come from various artists and various mediums, and most have been accompanied by a written explanation by Troy and a link to the original Bible passage. The pieces center around familiar as well as uncommon Bible stories, ranging from Moses and the burning bush to a description of Gadite warriors. To see the newest design, click HERE.

Each piece is made available through Society6 and all proceeds from the prints are donated to a charity. For the current set of artwork, donations are made to Blood:Water, an organization founded by Jars of Clay that focuses on providing clean water and HIV/AIDS education to locations in sub-Saharan Africa. The proceeds from Old & New go directly towards building a rain water tank in Lwala, Kenya.

Their website also includes a blog, where visitors can read about the artists’ processes and even delve into the artists’ personal lives.  One post included a chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Now, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a new piece of artwork is made available for viewing on their website and for purchase on the Society6 page. As of now, they are not accepting submissions, but are open to the possibility.

Use the links below to learn about…

Old & New Project
Website
Facebook
Society6 page

Blood:Water
Website
Facebook

One of the largest challenges for any Christian artist is taking the truth of the Gospel and retelling it in a way that is fresh and distinct.  Some may argue that designing posters of Bible verses is as literal as it gets, but even such critics would be astounded with the creativity and sheer elegance of the designs of Typographic Verses.  This amazingly creative site is administered by Jonathan Ogden, a designer/musician/animator living in the UK.  Not only does he submit his own designs to the tumbler feed, but he also features many other talented artists.  The ability to order prints is slowly being rolled out, but anyone who appreciates beautifully-set type and poster design will truly enjoy the visual feast that is Typographic Verses.  Check out these amazing designs and more HERE.

Use the links below to connect with Jonathan Ogden:
Website
Blog
Vimeo
Twitter

Nashville-based folk/americana group The Vespers have just released their sophomore album, entitled ‘The Forth Wall.’ The band, comprised of sisters Callie and Phoebe Cryar and brothers Taylor and Bruno Jones is not only gospel-centered but remarkably gifted. The independent group is currently touring and will be making stops in Chicago and Naperville.

You can get more acquainted with the band by streaming their latest album below.  A free sampler of their music is also available for download on Noisetrade HERE.

Use the links below to connect with The Vespers:
Website
Facebook
Vimeo
SoundCloud
Twitter

A local organization called Buy Art Not People (BANP) has put out a call for entries for their summer art show, which will take place on May 19th.

BANP consists of activists and artists who passionately raise awareness about human trafficking. The group fights for modern day slaves using open-source activism, which was made popular by another activist group, Not for Sale. Open-source activism is the idea that individuals or groups should creatively reach out to people in their community to inspire others to stand up for a particular cause, in this case human trafficking.

The art show will revolve around themes of home, recovery, sanctuary, and transformation – especially their role in overcoming adversity and personal trauma. Entries must be submitted through BANP’s digital submission form by April 20th, along with a $10 entry fee. Any artwork selected by the judging panel will need to be display ready. More submission details can be found HERE.

Chosen pieces will be on display at Flourish Studios beginning on May 19th and continuing until mid June. Among the artwork will be pieces by young women in the Salvation Army’s PROMISE program, a trauma based residential program in Chicago. Proceeds from the event will go to the PROMISE program.

Use the links below to learn more about…

Buy Art Not People:
Submission Details and Form
Website
Facebook

PROMISE Program:
Website

Not for Sale:
Website
Definition of Open-Source Activism