Calling all ‘wildly hopeful’ artists

Art show will provide visual aids to the discussion at this year’s MC Canada Assembly

January 14, 2014 | Web First
Mennonite Centre Heritage Gallery | Winnipeg

The Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery invites artists to submit artworks for consideration for a national exhibition to take place during the Mennonite Church Canada assembly to be held in Winnipeg from July 3 to 6, 2014.

The assembly’s theme, “Wild hope: Faith for an unknown season,” is based on the assembly theme text: Mark 4: 35-41 (“Jesus stills a storm”).

Artists are asked to consider the following statement as they create art that portrays their beliefs and convictions as the church together moves into “an unknown season”:

“The western world is rapidly moving beyond Christendom. The church must take Christian faith into a new cultural and civic landscape. There is disorientation for God’s church in this new wilderness, but also a strong sense of hope that this represents a tremendous opportunity to hear God’s call anew and shape a new kind of church for the future, a future that may be more like witness planting than church planting. The beliefs and convictions of individuals will be influenced in ways we have not yet imagined or discovered.”

By creating such art, artists can add their input to the discussions that will take place during the assembly.

The art can be strictly personal or community oriented. It can be abstract or realistic or anything in between. It can be painting, textiles, sculpture or other media, but it must be able to travel easily and safely.

Submission details

• Submit up to three artworks for consideration. Send high-resolution digital images to Ray Dirks at rdirks@mennonitechurch.ca by May 31. A jury will select work the following week to fit the allotted space. Artists will be notified immediately thereafter.

• Include title, media, dimensions and an explanation of the artwork(s).

• No artwork should have any one dimension larger than 100 cm.

• Artists are responsible for all shipping costs to Winnipeg and return. If artists arrange for their artwork to come to the assembly with an attendee, those artworks will be accepted when the person carrying the art arrives in Winnipeg. This arrangement is encouraged as it saves shipping costs. Accepted artworks need to be in Winnipeg no later than June 27.

--Posted Jan. 14, 2014

More about Assembly 2014:

Let your hopes run wild! (general information)

Registration information (early registration deadline is May 15 and final cut-off date is June 15)

Spiritual wrestling in an unknown season (keynote speaker profile)

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