commission4mission @ St Martin-in-the-Fields

Our exhibition designed to encourage the commissioning of contemporary Christian art opens in the Crypt Gallery at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Monday 4 July. Sixteen commission4mission artists will show 40 works in a variety of media, including concept drawings, fused glass, paintings, reliefs and textiles.


Jonathan Evens, secretary of commission4mission, explains: ‘This exhibition demonstrates some of the ways commissioned art can be used to enhance a place of worship and add another dimension to a church’s mission.’

Contributing artists include Adam Boulter, Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Ally Clarke, Anne Creasey, Valerie Dean, Jonathan Evens, Viki Isherwood-Metzler, Mark Lewis, Nadiya Pavliv-Tokarska, Caroline Richardson, Janet Roberts, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov, Joy Rousell Stone and Peter Webb. Some of the work is for sale, and enquiries are invited. The exhibition will also include examples of some completed commissions and information about the commissioning process.

The exhibition continues each day until 17 July. Open 10.00am - 8.00pm. Private View: Monday 4 July from 6.00 - 8.00pm. RSVP jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

commission4mission banners

We have produced three roll-up banners for display at future events and exhibitions which briefly describe recent commissions, as an additional means of promoting our work of encouraging the commissioning of contemporary art by churches.

The banners tell the stories of comissions by Caroline Richardson at St Peters Harold Wood, Rosalind Hore at St Edmunds Tyseley, and Henry Shelton/Richard Paton at All Saints Hutton.

We plan to use these banners for the first time in our forthcoming exhibition at the Crypt Gallery in St Martin-in-the-Fields (4th - 17th July). 

Congratulations: Helen Gheorghiu Gould

Our congratulations to Rev. Helen Gheorghiu Gould, who was ordained as a priest yesterday by the Bishop of Barking at St John the Baptist Epping.

Over the past year, in addition to her responsibilities in the Epping District Team Ministry, Helen has been revising commission4mission's constitution prior to our application for charitable status. Helen's proposed new c4m constitution will be discussed at our AGM on Wednesday 20th July at Holy Trinity and St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone.

We wish Helen every blessing and pray for her in this new stage of her ordained ministry and as she continues to integrate the visual arts into that ministry:

God our Father, Lord of all the world,
through your Son you have called us into the fellowship
of your universal Church:
hear our prayer for your faithful people
that in their vocation and ministry
each may be an instrument of your love,
and give to your servants now to be ordained
the needful gifts of grace;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Clorinda Goodman

Clorinda Goodman has been stone carving with Matt Caines in the Community Art Room in the crypt at St John on Bethnal Green for the last four years. She has also been drawing, largely thanks to Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn and Revd Regan O’Callaghan.
She says:

"I have completed only three carvings in stone, as it is a lengthy and absorbing process, and it has had to fit round my full time work commitments and my first love - of singing – mostly liturgical music in a church setting.

As an academic child, art went by the wayside after O levels. I have had to make a real commitment which has turned out to be immensely rewarding. I am beginning to explore shortcuts – like firing my latest terracotta maquette of the Queen from the Lewis chess set, which I am also carving in Clipsham stone. Few people work in traditional materials like Portland stone. Given the huge amount of art destroyed at the Reformation, it seems a crime to lose these traditional skills that have enhanced our sense of the divine, worship and place so hugely."

Clorinda is a regular worshipper and choir member at St Mary’s Woodford, and has recently written an article for their Parish Magazine prompted by her second piece – ‘Eden’ – now re-named ‘Ancilla Domini’ (see above).

Artist's update

Robert Enoch's latest work has been a Pentecost Installation at St Mary's Hemel Hempstead (see first photo above). He and Jonathan Evens will lead services at St Paul's Harlow (where Robert created an Easter installation) on Sunday 3rd July as part of ongoing work which commission4mission is undertaking with the church and which is intended to lead to a Study Day on Saturday 17th September exploring the value of public art.

Elizabeth Duncan Meyer is showing in Take Five, a mixed show at the Piers Feetham Gallery of work by Duncan Meyer, Maurice Moeri, Suzanne Osborne, Minna Fry and Maureen Sweeny until this coming Saturday. The show includes paintings, prints, sculpture and glasswork.

Jonathan Evens has a solo show in the commission4mission space at All Saints West Ham until 21st July (church opening times, see church website for details). He is showing a selection of photographs from his Windows on the world series plus his Broken journey, fragmented story installation (see photos 2 - 5 above). His show will be at All Saint's throughout their West Ham Festival, which includes concerts, a gala dinner, exhibitions and a range of other events and services. Other work due to be shown during the West Ham Festival can be seen in photos 6-8 above, including paintings by Chandrakumar Sukumaran.

Tokarska Gallery news

The current exhibition at the Tokarska Gallery is Guest & Volunteers: Photographs by Mark Burton until 18 June.
These new, large-scale portraits by Mark Burton provide a rare glimps inside the Crisis Rough Sleepers Centre in London, which operates during Christmas each year. Cameras are usually banned from the Centre, but as a long-term volunteer Mark was given permission to capture a series of portraits depicting guests and volunteers.

The images portray the dignified and respectful relationships that develop at the Centre. This series of work also challenges perceptions of homelessness: the subjects removed identifying name badges or wristbands, often making it unclear who is the guest and who is the volunteer.

The Gallery is also organising a juried open exhibition of children's drawings in two categories: JUNIOR LEAGUE - 6-9 years old, and APPRENTICE LEAGUE - 10-15 years old. The 12 finalists selected in each League will have an exhibition of their work at Tokarska Gallery and a monetary prize of £50.00, £25.00 and £10.00 for first, second and third place respectively. A Private View and Award Ceremony will be held on 14 September (6-8pm) and the exhibition will run from 15-22 September.

The deadline for applications is 5 August 2011 and the competition is open to any child resident in Waltham Forest. To apply, send a selection of (3-6) drawings by your child by post to Tokarska Gallery: Drawing the Culture Competition, 163 Forest Rd, Walthamstow, London E17 6HE with a £5.00 cheque made to UKUA Express Limited. More information is available from web: http://www.tokarskagallery.co.uk/, tel: 0208 531 5419 / 07800545550; and email: info@tokarskagallery.co.uk.

commission4mission will exhibit at the Tokarska Gallery in December.

c4m @ the Pentecost Festival (2)

This was our stand at the Pentecost Festival today where we advertised Run With The Fire and our forthcoming exhibitions. Several useful conversations were had while listening to Brian Martin & Worship 4 Life, Sounds of Salvation, and others in the Biblefresh Performance Zone. Among those we met was the artist Ken James.

c4m @ the Pentecost Festival

This Saturday we will be in the Market Place at the Pentecost Festival promoting our work generally and the Run With The Fire project, in particular.

The Pentecost Festival is a celebration of the birth of the church through creatively showcasing the diversity of the church and giving an opportunity for people to discover more about Jesus through arts, music, drama, comedy, film, debates and discussions.  It takes place in cafes, exhibition spaces, parks and bars across central London and is open to everyone.

The Market Place is Pentecost Festival’s only exhibition space. The idea behind the Market Place is to have a space for charities and Christian organizations to have an opportunity to share resources, information and events with Pentecost Festival goers. The Market Place will have over 20 different charities, Christian organisations and companies bringing stalls/stands. As time of writing the confirmed exhibitors that will be there are: SJI (with FRESH); Christian Aid; Traidcraft; Toybox; The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion; SPEAK; Mission Year Project; Festive; Feed The Minds; Cards From Africa; Recreation; CSW; Global Day of Prayer; Lynda Bean; YWAM; Christian Clothing Alliance; Creation Resources Trust; Wycliffe; Open The Book; Living Stones; 10 Week Worship Leader.


The Market Place will be located in the Aldergate Room and Westminster Foyer at Methodist Central Hall Westminster. The address is: Methodist Central Hall Westminster, Storey's Gate, London SW1H 9NH.