We all want what is best for our kids, but how do we know if they’re doing Ok?
I'm working on something special that I believe will help parents raise their kids to be strong in faith when I read this article about a new art exhibition that set my wheels spinning a little faster...check it out:
I love art and want my kids to appreciate art in any form they can. We take them to galleries, plays and like many a tired parent, we slog away at making them practice their musical instruments!
The other day I read about a famous art gallery in Tasmania (MONA) known for its alternative and some might say risky art installations. MONA has recently sought four well known professors to co-curate an exhibition exploring the origins of creativity and art. (‘’Seeking the Source’’, Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum, March 11-12, 2017, p10).
The origins of creativity
The reviewer of the exhibition was blunt in his assessment: ‘’Realistically, there was never any chance of reaching conclusions about the origin of art, especially through the medium of an exhibition. We may at least be thankful that one museum was crazy enough to make an attempt”. It seems that the exhibitions of the four curators often reflected their tastes, and helped little to explain origins. The exhibition’s selection of curators also appears based on the gallery’s assumption that the origin of art must lay upon evolutionary theory. Curiously not a single curator brings a theological perspective, a spiritual source for creativity.
I'll have art please, but without God thanks
When we think about art, isn’t it impossible to think of Italy? When you think of Italy, you think of art inspired by faith. Giant frescoes, the Sistine Chapel, the statue of David and on and on in every corner of the country and almost exclusively this art was inspired by Christianity. Yet here we seem to have a modern art exhibition with its blinkers on, denying ‘intrusion’ from perhaps the greatest work of art that has influenced the world, The Bible. MONA sets up the ground rules, ‘’Let’s discover the origins of art, minus God, please’.
Ok, there’s clearly something biological going on. There’s gonna be something psychological and science will get closer and closer to explaining how all the atoms bounce around to create pleasure and even inspire art. But will we be any closer to finding the source?
‘’In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…”. God did art. And God imparted art to human beings whom he ‘made in his image’. The Bible doesn’t try and explain the atoms, but it does credit the source of all the beauty and awe.
Point is…our kids live in this kind of world now. A world where God is in exile. A world where God isn’t allowed in the discussion. Free speech is valued as long as you shut up about God. Wisdom is found in the gallery of the professors who look into their own navels for origins of creativity.
So are your kids alright?
The picture in the article I read showed a bunch of Tasmanian tigers (now extinct) vying for survival, mauling each other and killing little sheep. Quite a potent image don’t you think? How do we protect our flock, our kids from the tigers? How do we shepherd our flock so they outlast the thylacines?
We need art that celebrates the Lord.
We need answers to tough questions.
We need different ways to explore issues that confront our kids, so we as parents can guide them to answers that will underpin their faith.
That’s what I hope to do in video, with your help.
Stay tuned and send in any ideas you have that you want covered.
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