Newsletter No. 8 – July 2011

commission4mission exhibition, Crypt Gallery at St Martin-in-the-Fields

Exhibitions @ St Martin-in-the-Fields & the Leytonstone Festival

Our exhibition in the Crypt Gallery at St Martin-in-the-Fields (4th – 17th July) was designed to encourage the commissioning of contemporary Christian art as 16 of our artists showed work in a variety of media, including cartoons, concept drawings, fused glass, paintings, reliefs and textiles, and new roll-up banners provided examples of some completed commissions and information about the commissioning process.

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.

A well attended private view was followed by significant numbers viewing the exhibition. Comments made included: “Great variation and imagination”; “beautiful and interesting”; “a creative combination of art – materials, textures and colours”; “deserves lots of visitors, looking forward to the next exhibition and a growing network of Christian artists!”

A smaller commission4mission exhibition was also held at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone (14th - 20th July) as part of the Leytonstone Festival and the Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival.

The exhibition included work by Colin Burns, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Caroline Richardson, Henry Shelton and Joy Rousell Stone. Also able to be seen as part of this exhibition were a set of intricate Stations of the Cross by Barbara Sampson and Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes.

c4m AGM

We held our AGM on Wednesday 20th July at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone and heard presentations from Dr Graham Gould on Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes, and Mark Lewis speaking on the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area, before agreeing a revised constitution designed to enable us to register as a charity.

Annual charitable donation

We have recently made our annual charitable donation accrued over the previous financial year from our commissions and sales. Following our first full year of operation we were able to make a donation of £2,700 to the children's hospice, Haven House. This year we have donated £1,568 split between Sightsavers and SmileTrain. Sightsavers is a charity which works to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people in the developing world. SmileTrain is focused on solving a single problem - cleft lip and palate - by providing free cleft surgery for poor children in developing countries.

Member profile: Joy Rousell Stone


Joy studied under John Nash, Edward Bawden, Stanley Spencer and Edward Ardizzone at the Royal College of Art. She has had many one man shows. Her favourite subject matters are: The Holy Land, Egypt, Greece, Italy (especially Assisi) and USA. She works in all media and is the retired Head of Art & Design at The Plume School, Maldon.

Study day: The value of public art

A study day, organised by c4m, featuring input from the Bishop of Barking, Harlow Art Trust and Art & Christianity Enquiry plus opportunities to view the public art of Harlow Sculpture Town (e.g. Harlow Sculpture Trail, Gibberd Gardens, Parndon Mill etc.) will be held on Saturday 17th September at St Paul’s Harlow. To register contact – tel: 020 85992170 or email: jonathan.evens@btinternet.com.

Forthcoming exhibitions @ St Mary’s Billericay (9th – 18th September) and Tokarska Gallery, Walthamstow throughout December 2011.

Chandrakumar Sukumaran

 

Chandrakumar Sukumaran was born in Kerala (Attingal) in south India and came to England in 1980. He gained an HNC / HND in graphic design through Barking College and a BA in graphic media design at the University of the Arts, London (London College of Communication) while dealing with the effects of dyslexia. His dissertation was on the depiction of Christ in film. He likes writing scripts for short and feature length animations and has an ability to use colour in harmonious way in design and creative art. His work has been published in a graphic design book for students by Alan Swann. He has used the flexi plastic ID card with acrylic paint to create most of his recent work; this is animation to canvas painting and is called the miracle code.

Study Day: The value of public art

Brighter futures through charitable donations

commission4mission recently made its annual charitable donation from the charitable element in its commissions and sales. £784.00 was given to both Sightsavers and SmileTrain.

Sightsavers write: "Thank you very much for the generous donation of £784.00 from commission4mission and for choosing to support Sightsavers ... Seven-year-old Murtaza Mir, from Pakistan, was born with cataracts in both eyes. He had never seen his village or his family clearly. It was a 645km bus trip for Murtaza and his mother to reach the Sightsavers-supported Korangi Hospital for cataract surgery. The day after surgery some of his sight had started to return and he could see his mother's face. Your support will ensure a brighter future for more people like Murtaza."

SmileTrain write: "SmileTrain would like to extend a big thank you to all those involved with this special fundraising effort!

With your help, we will provide more free cleft surgeries this year than we ever thought opossible. The surgery you are helping us provide is really a modern day medical miracle. In as little as 45 minutes, for as little as £150, this surgery gives a desparate child not just a new smile, but a second chance at life!" 

Annual Report 2010/11

Rt. Revd. Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford launching the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area

In our second full year of operation commission4mission has consolidated its initial achievements, reviewed its strategy, and maintained its growth and development.

During 2010/11 commission4mission has:

• researched, published and launched a Church Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area;

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

• completed commissions for artworks at All Saints Hutton, St Peter’s Harold Wood, St Edmund’s Tyseley and St Pauls Goodmayes;

• gained commissions for artworks at All Saints Hutton, St John’s Seven Kings, and St Margaret’s Great Ilford;

• maintained a changing display of member’s work at All Saints West Ham and organised exhibitions at St Mary Magdalene Billericay, St Nicholas Rawreth and as part of the West Ham Festival;

• held a networking event and a performance evening and organised a launch event for the Barking Episcopal Area Art Trail;

• worked in partnership with CANA and Veritasse to create ‘Run With The Fire’, an international art project for the London 2012 Olympics;

• completed a strategic development review resulting in work commencing to gain charity registration for commission4mission;

• expanded our membership to 38 (as at 31/03/11) and were joined by Wendy McTernan as regional co-ordinator in South/West London; and

Jonathan Evens and Henry Shelton present the c4m cheque to staff of Haven House.

• presented a cheque for £2,700 to the Haven House Children’s Hospice, this being the charitable element from our first year of operation.

We are very grateful to: all members for their support and involvement; all committee members for their direction and guidance; our Patron, Bishop David, for his ideas and interest; Rev. Helen Gheorghiu Gould for her work on our Strategic Development Review; Mark and Matt Lewis for work on the Barking Episcopal Area Art Trail; Wendy McTernan who joined us as a Regional Co-ordinator; Ranjit Solomon for his independent examination of our accounts; and to London-over-the-Border for their generous financial support of the Barking Episcopal Area Art Trail project.

Revd. Jonathan Evens, Secretary – July 2011

All Saints West Ham: Current exhibition

An updated commission4mission exhibition has been hung at All Saints West Ham (click here for church opening times). The exhibition features works by Colin Burns, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Caroline Richardson, Joy Rousell Stone and Henry Shelton.

commission4mission @ Leytonstone

The latest commission4mission exhibition begins tomorrow at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone (4 Holloway Road Ell 4LD). The exhibition runs from 14th - 20th July (10.00am - 1.00pm, 4.00 - 7.00pm) as part of the Leytonstone Festival and the Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival.

The exhibition will include work by Colin Burns, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Caroline Richardson, Henry Shelton and Joy Rousell Stone. Also able to be seen at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo are a set of intricate Stations of the Cross by Barbara Sampson and Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes.

On Wednesday 20th July at 7.30pm, c4m will also be holding its AGM at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone. The exhibition can be viewed prior to our meeting. At 7.30pm we will hear presentations from Dr Graham Gould on Scenes from the life of St Augustine, the concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes, and Mark Lewis speaking on the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area, and these will be followed by the AGM. The AGM will include discussion of a revised constitution designed to enable us to register as a charity.

The Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival includes a number of interesting activities and events (which are open to all), including other visual arts exhibitions and presentations. Click here for the Festival programme and for more information.

commission4mission exhibition and AGM

On Thursday 14th July the latest commission4mission exhibition begins at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone (4 Holloway Road Ell 4LD). The exhibition runs from 14th - 20th July (10.00am - 1.00pm, 4.00 - 7.00pm) as part of the Leytonstone Festival and the Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival.
The exhibition will include work by Colin Burns, Jonathan Evens, Mark Lewis, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Caroline Richardson, Henry Shelton and Joy Rousell Stone. Also able to be seen at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo are a set of intricate Stations of the Cross by Barbara Sampson and Scenes from the life of St Augustine, a concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes (see images above).
On Wednesday 20th July at 7.30pm, c4m will also be holding its AGM at Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone. The exhibition can be viewed prior to our meeting. At 7.30pm we will hear presentations from Dr Graham Gould on Scenes from the life of St Augustine, the concrete frieze by the sculptor Stephen Sykes, and Mark Lewis speaking on the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area, and these will be followed by the AGM. The AGM will include discussion of a revised constitution designed to enable us to register as a charity.

The Barking Episcopal Area Art Festival includes a number of interesting activities and events (which are open to all), including other visual arts exhibitions and presentations. Click here for the Festival programme and for more information.

Christopher Clack

Christopher Clack says, "I have been making images for as long as I can remember and for as long as I can remember there has always been an element of religious imagery or content in the work I have produced. Why this should be, I do not really know.

What I do know is that the connection between religion and art is for me a profound one, one that I think has implications for the way we think about religion as well as art."

He trained as a painter, studied at Camberwell School of Art and then at the Royal College of Art. His main medium was oil paint, but he also loved etching and making sculptures. One very important aspect of all his work was the physical, tactile nature of whatever he made, so it seems very strange to him now that he works almost completely on computer. His images are produced using scanners, cameras, and software such as Photoshop and paint programs like Coral painter. The product of all this is then turned into an object by printing it out using large format printers, using the best quality materials he can lay his hands on.

It’s now become a sort of challenge for him to bring into this medium a sense of the physicality of things that is generally felt to be lost in the digital production.

commission4mission @ St Martin-in-the-Fields (2)

Our exhibition designed to encourage the commissioning of contemporary Christian art opened in the Crypt Gallery at St Martin-in-the-Fields yesterday. Fifteen commission4mission artists are showing works in a variety of media, including concept drawings, fused glass, paintings, reliefs and textiles.

Contributing artists include Adam Boulter, Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Ally Clarke, Anne Creasey, Valerie Dean, Jonathan Evens, 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.