commission4mission Newsletter No. 6

Pottery and paintings in our ‘Peacing Together One World’ exhibition at St Mary Magdalen, Billericay

Newsletter No. 6 – December 2010

Peacing Together One World

Peacing Together One World, our most recent exhibition, was held at St Mary Magdalen Billericay during One World Week. The exhibition was curated for us by Harvey Bradley who also acted as artist-in-residence throughout the exhibition. The exhibition featured a varied range of work by 14 commission4mission artists including our newest members at that point, Richard Baxter and Alan Hitching, both potters. As a result, a significant selection of pottery was shown alongside paintings and sculptures.

Harvey, and his wife Barbara, organised a range of supplementary events during the week which helped to swell the numbers attending the exhibition as a whole. These included a successful performance evening featuring images, meditations, music and poetry readings. Among those taking part in this evening were Colin Burns, Anne Creasey, Michael Creasey, Jonathan Evens and Helen Gheorgiou Gould.

Joy Rousell Stone @ St Nicholas Rawreth

Following from our ongoing exhibition space at All Saints West Ham, a second church has offered space to commission4mission members and Joy Rousell Stone was the first member to take up their offer with an exhibition of landscapes and animal paintings held at St Nicholas Rawreth in October. Joy’s skilful technique and insightful eye were greatly appreciated by those viewing the exhibition.

Run With The Fire

Run With The Fire is an arts project for the London 2012 Olympics organized by CANA, commission4mission and Veritasse based on the image of fire which links the Church’s Pentecost celebration with that of the Olympic runner.

Over 40 artists have applied to be part of Run With The Fire. Artists from South Korea, China, South Africa, USA, Netherlands, UK and the Philippines are all keen to supply artwork for the project. The deadline for entries has now passed. The next stage is the selection of artists by the jury members, all respected Christians with a background in the arts. All artists will be informed of the jury’s decision during January 2011.

Run With The Fire will create an original, international collection of artwork, for churches running community arts outreach projects, linked with the 2012 Olympics in London. Information for churches wishing to use the digital exhibition and put on community events will be produced by Easter 2011. If you wish to put your church on the Run With The Fire information mailing list, please contact Sue Newham, membership@veritasse.co.uk.

Run With The Fire is our first collaborative project but we hope it will not be the last as our Patron, the Bishop of Barking, is writing to a range of other arts and faith organizations to sound them out about the possibility of working in partnership in future.

Member profile: Ally Clarke

Ally Clarke studied Sculpture at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee and is inclined to create installation works complimented by photography, drawing, collage and print. Enjoying creative collaborations, she has worked with other artists to produce film and performance works. Ally views her creative work as a means of investigating the world and presents evocative, personal creations that produce opportunities for reflection and refreshment.

2011 plans

In 2011 expect to see among other initiatives:

• the launch of the Barking Art Trail;
• dedications of commissions at All Saints Hutton, St Edmunds Tyseley; St Peters Harold Wood;
• a group exhibition at the Crypt Gallery in St Martin-in-the-Fields;
• a new charitable constitution presented at our AGM;
• a new publicity leaflet; and
• involvement in the Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival and the Bishop of Barking’s resourcing mission week in Harlow.

Keeping Art and Soul Together

c4m featured in a recent Church Times article entitled ‘Keeping Art and Soul Together’ which can be read at http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=103880.