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: “My sheep hear my voice”
We invite you to contribute to our RezArts Festival, a church-wide celebration of art this winter. Whether you’re age 5 or 95, a beginner or experienced artist, you can participate.
Our theme this year is Jesus’ words “My sheep hear my voice.” This theme is drawn from the final verse of the Venite, the Call to Worship in Psalm 95, recited every day in morning prayer (see The Book of Common Prayer 1979).
“Come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
and raise a shout to him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth,
and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands have molded the dry land.
Come let us bow down, and bend the knee,
and kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!“
This psalm was likely one of the scriptures on Jesus’ heart when he proclaimed “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27).
We invite you to reflect on Jesus’ words against the background of Psalm 95 and to listen for Jesus’ voice.
Consider your identity as God’s creation, as a member of Jesus’ flock. 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. You might seek to express the church’s need for the Good Shepherd’s care or offer thanksgiving for his leading. 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 28, 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 15, 2023. Visual art and printed submissions must be delivered to the church by Thursday, January 19, 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 28, 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
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
Websites
Christians in the Visual Arts
Books
Faith and Art: A theology of making by Makoto Fujimura
Placemaking and the Arts: Cultivating the Christian Life by Jennier Allen Craft
The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann
Walking on Water: Reflections on faith and art by Madeleine L’Engle
Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on community, calling and the mystery of making by Andrew Peterson
The Mind of the Maker by Dorthy Sayers
Videos
You’re Included- Music & Theology by Jeremy Begbie
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.
