As I've been preparing to facilitate this Lenten Art course, I've been asked some very good questions about it, which I will now answer!
Check out the course here:
FAQs:
Q: Do I have to go to all of the sessions to register, or can I drop in when I can?
A: You don't have to come every time to register. Just let me know when you'll come. I'll be printing out materials for the participants and I'd like to have a general idea of how many people will be there each time so I can prepare.
Q: What is the registration fee?
A: There is no registration fee, though I will set up a "pay what you can" donation box to cover costs for this event.
Q: What kind of art will we be doing? Do I have to be a good artist to participate?
A: This course is a "take what's in your hand, Moses" style event. As in, whatever creative practice that's in your heart to do, you can do. Painting, drawing, writing, sewing, calligraphy, photography, cartooning... whatever! I would advise preparing to use a creative medium that you're already familiar with, so you can put your brain-work fully into planning a piece from the themes of the station of the cross, rather than using up your brain-work to learn a new medium.
Q: Will you be teaching us how to paint?
A: No, this isn't a "how to do art" kind of thing. It's a "let's use our art to worship God" type of thing. That being said, as we meet together, feel free to ask questions on how to improve your artwork! I'll be available the whole time to brainstorm, give advice, or suggest improvements. Also, when you do art in proximity to your community, there is a lot of potential for constructive criticism and productive collaboration!
Q: You use the words "meditation" and "experience." Is this some kind of mindfulness exercise?
A: In this context, when I say "meditate," I mean "contemplate." When we meditate on scriptures or on artwork, we'll be asking questions in our minds such as: "What is the main theme of this passage?" or "What do the colours of this painting make me think of?"
When I used the word "experience," I was trying to avoid calling it a class, because it's not an art class in the traditional sense! I won't be teaching - I'll be facilitating. Maybe I should have called it a workshop? Eh, maybe next time!
Basically, what you can expect from one session is that we will read a scripture, then think about it. Then we'll look at a piece of art and think about it. From the thoughts we collect from the scripture and art, we will draw inspiration for a piece of art of our very own!
Q: I can't attend in person. Will this be available online?
A: As I prepare for the Stations of the Cross Art Experience, I'll be developing them into an online course at the same time. We'll see if I'm able to get all the sessions done before Feb 9, but I'll do my best! I'd love for this to be available to my faraway friends, too!
Feel free to ask more questions, and I'll update this FAQ list as needed.