Iconography Lecture at Advent

Andre Rublev's Redeemer Icon

From Church of the Advent - This Saturday evening, July 21st at 6pm, we are extremely honored to welcome Father Anthony Salzman, priest at St. Philothea Greek Orthodox Church in Watkinsville, Ga, to speak to us at Advent about Iconography and Byzantine Art.

Fr. Anthony and his wife, Christine both graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. in 1989. They lived in Thessaloniki, Greece for six years, where Fr. Anthony studied Byzantine Iconography and they immersed themselves in the life of the Church. They have two sons, Stephanos and Maximos.

Father Anthony is an artist/iconographer and continues today to paint icons for churches and families. You may see some of his work at www.imageandlikeness.com

He also is a guest lecturer at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, UGA Continuing Ed. School and OCAF (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation), teaching about Byzantine Art History and Iconography and spreading the word about Orthodoxy through the arts.

His work was recently featured in Athens local news:
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-06-09/priest-st-philothea-painting-icons-connecticut-church


http://www.facebook.com/events/421837194524782/

From Trinity - As Advent is our sister church, we would encourage all who are interested to go to this great event. It should be wonderful to hear a perspective on the convergence of theology, creativity & the beauty of the divine. See you on Saturday!

Rural Studio Camping Retreat

Friends and Trinitites,

As urban folks we often tend to assume that things of note only happen in cities, that big things happen in big places. Especially in the art and design world, the urban dominates.

In May, a few of us will be traveling to the poorest county of Alabama to see one of the most radical architecture schools in the world. Auburn University's Rural Studio is a Design/Build program in Newbern AL where the students live in self made homes while designing and building for the local community. We will be visiting several of the built projects and attending the official graduation party / pig roast. We will also be eating at the nearby bakery that mixes graphic design, apple pie, and social change.

Feel free to watch the Trailer PBS did a while back about the rural studio
http://www.citizenarchitectfilm.com/

We leave Trinity bright and early Saturday morning, May 5th and return in the afternoon on Sunday, May 6th.

The cost is $30 which includes travel, campground fees, campfire supper, and a good breakfast. We will be tent camping in a nearby National Forest for one night, so you will need a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and whatever else you may require. We will supply the food and cooking equipment for two meals, God will supply the stars, and Alabama will supply the bugs (fireflies, mostly).
If you have a van or SUV and would be willing to drive please let us know. We are trying to keep this around 20 folks and are hoping to have 3-4 vehicles. RSVP if you plan to go ASAP!!! Simply respond to this post and we'll add you to the list. RSVP by emailing Thomas Hardy: click here!

Sincerely,
-Thomas Hardy, Woody Giles & Jeff Guy

Art Community Night

Artists often create in what seems to be a vacuum. You are alone, hammering out your work, and then come up for air to find you have been working in total isolation. No doubt, sometimes this is a benefit, but usually it is a detriment to your sanity and you need some fellowship with other like-minded people to shock you out of the fog of work you've been in. So, we fashioned Art Community Nights for you.

These gatherings have been happening now for over two years. Every month we come together to share in life and discuss the creativity at hand - whether we are professionals or we are just getting started - all are invited.

There will be musicians, dancers, poets, painters, filmmakers, dabblers, pretty much every artistic discipline under the sun represented on Art Community Nights. The whole hope behind these events is to get us connected with our craft, with one another and with God.

All are welcome. We start at 8pm and wrap up around 10. Food is always involved so bring some room in your tummy! This is open to artists from other churches as well so feel free to invite people who don't worship at Trinity.

Tuesday, April 3rd from 8-10pm at the Tucciarone’s in Cabbagetown. 829 Marcus Street Atlanta, GA 30316 .  It is a green house with a double porch.
If you have questions about this event reach out to Jeff Guy; the ministry coordinator.

What's Cookin'

I wanted to take the moment and bring you up to speed on things that are coming down the line for Trinity's creative community.

Some dates are definitive and some are tentative but it still will whet your appetites! If you have any questions about the events, email me by clicking here: Jeff Guy


Every Thursday Night
Small Group for Artists | Rollins House in Virginia Highlands
Each week, a group of artists get together to read scripture and explore how it gives shape to their lives as children of God and as creative people. Led by photographers Ben Rollins and Josh Booth, this group is open to all Trinity artists. Join anytime.


Tuesdays, April 3rd, May 1st, June 5th
Artists Community Night | Tucciarone House in Cabbagetown
Every month we gather along with artists from other church communities to share what we do as creatives. We meet at the home of Latoya and Andrew Tucciarone in Cabbagetown. It is very casual and typically we have a conversation around a topic pertinent to our practices and faith in Jesus. There are also delicious snacks and beverages.


Saturday & Sunday May 5th-6th
Rural Studio Camping Trip | Newbern, Alabama
Limited to 20 people, architect Thomas Hardy and city planner Woody Giles will take us to Newbern, Alabama where Auburn's architecture students have worked over 2 decades on building sustainable and dignifying dwellings and civic structures for the communities there. We will tour the build sites and engage the community through their annual pig roast (don't be cast off you vegetarians, there will be food for those of us who abstain) More details to come!

Thursday, May 24th

5X15 | Trinity Anglican Mission

15 artists sharing for 5 minutes at a time on a subject they are passionate about. On these evenings, we get to experience what the creative class among us does - dancers dance, songwriters share their latest tune, visual artists talk about their work via slideshow -  you get the idea. It is a way to get inspired and blessed by the community we are a part of.

This is a small church house that was completed by the architecture students of Rural Studio.

Creating For The Seasons

Artists need structured projects for a host of reasons, but I'll mention a few here. It puts parameters on the freedom we have to create as we desire. It creates a goal to press toward with deadlines attached to it. If you are given the commission by a friend then you have some form of accountability and criticism - it keeps you going. All of these are healthy reasons for an artist to keep some structure to your discipline as an artist.

So here is what I am asking you to join me in. What would it look like if we took this Lent and engaged its spiritual overtones and themes in order for those to guide the production of 1-3 works of art? Keep the concepts and ideas you are working on in progress. I am not asking you to abandon what you are currently working on. But, I am asking you to create something within the season of Lent and see what becomes of it.

I want you to consider for two reasons: 1. The experience of creating in the season will keep your mind renewed to the themes of Lent focusing on scripture, prayer and your walk with Christ. 2. The Church, not just Trinity, but the Church universal could use more art that is consciously created for the sake of exalting and amplifying the truths we hold dear. We need better songs. We need better paintings. We need better writings. (...And the list goes on and on.) Do this while you are diligent in your other works.

Here are some themes to dwell on as we enter the season and you can bear these in mind as you create.

Penitence and confession of sin
Christ as absolution for sin
Darkness and the World's need for reconsiliation with God
Jesus' persecution, crucifixion and burial (Holy Week)

Let me know what you decide to work on! I'd love to see what God does through you. Drop me a line.

Here is something I painted during Lent a couple of years ago as an example. I was contemplating the sins of my grandfather and his generation in order to grow acquainted with my own sin.