What did I love about STORY 2012? What didn’t I love?! . . . 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 . . . - Stephanie Betting

STORY is an annual conference held in downtown Chicago for artists to hear from numerous speakers across various disciplines. But the three day conference is so much more than just stuffy lectures in cramped, sterile halls. STORY describes the event as a place to “fuel creatives in an environment where they can be inspired and learn from the leaders of creative industries.” It’s not just the presentations that are meant to inspire, it’s the event as a whole: musical acts are interspersed with the sessions, human statues might be waiting for you to pass by, or you could find yourself in line to make a s’more by an indoor fire pit.

This year’s theme is A Sense of Place and will be held at several venues in the River North neighborhood, including The House of Blues and the Cathedral at Dearborn. Over fifteen presenters have already been named, with the possibility of more being added. Some of the speakers already announced are Rich Hurrey, character technical director at Pixar Animation; Howard Lichter, global director of creative outreach at Nike; Chuck Anderson, designer, illustrator, and founder of NoPattern Studio; Stephanie Pereira, director of Art Programs at Kickstarter; and Dan Haseltine, frontman of Jars of Clay and founder of Blood:Water Mission.

“With enough Red Bull and collaboration, there is nothing [the attenders of STORY] cannot do.” Want to be one of those attenders? Then you should sign up fast; only a thousand tickets are available for STORY, which will be September 18 to September 20, 2013. To attend, click HERE. Volunteers are also wanted, but those spots can go quickly as well. Contact Stephanie Betting at stephanie.bettig at gmail.com for more information about volunteering at STORY 2013.

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

Read a summary of last year’s STORY HERE.

Use the links below to connect with STORY:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
Vimeo

When people years from now wonder how Christians of the early 21st century worshiped, they will be able to look at photographs of contemporary churches and worship services. When they wonder how Christians were persecuted, they will be able to read newspaper articles about specific people or whole groups in various countries. But when we wonder about the persecuted church of the first and second century, we don’t have Instagrams or YouTube clips – but we do have the frescoes painted on the walls in catacombs in Rome.

Gregory Athnos started researching the art found in the Roman Catacombs in 1974. It started as a casual project, but once he saw the art in the burial chambers, it turned into a lifelong commitment. He works with the Archives of the Catacombs in Rome to do his research, with permission from the director of the Vatican Museum. Greg has turned this research into a four part seminar that he has given over 300 times in various countries all over the world, entitled “The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church: The Centrality of the Resurrection in the New Testament.” While talking about the art in the catacombs, Greg also talks about the theology that early Christians had and their central focus of the Resurrection.

Greg will be giving a shortened version of this seminar in a presentation this Sunday, March 17, from 1-3pm in Sankey. He will not only talk about the art, but also show us by including illustrations and photographs during his delivery. Please feel free to bring a bag lunch as you hear what Gregory Athnos has to say about The Art of the Ancient Persecuted Church.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Imagine sitting in a job interview, ready to present your best self to the human resources person across the desk from you. Now imagine that every stereotype that you could possibly fit into is projected onto your forehead for your potential employer to see and you know that no matter what you do or what you say, you won’t be able to convince the HR rep that that’s not who you are — and even if it was, you’re not that person anymore.

That could be what former gang members and victims of sex trafficking feel like when trying to restart their lives. They have radically changed their lives, but all someone can see is marks of their past — tattoos.

Back when Chris Baker had a job in warehouse management, his co-workers use to always tell him they wished they could get rid of their tattoos because that just wasn’t them anymore. And those statements stayed with Chris.

But it wasn’t until he was leading his youth group at Big Life Community Church in Oswego in a service project that involved cleaning up gang graffiti that the idea for INK180 started to form in his mind. That project made Chris realize that the graffiti and walls were like tattoos and gang members — they signified the gang’s territory and property.

While growing up in Los Angeles, Chris Baker fell in love with the artwork of tattoos and has been a self-described tattoo collector since he was eighteen. A friend offered Chris an apprenticeship at his tattoo parlor after seeing Chris’s drawings; he’s been hooked ever since. Chris, his wife Lisa, and their children moved to Chicago about seven years ago, looking for a city with cultural diversity and a community feel. But he kept doing tattoo art as a hobby and part-time job. So when the idea that tattoos were a symbol of someone’s old life came to mind that day with the youth group, Chris began to pray to God to show him what he was meant to do. He says that God answered his prayers with a question: What do you love to do more than anything, and will you do it for free? Chris realized the answers were ‘tattoo art’ and ‘yes’.

And so INK 180 was born. It was October 2011 when Chris finally put it all together. Chris decided to create an organization that takes tattoos from former gang members and victims of sex trafficking and either removes them, through NeoMagLight IPL Tattoo Removal, or uses them as the foundation of a new tattoo — either way getting rid of the visual reminder of the past.

Chris originally rented out space in various shops around the city and suburbs to do the coverups, but now he is about to open the first INK 180 facility in Oswego, IL. The new space will be used for INK 180 coverups and removals, but will also be a regular tattoo business to be able to support INK 180. Chris talks with each client to determine how the new tattoo should be based on their own journey, and where they want to go in the future. INK 180 has done over 540 coverups since it started and Chris does several removals and coverups a week. INK 180 is made up of a team of volunteers, including Chris’s friends and family, and members of his church. Chris has gotten referrals from various sources — previous clients, probation officers, and churches among them. Chris says that the Gospel is shared with every client and each client is given a Bible, as well as verses for them to focus on.

Although Chris enjoys his work at INK 180, it hasn’t always been easy. He says lots of tattoo artists have been angry with him for what they perceived to be taking away their business. Chris counters those claims with the fact that most of his clients can’t pay for these removals and coverups themselves. Chris has also received death threats. Through it all, he reads Ephesians 6:11 and remembers that he is doing everything for the glory of God. But some even disagree with the spiritual aspect of his work. They argue that God is against tattoos and question if what Chris is doing is right. He counters their claims with two verses that speak of names being written on God Himself: Isaiah 49:16, where it says the names of God’s children are engraved on His hands; and Revelation 19:16, where it says Jesus will have King of kings and Lord of lords written on his thigh.

INK 180 has held events in the past and Chris has been invited to speak at various other organizations’ events, such as Traffick Free, Stop Child Trafficking Now, Urban Youth Outreach, and Transitions Global. When he speaks, he shares his testimony and shares stories of previous clients, but he also tries to instill within the audience the desire to use their gifts from God to incite change where they live and also educate them on the issue of local human trafficking. He has also talked to college classes relating to law enforcement to talk about his experiences with government agencies.

Chris has so much planned for the future of INK 180. He hopes it will become a nationwide organization that provides coverups and removals free of charge to former gang members and victims of sex trafficking. So far there are talks of INK 180 starting in North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Indiana, Oregon, California, and Arizona. Chris calls it “a revolution of unleashing RADICAL GRACE upon people that have been labeled as the castoffs of society.” Chris is also in the middle of writing a book about “the stories of change and redemption” of his clients. He plans to change names and locations to protect his clients but each chapter will describe how each person turned their life around to follow Christ. Chris has also been approached to do a reality show — but he insists he will only agree to a show on his terms: that discussions about God and the Gospel will be included and that there will be no fabricated drama – only the true stories of his clients, which are dramatic enough.

When asked how people can get involved with INK 180, Chris says prayer — prayers for his clients, for health and safety of those involved with INK 180, and for humans to stop destroying one another. He also says donations will help with the cost of supplies and transportation costs of clients. But he is hoping that the INK 180 facility will eventually be able to fund the organization itself.

Chris and INK 180 are also involved in Chicago neighborhoods, trying to preempt gang violence. Chris says he works with Urban Youth Outreach in Englewood, building relationships and ministering to local gangs. Chris speaks to people in Urban Youth Outreach, as well as youth groups and schools, to talk about INK 180 and to talk about how to avoid falling into the gang lifestyle. INK 180 clients also speak to young people about their experiences to help the audience understand the consequences of bad decisions.

With help from INK 180 and Chris Baker, former gang members and sex trafficking victims now have a chance to turn their lives around and move on from their past.

Use the links below to connect with INK 180:

Website
Facebook
Twitter

Use the links below to learn more about Help-Portrait Chicago:
Twitter
Facebook
Google+

Connect with Caleb here:
Twitter
Pinterest
Vimeo

click each thumbnail for a larger view of each photo

You may also view these pictures on Flickr HERE.

click each thumbnail for a larger view of each photo

You may also view these pictures on Flickr HERE.

We are very excited to announce that The Moody Church will once again be hosting a Help-Portrait site in December!  Following last year’s successful precedent, we will be partnering with Angel Tree, a ministry that helps families that have an incarcerated parent.  Clients will come to the church, have their photo taken, attend a party, then pick up their photos on-site!

We still need assistants, makeup artists, and general volunteers!  Here is some quick event info:

Date: December 8, 2012
Location: The Moody Church – 1635 N. LaSalle St.
Time: 11:00am – 4:30pm
Contact: moodychurchhp@gmail.com

Here are our photos and video from last year!

Do you remember Mom and Dad showcasing your latest artistic masterpiece – or short of that, your newest finger painting – on the refrigerator for all to see? David Rhodes does. His mom still has drawings he made in the first grade.

David has been a life-long artist and came to discover a love for photography in high school. His photography teacher taught the basics, including darkroom skills and camera mechanics. David came to appreciate the craft of non-digital photography.

Unfortunately, not all students get a chance to be inspired artistically in schools. But David and Holy Family School hope to change that. Together they have created an art exhibit and fundraiser that will take place on Saturday, October 20.

The exhibit developed from an idea David shared with a friend to a connection with the Holy Family School principal to conducting workshops throughout the last year for students from kindergarten to eighth grade. David says the goal was to expose, “multiple avenues of creative expression,” and the goal was exceeded: the workshops explored a variety of different mediums, including (but definitely not limited to) comic books, jewelry making, and painting with vegetables.

Funds raised at the one-day-only event will benefit arts programs, including aiding in purchasing classroom art materials. The exhibit will be held from noon to 3 pm on Saturday, October 20 at the DePaul campus Starbucks, located at 1245 W Fullerton in Lincoln Park. The students whose work will be featured will be present to discuss their art.

David is grateful that God blessed everyone involved with the resources and energy to complete this intense project. He knows the students’ creative exploration has grown through the workshops and he hopes they have learned things they couldn’t have without an art program.

Maybe for some of these students this move from refrigerator to gallery space will start a creative spark. Come and see that spark ignite!

For more information about David and to see the flier for the Holy Family School Art Show, click HERE.

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

click each thumbnail for a larger view of each photo

You may also view these pictures on Flickr HERE.