What has an “algorithm” got to do with me?

What you see on the outside and what I see on the inside are not always the same. There is great potential if you are willing to listen and understand.

Below is a definition for something that takes time to describe. This little something is called an “algorithm.” Now I know that some of you are feeling a bit confused right about now, but wait and read closely. I am not a mathematician nor am I a scientist but I do know that algorithms are a very necessary part of filing on the internet.

“In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is a step-by-step procedure for calculations. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning.

More precisely, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Starting from an initial state and initial input (perhaps empty), the instructions describe a computation that, when executed, will proceed through a finite number of well-defined successive states, eventually producing “output” and terminating at a final ending state. The transition from one state to the next is not necessarily deterministic; some algorithms, known as randomized algorithms, incorporate random input.”

So, why bring this up? Getting the scripture into people cannot be simply be accomplished by cutting and pasting it onto your web pages. Seekers, those who do not know Christ, will not enter Bible scripture into a search box in order to find what you post.

I hope some of you are now asking, how do I witness effectively for Christ? Include the scripture but also include topics that seekers wish to read about, topics that address their felt needs or intellectual curiosity. Also be cautious about how you discuss these topics.

Oh. Did I hear one of these? Not everything that I post on this blog is intended for your reading alone. I love the choir folks, but I also have purposes for introducing some “odd” topics into your reading. I do this by selecting written content that sometimes can be a bit challenging but it is a legitimate practice on the internet.

How often do you think the name “Jesus” is typed into a browser by people on the internet? Let me help you here, billions of times daily or even minutely. Every one of you hopes to somehow reach people for Him, but you are using the same vocabulary, hence identical tag words and key word phrases.

Listen to me. I am not trying to confuse you; I am trying to use you for the very purpose that you are writing for Him but my methods are not always direct. When I am direct, I speak to you because those are the words you speak everyday. When I am indirect, I speak to those who seek because those are the words they use everyday.

I am putting them together in the same place for your mutual benefit. However, I must do this legitimately. I cannot lie about how it is accomplished because this conduct is frowned upon by search engines. In other words, when I say there is content here it must be true. I cannot ethically include tag words without including actual text or without somehow covering the topic with real content like pictures, quotes, poems etc.. There are some people who do this without a second thought but this is not what God wants from me. He wants me to conduct myself appropriately. He does not want me to offend those who create the algorithms to help folks find what they are interested in reading or downloading.

Try to remember that I am not the enemy. I love the Lord’s people very much. I am here giving up my living in a way that I can perhaps never recover within my time spent on earth. I am willing to let you use my time and energy but please try to understand that I have a family and obligations outside of cyberspace.

I know that all of you are different. I know that you have different culture, different skin color, different ways of expressing yourselves and have people chase you down and hurt your feelings. I know all of this, I have been there and “done that,” as my children would say. It’s okay, this is only a Christian clip art file and I’m only an ordinary mom, but I will help you because God loves you and He wants me to.

Related articles

• Benchmarking Block-Swapping Algorithms (drdobbs.com)
• How To Best Learn About Algorithms In Depth (cs.stackexchange.com)
• Modified Djikstra’s algorithm (cs.stackexchange.com)
• Exact Algorithms from Approximation Algorithms? (part 2) (windowsontheory.org)
• Fork and join in Java 7 – JSR 166 concurrency utilities (javacodegeeks.com)
• Examples of sophisticated recursion (cs.stackexchange.com)
• Solving Problems (smashcs.wordpress.com)
• Computer Algorithms: Boyer-Moore String Searching (stoimen.com)
• Curation: The Human Touch vs. Algorithms (prnewswire.com)

How often do you think I should post on my blog?

This has to do with “why” you blog and the type of content that is on your blog.

Some people blog in order to report news. I should think that this would give them reason to blog frequently.

Some folks use their blog as a kind of journal. In this case, I should think that once a week would be normal.

Still other people write frequently because they are natural writers; they have the gift of writing and for them, writing is like breathing.

The purpose of our blog has to do with distributing content. Therefore, I post whenever I feel that the blog needs new content or traffic in order to build up it’s visibility on search engines. The old Pick and Print Gallery blog received approximately four hundred new visitors a day. I thought this was pretty good average for the content that I distributed.

Because this blog is relatively new, it will take perhaps a year or two to rebuild the search traffic back on to it. What I mean by search traffic is, that traffic that finds our homepage listed under key words or phrases while leisurely sifting through listings at Google or some other favored search engine. Search traffic must be built by frequent submissions and also by posting quality content.

I also post at night and during the day at least once. This is because night traffic comes from a different part of the web through wordpress. In other words, there is an entirely different group of people reading feeds while you sleep. I try to keep these readers happy as well.

Eventually this blog will function as a giant catalog of sermon illustrations, lesson plans and graphics for Christian ministry. As it grows in size, my new submissions will be less frequent because, the web traffic will be coming from the search engines for the most part.

Long ago, it seems like, the gallery was visited by hundreds of new people everyday without more than one or two new posts a month. I do not know how long it will take for this to be the case again. It could take a years or months, but I keep an eye on the traffic to make those kinds of determinations.

What I love about the wordpress pages is the way in which I can link to other articles through my own posts. I can enlist other Christians to spread the Gospel through my web pages and this helps me greatly! I use to spend hours looking up just a few good links to include on my pages!

I started blogging in order to spread my tithed graphics across the web, but, I soon discovered that it was very difficult to get a descent ranking on the Google Search. In fact, I have never found this collection ranked any higher than page seventeen under ‘Christian Clip Art’ at Google and that ranking lasted only one week. This was the case even though these collections are original, numbered at one time in the thousands and also included far more written content than any other Christian clip art web pages on the web. I often felt quite frustrated as some of you might imagine.

How can I give something away, if I can’t act logically and have it pay off? Well such are the many griefs of ministry. I’m sure that someday God will tell me so much more about those things that are unseen!

David Hetland Is One of My Favorite Artists

David J. Hetland (1947-2006) was a nationally recognized artist from Fargo, ND, known particularly for his liturgical works in mosaic and stained glass. I think Hetland is best known for the murals that he designed for Concordia College’ annual Christmas concerts. Pictured above is the CD that is sold by the college that includes a little slide show of some of these murals. In 1965 Hetland began working on the Concordia Christmas Concert murals, taking over the role as designer in 1978. The Christmas Concert murals, 56-foot by 20-foot, were painted in each year by volunteers in paint-by-numbers fashion. More than 20,000 people would see the murals at Concordia’s Memorial Auditorium and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Hetland received a BENE award in Ministry & Liturgy magazine’s national 2003-04 Visual Arts Awards for his design for the 2001 Concordia Christmas Concert Mural. In 2000, he received the Concordia Alumni Achievement award, the highest honor bestowed on alumni, and in 1994 the college presented him with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. After dealing with life-threatening illnesses for the last eight years of his life, he died on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006.

Links to Hetland’s Work:

• Christ Lutheran Church in Pacific Beach
• Holy Cross Lutheran Church
• Trinity Lutheran Church
• Trinity Lutheran Church in Jamestown, ND
• St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
• The murals of David J. Hetland

Related articles

• Ashland’s Wall Murals (northernnarratives.wordpress.com)
• Portable Murals (tomaplomb.blogspot.com)
• Clarion Alley Murals (faroutflora.com)
• Philip Guston’s 1935 Mural “The Inquisition” in Morelia, Mexico Undergoes Restoration Thanks to U.S. Interest (prweb.com)
• The Sunshine Gang (earthairwaves.wordpress.com)

What did Jesus look like?

Our culture influences the way artists illustrate Jesus. But, what did Jesus really look like? Should this be important to us? I have been an artist for many years and what I have discovered about people is that they have an emotional need to see something of themselves in Jesus. People seem to relate to Christ better, when He is of their own race. Some people in our culture cannot even be satisfied with appearances. They need God to also be of their own gender as well. How far should an illustrator go when creating a representational illustration of Christ?

I have painted Jesus many times both as a white man and as a black man. But when I think of Jesus, myself, I don’t seem to think so much about “how” His flesh looked at all. I think mostly of His heart and His kindness. For me, as an artist, the literal portrait of Christ must have something gentle in the eyes. If the eyes aren’t right, then the portrait is not successful.

Perhaps there is something to be said of the old quote, “The eyes are a window to the soul.” What do you think?

Related articles

• We are all one in Christ Jesus (bummyla.wordpress.com)
• Jesus is Christ and Lord (frted.wordpress.com)
• God’s Gift – Salvation – Jesus Nailed It (darrellcreswell.wordpress.com)
• Jesus, the Main Character in Your Life Story (gadberry.wordpress.com)
• In The Category Of Best Jesus Movie The Winner Is.. (huffingtonpost.com)

Is your art ministry . . . Christian?

Well, is it? I know that may sound a bit crazy but believe me, it’s not a strange consideration. Most ministries self-asses on a regular basis in order to avoid the following pitfalls or stumbling blocks.

The Top Ten Signs That Your Art Ministry Is Merely Self-Medicating

1. The contributors are defensive. Artists are more worried about themselves, their pocket books, their living conditions than they are interested in spreading the gospel. In other words, if you have to stop reading this list at number 1., you may be a little too defensive?
2. The community is insular in nature. The art ministry is primarily focused on their own people and their own agenda instead of interacting with other congregation members and pulling in non-church goers into their program. “Outreach” means that you are always looking to share the Gospel message with people outside of your own group. This is one of the primary reasons God leaves us here on planet Earth. Sharing Jesus’ love with the lost is the one activity that you will not ever be able to do again, once your body/flesh has died.
3. Education is treated as though it is unimportant because your leader may have very little of it himself. Excellent leaders, educated or not, will always surround themselves with educated, sober people. In self-medicating ministry, those who are not qualified either spiritually or intellectually are consistently appointed to positions of authority. This is because they will comply to every little whim and complaint of the members, instead of focusing on the greater agenda of Christ. Not only is it the most obvious tactic used by Satan to defeat ministry, it is also the most damaging. In other words, he uses it because, my friends, it works to defeat growth. Everyone hopefully understands that God sometimes appoints under-educated peoples to authority because He qualifies them Himself. So asses your leaders effectiveness based upon scripture, if his or her agenda has fallen under speculation. Spiritually led leaders behave with humility, faith, and uncanny resourcefulness.  If your authority figure neglects to appoint informed people to tasks that are dependent upon important knowledge base, because he is afraid of looking less educated himself, he or she may very well be nailing your ministry’s coffin lid shut. Don’t be surprised to see secretive smirks and hear resounding sighs of intolerance emanating from his or her lips. Spiritually led leaders are more concerned for their people than they are for their own reputations. They will not hide their lack of education and they will not glorify it either, if they’ve got it. They will seek those who have biblical wisdom and experience to make their ministry work better.
4. Artists are not expected to own up to their own sins? Creativity does not replace piety. While it is true none of us are saved by our own piety, to lack serious commitment to respecting biblical counsel or law is a sign of pride. Proud people never sacrifice* for those who are thirsty for forgiveness. God resists pride in His people and He will resist your ministry if it focuses too much on you and too little on the needs of others. God meets our needs by allowing us to fulfill the needs of others. In this occupation a Christian will find peace.
5. Living the Gospel message in front of others is discouraged. Are artists in your ministry embarrassed by innocence or unabashed conduct for the causes of ministry? Sometimes, in fact, many times, artists believe that those congregation members who do not perform well enough should be excluded from participation in a ministry altogether but this is incorrect thinking according to scripture. What scripture teaches is that leadership roles should be appointed by God and/or godly council, membership roles are given freely to whomever will serve with a happy spirit ripe with enthusiasm for God’s forgiveness. Would you be embarrassed by an infant who doesn’t yet know how to walk? Of course not. But many artists do treat their less successful colleagues with contempt when their work doesn’t measure up to a particular standard. The correct estimations of performance should be measured by the level of authority given the person in terms of provision to the whole of God’s community. In other words, if an artist is struggling, give him provision and support, but don’t hand him a job that is dependent on his success in order for your ministry to thrive for the sake of many. This is common sense that must be relied upon if God has not yet spoken differently on behalf of a stranger. In this case, if a stranger should be appointed who appears not to have qualifications at first, do not be fooled. God does qualify humble persons in His own deserts to run ministry under exceptional circumstances, but otherwise, be sensible in your appointments of leaders.
6. Exhibits are created in order to flatter the artists first and perhaps God, second, maybe? Artists are often treated unfairly in the world, this is true. They long for a supportive, caring, attentive family. Every Christian community should grow and learn to appreciate it’s members equally. Unfortunately, we are sinners and sometimes in our neediness we become obsessed with our own success because we believe that it will insulate us from tragedy. But as Christians, we need to understand that our security is primarily in Jesus, not in worldly perceptions of our own creativity. Jesus is the giver of all life and the true lover of human souls. When you join into His “church” you have already been justified by His love. You do not need to be superior to others in order to have creative value. As His child, you are free to focus your energy on growing for and with His heavenly kingdom and when the time is right, He will give you more to do. Spend your earthly days flattering God and in this you will find the most wonderful home any person could ever want or dream of.
7. Other congregation members don’t interact with your art ministry’s members much. This is a pretty obvious sign that your ministry is self-medicating. People will take an active interest in those who show interest in them. This is true for both saints and sinners alike and because it is true for both groups, it is considered one of the most obvious signs of defeat. The scriptures cannot be taught if people do not engage one another in conversation or community activity. God loves a moving target.
8. There is plenty of ‘back stabbing’ or ‘gossip’ happening between members, or even worse, members do this secretly to seekers.* Does this really happen. Yes, unfortunately I have witnessed it from both a distance and from a very personal and uncomfortable, close proximity. It is our sin nature that tempts us to triumph due to another persons demise. Remember the conflicts between King Saul and David? Remember how uncomfortable David felt at becoming a king at the expense of his sovereign and his best friend, Johnathan? Let me just advise here that it is very important to a Christian ‘how’ they come into privilege, authority, or recognition. They may not have any control over the circumstances, but they will always feel a bit too uncomfortable with it. It is a sign of humility. A sign meaning that The Holy Spirit who is indwelling him or her is not letting the sinner get away with false pride. So, a Christian thinking leader is usually too self-conscious to gossip about others let alone alienate a seeker. I have avoided, on a few occasions, involving myself with groups of Christian artists whose leaders have ‘judged’ me before they have even had a chance to speak more than twenty sentences to me. This is because I am familiar with God’s Spirit in my own heart, and I know that He would never except this kind of conduct from me personally. If I gossip or speak without wisdom, He corrects and disciplines me for it. It is never a correct behavior for any of God’s people, no matter what the circumstances. Jesus was humble while hanging on the cross, what right do we have to speak without caution? We who are sinners?
9. One or two individuals are given too much authority. A good missionary always invests energy in replacing himself with another who is just as qualified, if not better qualified. Good missionaries are also happy to have very helpful people about them. They look forward to going home to be with God and they also worry for those they will leave behind. It is in their nature to wish to replace themselves no matter how satisfied they are in the place God has appointed them to serve. This is because they are cognizant of God’s worth. They understand that only He can fulfill their deepest longing. Earth in all her glory is not capable of meeting the missionary’s need. If you are an inexperienced artist in God’s family, you are a missionary waiting to be born. You are more than just an artist, you are an artist with a different destiny. It is never the ultimate design for a missionary to be alone. He needs to surround himself with his children, students, or brothers and sisters so that he may replace himself should he be called to a different location or taken home to be with our Father in heaven.
10. Exceptions to standard practice are made because artists are thought to be too exceptional? As artists, we are not above the practice of understanding how we might improve a practice or methodology. We are living, thinking beings that are constantly evolving in the truest meaning of the word. Because God puts His Spirit in us, we are capable of improving our sin nature and adapting our dreams to enhance and provide for His Kingdom. But, if you never ask yourself these kinds of questions, how will you ever be equipped to give more away for God? People think that artists are the very least inhibited among Christians. In my experience, they can be more self-loathing than any other member of a congregation.

sacrifice* surrender, giving up, abandonment, renunciation, forfeiture, relinquishment, resignation, abdication for another

seekers* those who have yet to commit their lives to Jesus, the unsaved

Question and Answer Articles are written by Kathy Grimm; these are not in the public domain.

Why is the gallery called a “gallery”?

      The original Pick and Print Gallery was at one time a print company that produced fine art prints by artist Kathy (Rice) Grimm. After staying in business for five years the gallery closed it’s doors. But, Kathy did not close her heart for God’s people. Today she still submits new and free Christian graphics to a number of blogs across the internet. These blogs keep the Christian internet community supplied with free resources and will continue to do so for hopefully, many years to come. Kathy is an art teacher, illustrator, fine painter, and most important a child redeemed by the eternally gracious blood of The Lamb, Jesus. Visitors may find a few rare prints of Kathy’s paintings at GoodSalt.

Question and Answer Articles are written by Kathy Grimm; these are not in the public domain. 

Are there rules about “how” to exhibit art in a church?

Yes, holding a successful art exhibit will predetermine the cooperation of the congregation and artists in the future. Each congregation usually has it’s own list of rules concerning their property and values. Make sure these are always important guide lines in the planning of a program or exhibit within the confines of your church property.

1. Never insult the properties manager! Make certain that you do not damage church property while hanging an exhibit. We will discuss the methods of hanging work under a new category. If you do damage something, replace it promptly.
2. Get organized and never assign any one volunteer too many jobs. Make the art experience pleasant for everybody. You want the church to be enthusiastic about having another exhibit in the future.
3. Make sure that any work involved is done right once. This is important because it means that future art shows will be easier for folks to put together. Keep your work stored properly in the church staff computers and closets.
4. Assign duties in accordance to talents. If you have a retired advertising executive in your congregation ask him sweetly if he could help advertise the art show within a limited budget. If you have a marvelous cook in your church, ask him if he would consider preparing food the opening night of the exhibit. If you have musicians ask these folks to play music at the event. To each gift, assign proper work.
5. Make sure that the church folk are not your victims, but are those whom you are extra cautious about caring for. Artists have undeserved negative reputations attached to themselves, simply because of “hollywood stereo-types.” Sometimes artists must preform by higher standards of conduct in order to exhibit artwork to those people who are unfamiliar with their way of life.
6. Get children involved with the exhibit, if possible. This will insure that parents and kids take an active role in participating with your group as well as retired professionals. Have a children’s exhibit in a separate classroom at the same time as your show. Provide coloring projects or crafts in another room, along with free baby-sitting, during the art exhibit’s opening night.
7. Or plan the art exhibit to be opened during other major events like: Christmas plays, Easter concerts, a visiting speaker or a convention. This draws in more foot traffic and provides for artists enthusiasm for the show because they understand that there will be many people who will see their work. This also cuts advertising costs down because the art exhibit is included with other events that are already being advertised.
8. Do not insist on hanging artworks that you know for a fact will incite people. Not only will you insure that there will never be another exhibit in the church again, you will also defeat the ministry purposes of the artist’s church community.
9. Ask for the artworks to be reviewed by several people before these are hung. Three is a good number because two will have to agree on a work before it is hung.
10. When asking for submissions for an art exhibit, always include a very deliberate outline of your expectations concerning art works. Include size and wt. limitations and subjects that you would prefer artists to submit for review.

Question and Answer Articles are written by Kathy Grimm; these are not in the public domain.

Are there artworks that shouldn’t be exhibited in a church art show?

I’ve included here examples of actual artworks that have been submitted to and hung in Christian churches. The following examples should not have ever been even considered by a review committee and are to be avoided by staff and pastors should they decide to hold a fine art event.

1. Wet paintings. Need we say more? Alright then, we will. A wet painting is an accident waiting to happen. These are easily damaged and if people rub up against them, they can damage their clothing. Oil paint is not easy to remove from any surface.
2. Unframed works on paper
3. Framed artworks without hooks and wire
4. Sculpture that will break easily if a child should happen to touch them. A “Do Not Touch” sign will not be paid attention to by an unattended baby that can not read, let alone one that can. Put fragile works behind glass or hang these up higher on the wall.
5. Topics addressed by artists that are not “child friendly.” Most parents will not tolerate topics about violence or nudity unless these are traditionally represented within the context of a Bible story. (Even then, they still will raise a protest.) I know that this is a touchy subject, but some subjects are better addressed outside of church environments where children don’t participate. I myself, produce work along these lines, but never do I submit it to a church art exhibit. These are best reserved for perhaps a show in a seminary, college, or public forum meant for adults. The only exception to the rule would be the “Passion Story.” This subject I would insist of parents to tolerate at all times. It is essential to the vitality of a Christian church that they comprehend the death and resurrection of Jesus. This a core belief of the church, taught by God, throughout Old Testament prophesy and through the New Testament accounts given by disciples and believers. If God had meant for it to be unimportant, He would have excluded it from the scriptures. But, He didn’t and so logic would follow that we shouldn’t.
6. Artworks that may perhaps cause physical injury to visitors. Make sure heavy artwork is stable and or hung to avoid injuries. If the artwork has too many sharp edges, be certain that a child can not rub against it.

Question and Answer Articles are written by Kathy Grimm; these are not in the public domain

Who is best qualified to review artworks in our church?

You may have no person in your congregation that is truly qualified to judge artworks. But, this doesn’t mean that your church cannot participate in a ministry outreach program for artists. Artists need religious educations, trust in God’s grace and they desperately need church folks to reach out and offer sincere friendship to them.

Who then best fulfills the needs of an art review committee? I would suggest three professional types for a review board.

• A pastor on staff at your church. This is your church after all and you need to have represented the beliefs of your congregation present during such decisions.
• A teacher who knows something about art. Hopefully this teacher is enthusiastic about the artworks and loves to see people try new things and also grow in their knowledge about Christianity.
• An artist who is a colleague of the many artists who are producing the show. This person should voluntarily exempt herself from any money awards. This person should be different every year, if possible, so that he or she may be allowed to qualify for a monetary award in another year.

Some other ideas about “who” might serve on a review committee.

• A guest seminary student or professor
• A guest author or speaker
• A local art teacher or gallery owner who is also familiar with Christian artworks
• A guest missionary
• A popular church musician or other artistic professional

Note. It is important to offer a small fee for the review committee member’s time and efforts. Make them feel at home with steamy mugs of coffee and a light luncheon. Follow up with a hand-written card thanking them for their time and careful reviews. They should receive the card within a few days of the opening of the exhibit or after one. Always invite them to the opening night festivities personally and by mail as well.

Question and Answer Articles are written by Kathy Grimm; these are not in the public domain.

Where should we hang a church art exhibit?

Hanging an art exhibit inside of a church can be a bit tricky but it doesn’t need to be difficult. I’ve listed here some guidelines that will help the artists in your church to make smart politically correct choices and will help you to determine the most practical places to display art.

• Never hang any artworks that do not have religious subject matter in the sanctuary of the church. This is very important. Artists can unintentionally insult the congregation by doing this or can be deeply wounded if they assume that this is a possibility before getting shot down over the suggestion. The only exception to this rule is if you are displaying a textile exhibit. These are traditionally hung in Christian sanctuaries everywhere and people are not likely to be disturbed by the suggestion. It is true that the Lord made little green apples but, it is not generally acceptable to display these in the sanctuary as a tribute to your own artistic merit. There is a difference between an artist producing Christian subjects and an artist who is a Christian painting any subject. Don’t fall into the political mishap of displaying lemons as though they are icons or bible lessons. Lemons are great and when these are hung in just about any other room in a building, people like them. Sanctuaries are to be treated reverently though. The key to this is understanding that the sanctuary is a place to worship God not the artist. When the artist paints or sculpts about the ideas that are preached about by God then, he is submitting to the will of God. Just like everybody else who dresses modestly, sings music to glorify God, and speaks about the serious concerns of God’s people. Put God first in the sanctuary, not yourself.
• Church entry halls should also be treated carefully when considering topically appropriate subject matter. The front entrance is an introduction to the church. Be selective about what is hung here at all times.
• Hallways can be popular places to exhibit but most people will not linger in them while going to church on Sundays. Children also get a bit rowdy in hall ways, and artworks can be damaged here. If you choose a hallway, make sure to select one that is strategically located away from Sunday School rooms, bathrooms, and unattended out of the way parts of the building. Hallways leading to large cafeterias, libraries, offices, and meeting halls make good display spaces.
• For small exhibits we suggest a library or even better, the church parlor. This room type is a wonderful setting and often comes with a door that can be locked during times when the show is not open.
• Some churches set aside specific walls in their buildings where artworks are always displayed. This is a great idea! If your church hosts an ongoing ministry outreach to artists, this kind of space can be used on a regular basis and will come in handy. Try to get a supply closet near this wall cleared out and designated to your art ministry. This closet should have a lock and only be used by the artists to store works as these are alternated. The display wall need not be enormous at all. It could be quite modest to suit the needs of a Biblical illuminator’s guild, as these works do not usually exceed the size of a small page in a book. Some churches have glassed in cases for displaying items and these are marvelous for displaying small illuminated manuscripts.
• Be careful not to hang a show on a wall that kids bounce basketballs off of during the week or that Sunday school teachers must navigate around with a moving partition wall. If people will need to take artworks down during other festivities and put them back up again, then you should not display art in these facilities at all. Works are likely to get damaged during these events and handled by people who do not have the same value for your work. This is just a fact of life and it is best to avoid the situation all together. Have a show for one night only if this be the case.

Note. If you should have a wide variety of topical entries into your church art exhibit reserve the religious submissions for the public spaces. After all, this is a church art show, not a ordinary space and artists must learn to grow up and conduct themselves accordingly to the limitations that all kinds of people will expect of them everywhere else. The church should not be treated as though it is the very least to consider or respect. It is God’s house and should be cared for more reverently. Professional artists are well aware of the expectations required of them during a professional exhibit in a museum or in a gallery. These prerequisites are much more demanding in the real world than they are in the forgiving environment of a church. At the very least, the artist should do what is considered respectful to those he or she is dealing with directly.

Question and Answer Articles are written by Kathy Grimm; these are not in the public domain.