In the spring of 2019, Resurrection Philadelphia (then City Church Philadelphia) was awarded a grant by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship to commission visual artists within our congregation to create original pieces marking the seasons of the liturgical calendar, to be displayed in our space (a rented high school auditorium) during worship services.
WORSHIP IS THE ENCOUNTER OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR GATHERED COMMUNITY WITH THE WORTHINESS OF GOD.
WE SEE THE VISUAL ARTS AS A NATURAL EXTENSION OF THE BIBLE’S USE OF MOTIF AND METAPHOR, A VIBRANT MEANS OF KINDLING THE IMAGINATION OF WORSHIPPERS, AND A USEFUL LANGUAGE IN OUR HIGHLY VISUAL SOCIETY. THE USE OF LITURGY IN WORSHIP PROVIDES US A VOCABULARY FOR CONFESSING THE WORTHINESS OF GOD. BY USING ARTWORKS AS A FOCAL POINT IN WORSHIP, WE EXPAND OUR “VOCABULARY” FOR KNOWING, PRAISING, AND COMMUNING WITH GOD. WE GIVE A SHAPE TO WORDLESS CONTEMPLATION AND GROW, AS A COMMUNITY, IN OUR WONDER AT HIS GIFTS OF MATERIAL, SHAPE, COLOR, AND TEXTURE.
AT THE HEART OF THIS PROJECT IS A DESIRE TO CHALLENGE OUR ARTISTS TO EXPLORE THEIR OWN VOICES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF WORSHIP. EACH PARTICIPATING ARTIST IS GIVEN A TIME PERIOD OF THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR TO EXPLORE THROUGH THEIR OWN VISUAL LANGUAGE, THROUGH MATERIALS SUCH AS PAPER, TEXTILE, OR PAINT. WE ALSO SEEK TO HELP OUR CONGREGATION TO GROW IN THEIR ABILITY TO ENGAGE WITH THESE ARTWORKS AND RECEIVE THE GIFTS OF THESE ARTISTS WITH JOY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEBSITE IS TO DOCUMENT THE FRUITS OF THE PROJECT, ENABLING THE ARTISTS AND CONGREGATION OF CITY CHURCH TO REMEMBER AND CELEBRATE AND ALLOWING OTHER CONGREGATIONS AND COMMUNITIES TO FOLLOW ALONG ON OUR JOURNEY.
Are you curious to hear the participating artists share about the process of creating these pieces for our community? Tune in to our podcast where Dr. Cyndi Parker asks them about their creative context and about the value of expressing sacred concepts through art.
Lisa Abaya
is a native, west coast artist based in Philadelphia. She completed her BFA through a joint program between the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the University of Pennsylvania. Her thirteen years studying at the San Francisco Ballet School has influenced her painting, enhancing her sensitivity to movement and fluidity of gesture. Lisa looks to her Mexican, Serbian and Chinese heritage to explore traditional symbols, motifs and themes.
You can view her work here:
www.abayaworks.com
Instagram
@abayaworks
@smokeandflame
Melissa Choi
has a degree in Fashion Design and has been working in the field since 2006, specializing in embellishment design. She has designed for Free People and Anthropologie as well as for her own brands, SENPAI+KOHAI, and currently CHOI LIN. CHOI LIN is a collaboration with husband and artist Isaac Tin Wei Lin.
You can view her work here:
www.senpaikohai.com
Instagram
@_choilin
(Photo credit: Peter Murray)
Isaac Tin Wei Lin
explores the realm where representation and buzzing abstraction meet. His surfaces are often densely covered in calligraphic, brushed and hand-drawn patterns that express both the logic and complexity of written language. Cartoon figures, often in the form of cats and dogs, make appearances, sometimes as larger-than-life-size cut-outs covered in pattern themselves. Working across painting, screenprinting, collage and installation, Lin also collaborates with other artists and photographers in creating hybrid works.
You can view his work here:
www.isaactinweilin.com
Instagram
@isaactinweilin
@_choilin
To read more about the inspiration and thought behind each project, click on the correlating images below.
Please direct any questions or feedback to the project director,
Director of Worship Bethany Danel Brooks: bethany@citychurchphilly.com
“This program is made possible through a Vital Worship Grant
from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan,
with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.”