SHHH...It's Not Really an Icon Examining the Faith Art Movement in Calvinist Churches

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Hite, Gregory

Keywords

Art, Religion, Calvinism

Area of Concentration

Humanities

Abstract

In Material Christianity, Colleen McDannell exposes an area of American Protestantism previously unstudied: the physical "stuff" of religion. Still a new enough field that adequate language does not exist to describe the images of Protestantism, material Christianity deserves further consideration as artists emerge from post-Reformation religion and popular culture to create serious works that call both constructs into question. Much of the following discussion results from the author's own local-level involvement in the movement, which has allowed access to artists, events, venues, and conversations that have deepened the investigation of the faith art movement on a first-hand basis. Observational visits to Calvinist churches, interviews with local religious leaders, and more traditional study of visual history of Protestantism in a broader cultural context have also greatly contributed to the work at hand. Ultimately, the research reveals a great irony: Calvinism, the sect responsible for setting iconoclastic precedent, is now positioned to lead the reintroduction of faith-based art into religious and secular arenas. Though no one group dominates the Faith Art Movement, a survey of artworks and events over the past twentyfive years reveals that Calvinists have been the first to formally acknowledge McDannell's argument that Protestants never truly eradicated image from their midst. Calvinists have remained relatively separate from Christian bookstore kitsch. This, combined with their tradition of educating laypeople, has begun to grow congregations that demand Faith Art of the highest artistic and intellectual standard.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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