Enjoy a gallery display of original works by artists of all ages. Everyone is welcome, so bring a friend!
– Learn from artists describing their creative process.
– Listen to live performances of talented musicians.
– Sip coffee and tea.
Live performances include:
The 3+1 String Quartet
The 3+1 String Quartet was founded in 2018 by three violinist-violists, three alumni of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and three faculty members of Wheaton College. The 3+1 quartet featured alongside singer Camila Meza in 2019 at the Chicago Jazz Festival and has performed in educational concerts ranging from Montessori schools and junior high schools to the faculty recital series at Wheaton College and the College of DuPage. In addition to the mainstream quartet repertoire, 3+1 also enjoys exploring the music of Schickele, Bartók, the Danish String Quartet, and other eclectic works.
The 3+1 string quartet concertizes in the greater Chicago area and is currently comprised of violinist Addie Gannon, violinist-violists Lee Joiner and Lilian Chou, and cellist Diane Chou. Three are former students of Dr. Lee Joiner.
Painter Lewis Achenbach
Painter Lewis Achenbach interprets the music and atmosphere of an event in his artwork in the moment.
“It started with documenting live music through an imaginative process, but it has become much more.
“It now feels like a translation or an amalgam of two languages. To hear this painting is a meeting place of the sonic and visual arts.” More here
Hammer Dulcimer Musician Devin Pohly
Devin Pohly is an assistant professor of computer science at Wheaton College. He first saw a hammered dulcimer on a family vacation in the Smokies, and he picked up the instrument himself in 2017 after finishing college and moving to Illinois. When not writing code or playing music, he can usually be found dancing, calling, or composing contra dances.
Theme: “I am the vine; you are the branches”
We invite you to contribute to our RezArts Festival, a church-wide celebration of art this fall and winter. Whether you’re age 5 or 95, a beginner or experienced artist, you can participate.
Our theme this year is “I am the vine; you are the branches.”
For this year’s festival, we invite you to create art reflecting on how we relate to Jesus as branches in the vine, tended by the Father.
This vine imagery is drawn from Jesus’ words John 15 verses 1-8:
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
As you engage with this
passage, you might explore motifs of remaining in Jesus, being pruned, and/or bearing fruit. You may choose to focus on one aspect alone, or several. As you enter the creative process, listen for how Jesus is speaking to you, to your community, and to Resurrection in this season.
To learn the context of Jesus’ words in this passage, we suggest the brief article, “How to Prune a Grapevine,” by Rez parishioners Helen Brooke and Allison Dumper. The steps and illustrations clarify how a vine is tended in order to bear fruit. You’ll find additional resources on creativity by other artists at Rez in the section below.
For the festival you’re invited to draw, paint, sculpt, sew, record an original song, write an essay or poem or short story, or engage in any other creative way with this theme of Jesus as the vine and us as the branches.
All regular attendees of Rez, no matter your age, are welcome to participate! Because this festival is a way for us as a church to listen to the Lord in this season, we ask that you only submit original work from this fall and winter. The submission deadline is Sunday, January 14.
How are you hearing the Lord in this current season of our church life? What are you hearing from him? What do you desire to hear from him? Ask the Lord to help inspire your creation of original visual, written, or musical pieces. You might consider what imagery, tunes, or words communicate what you believe the Lord is speaking to you and to his church. Your work does not need to directly represent the theme or Scripture verses. We trust the Lord will work with you through this process.
The act of creating art can be one of worship and prayer as you submit your creativity to the Lord. As our Creator, the Artist of the universe invites us to be co-creators. While your finished art may or may not be a masterpiece, it can help others better appreciate the Lord’s heart for his people. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, we invite you to try your hand at creating art as an act of worship. You may ultimately decide not to submit your work to the Festival, but do consider participating in the creative process with this focus in mind.
We hope to see a reflection of how the Lord is leading you and our church body in this particular season. Thus, all submissions should be new creations made during the festival in order to reveal the Lord’s leading for this time in our Body.
We will share select submissions online and on social media throughout the Festival and beyond. The Festival will culminate with a Gallery Exhibit of all family-appropriate submissions. This will be open to the entire church on Saturday, January 27, 2-4pm. Visual artwork will continue to be displayed as much as possible in the building until Lent.
Jumpstart your creativity on Wednesday, January 11, 6:30-8:00 or 8:30pm.
Try a workshop in visual arts, devotional poetry writing, or worship song writing.
RSVP below.
Devotional Poetry Writing
Discover how to enrich your devotional life by writing poetry. You’ll learn new tools and practices for engaging with Scripture by penning your own poetry. This workshop will include hands-on writing time, as well as the opportunity for small group sharing and mutual encouragement. Minimum age: high school. This workshop concludes at 8:30pm.
Facilitator: Andrew S. Backer 
enjoys writing poetry devotionally and finds it a place to witness the beauty of the Lord and respond in worship. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Higher Education and Student Development at Wheaton College.
Assistant Facilitator: Helen Wieger enjoys creative writing and has been nurturing a group of creatives for the last several years. She leans toward penning poetry and creative prose.
Visual Arts
Janice Skivington Wood is a painter, illustrator,
and former art teacher. She has collaborated with various artists to develop liturgical art that adorns Resurrection, including the large Jesus icon, the great doors, paintings depicting Old Testament scenes in the narthex, and more.
Emily Verdoorn uses anything from 
pen and pencil to teabags, inks, thread, or homemade dyes to explore the world of her everyday life. Her work often begins like a quiet conversation with places, spaces and the natural world.
Worship Song-Writing
Visual
Such as drawing, painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, textile, crafts and digital art. Artwork that will be physically displayed in its original medium cannot exceed 3 feet by 3 feet.
Written
Such as poetry, short stories, personal essays, flash fiction, devotionals, monologues, and scenes. Length: 1,500 words or less.
Musical
Voice and/or instrumental. Length: 4 minutes or less
Guidelines
- All submissions must be original works, previously unpublished and/or not performed publicly, and may not have been shared online or on the artists’ social media.
- Submissions should be new creations made during this particular season in order to reveal the Lord’s leading during this time in our Body.
- Participants must be regular attendees of Church of the Resurrection over the last three months.
- Each person or group may only submit one entry per category, up to three entries total.
- Group submissions are allowed if all individuals are active attendees or members.
- We’ve extended the deadline an extra day! All entries must be submitted online by midnight CST, Sunday, January 14, 2023. Visual art and printed submissions must be delivered to the church by Thursday, January 18, 5pm. Please leave submissions upstairs in the print room.
- Art that includes nudity, profanity, graphic violence or otherwise inappropriate content for young children will not be considered.
- Participants agree to allow the Resurrection to publish digital files of all submissions both online and/or in print, on its website and/or social media channels, both during and after the festival indefinitely with appropriate credit.
- Participants grant Resurrection non-exclusive rights to use their submissions in ministry, including but not limited to services, events, public displays, or performances, publications, sites, and programs, without further permission or payment involved, with appropriate credit to the artist(s).
- The RezArts Festival will include a gallery exhibit on Saturday, January 27, 2-4pm, at which time submissions will be displayed and presented for the enjoyment of the church and any guests. Everyone is welcome. Contributors to the Arts Festival should plan to attend the Exhibit. Visual art submissions will remain on display within the church building until late February. We will also explore ways to include creative works into the ongoing life of the church.
While we will do our best to care for your submission(s), we cannot guarantee the preservation of your artwork in its original form. We also reserve the right not to exhibit any piece we deem inappropriate for a family audience.
Resources on Creativity
Find inspiration, insights, and tips for sparking your creativity in these resources:
By Fellow Rez Members
How to Prune a Grapevine
A Woman Held God Poem
Avent Maranatha Poem
RezArts Festival Submission: Open Offering
Sub-Creators: Mimicking the Creator’s artistry
Overcome Your Fear: Create for the RezArts Festival
Leaning into Fear
Sub-Creators: Mimicking the Creator’s artistry
One Artist’s Fusion of Faith and Art-making
What if I let the work form me?
A Wonderful Strangeness: Reflections on the Church’s imagination
Overcome Your Fear: Create for the RezArts Festival
Other Resources on Art and Theology
Articles
“A Letter to A Young Artist” by Makoto Fujimura
“On Unnecessarily Owning Art” by Karen Stiller. An essay by author and wife Karen Stiller reflecting on her commitment to owning artwork as a Christian.
“The Creative Process” by James Baldwin in James Baldwin: Collected Essays. A 1962 essay by secular novelist James Baldwin describing the role of the artist in society, resonating with a biblical understanding of an artist’s role. (Note: Link is to an abridged version of the essay published by Plough)
“On Fairy-Stories” by J.R.R. Tolkien in Tales from the Perilous Realm. A 1939 essay by fantasy author and philologist J.R.R. Tolkien arguing for the redemptive value of fantasy literature
“Nourishing Our Souls” by Denis Haack at The Ransom Fellowship. A blog post in which Anglican author Denis Haack contends for the imperative need for beauty in the Christian life.
Websites
Christians in the Visual Arts
Visual Commentary on Scripture directed by Ben Quash, King’s College London. A beautiful resource that features artwork paired with scripture passages, along with accompanying essays by different scholars on various Scripture passages. (Note: Some scholars, such as Malcolm Guite, are Christian, but others are not).
Books
Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on community, calling and the mystery of making by Andrew Peterson
Art & the Bible by Francis A. Schaeffer. A short book containing two of Christian thinker Schaeffer’s thoughts on the relationship between art, the church, and the Bible
Culture Care by painter Makoto Fujimura. A manifesto on the role of artists in the church and in society.
Faith and Art: A theology of making by Makoto Fujimura
For the Beauty of the Church edited by W. David O. Taylor. An anthology of essays by artists, pastors, and scholars on the relationship between the arts and the Church.
The Mind of the Maker by Dorthy Sayers
On Beauty & Being Just by Elaine Scarry (also available in book form). Philosopher Scarry’s 1998 lectures on the power of beauty to bring about justice in society.
Placemaking and the Arts: Cultivating the Christian Life by Jennifer Allen Craft
The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann
Walking on Water: Reflections on faith and art by Madeleine L’Engle
Videos
You’re Included- Music & Theology by Jeremy Begbie
“Bono & Eugene Peterson: THE PSALMS” by Fuller Studio. A 30-minute documentary, spearheaded by Anglican theologian W. David O. Taylor, in which rock musician and author Bono (Paul Hewson) and theologian Eugene Peterson discuss the artistic beauty of the Psalms.
Podcasts
“Art and the Church” with Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe on The Embedded Church Podcast. A 2022 podcast episode funded by Duke Divinity School’s Ohmond Center, featuring conversations with pastors, artists, and Christian thinkers on how the Church might serve the arts in the twenty-first century.
“Beauty Will Save the World: An Interview with Brian Zahnd” with Stephen Roach on the Makers & Mystics Podcast (published in two parts: Part 1 & Part 2). Artist Stephen Roach interviews pastor Brian Zahnd, author of Beauty Will Save the World, on the role of the arts in evangelism.
“Longing and Beauty” with Dr. Curt Thompson, MD on the Being Known Podcast. In a 2021 podcast, Christian psychiatrist Curt Thompson reflects on the innate human desire, and need for, beauty in life.
How To Submit
- Each work must be submitted online via an individual digital file– a Word document, a photo(s) of visual artwork in PDF, JPG or PNG files, or an audio file in mp3.
- Visual art submissions may include up to 4 photos of your visual arts submission, such as a photo of your painting, a pottery work, or a sculpture. However, if your submission is actual photography, then only one photo is allowed.
- Visual art submissions of the actual artwork must be delivered to Resurrection in person by Thursday, January 19, 5pm to participate in the gallery exhibit and should be left at the building until March 1. (The church office is closed on Monday, January 16.) You are welcome to mount and/or frame your visual art submission for display before dropping off.
- Musical submissions must be no longer than 4 minutes, submitted in mp3 files. If you are creating a song, you might choose to submit your lyrics in a Word document. If so, then you may choose to format and print your song on a letter or legal size document. You are welcome to mount and/or frame it before delivering to Resurrection in person before Thursday, January 19, 5pm for display at the gallery exhibit.
- Include a paragraph of 200 words or less explaining: a) your work, b) your creative process, and c) how your entry reflects the theme in part or whole. Questions? Email dawnjewell@churchrez.org or office@churchrez.org
Submission Form
Please complete one form for each submission.
