Art Portfolio

I view the stories told through my art to be Ebenezers, beautiful, practical ways to remember the things God has brought me and others through, and the things he has done in our lives. While some Ebenezers are full of celebration and joy, I also think it is important to commemorate the painful things in life - not only as a way to grieve, or cry out for change, but also as a symbol of trust that God is working in the hard situations we can’t easily see Him in.

 

My vocational goal is to open an art studio for kids in the inner city. As a part of that community, my focus will turn from telling my story to helping them tell their own story well. Matthew 19:14 reveals to us that the Kingdom of Heaven is made up of the children. I cannot think of any more forgotten and alienated group of children in America than those in the inner city. Each and every one of them has a beautiful story that makes up the kingdom of heaven. If anyone needs beauty in their everyday life, it is these kids. They have experienced and seen so much pain in their lives; art is a way to let them grieve in a healthy and necessary way. As Walter Bruggemann says in the Prophetic Imagination, grief is a calling out of pain and asking for it to change. That kind of vulnerability is necessary for change. At the same time, the inner city is a place full of beauty in different cultures living in close proximity with each other. Art is also a place for these kids to celebrate the beauty and joy found in their culture and that of those around them. I would love to facilitate public art pieces where inner city kids without voices can tell their own story in a visually compelling way.