Presence: Art for Social Change
press release: God in the Modern Wing: Viewing Art with Eyes of Faith was just released by InterVarsity Press and highly reviewed by Publishers Weekly. PW celebrates the way in which this “revealing anthology…encourages readers to look beyond cursory views of modern artists by learning more about their lives, breadth of work, and depth of creative conception. Those working in art criticism or modern theology will gain much from this illuminating work.”
On September 17 and 18 art lovers and museum wanderers will have the opportunity to learn from five of the artists and writers who contributed to this book. Join us at three unique events for an insider look into the world of Modern Art and the way in which its artists help us both embrace our humanity and quest for spiritual transcendence.
Sept. 18: Can art nurture relationships between people? Can artmaking foster positive social change? For artist, educator, and community facilitator, Leah Samuelson, the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes.”
We know that art can be used to educate and inform. But it is also a powerful means to encourage social transformation. To achieve this, Leah believes that there is a powerful case to be made for how the methodology of and participation in making art can generate change.
Samuelson views art in the context of community. But this workshop is not solely about art for community, it is also about developing a community that makes art for itself.
Based on Pablo Helguera’s book Education for Socially Engaged Art (2011), Leah will present four different ways that you can invite others to participate in your art, including examples and facilitated discussion to evaluate how these methods can meaningfully serve community engagement. Though authentic contextualization is not easily codified, balancing realism and imagination, Leah has developed basic tenets and growth components to leverage art for social change no matter the context.
If you’d like to learn more about how to leverage the arts for engagement, join us for this stimulating and highly interactive Saturday morning workshop.
Leah Samuelson is a community artist who works with collaborative painting and mosaic processes. She specializes in the role of the arts in society specifically regarding the evolving relationships between arts and their audiences. She is a former instructor of Drawing and Community Art at Wheaton College. Her undergraduate degree is in Studio Art from Wheaton with a concentration in Drawing, and her graduate degree is in Urban Studies: Arts in Transformation from Eastern University.