While most Christians today view art from a distance and Christian discussions of art focus primarily on artists as lonely dreamers, this has not always been the case. In Putting Art (Back) in its Place Dr. John Skillen, an expert in medieval and Renaissance art and literature, calls for the church to come together as one body to reclaim that rich heritage where art touched the entire believing community. For quite some time, art played a vital role in the life of the community, assisting Christian community in performing actions that defined their corporate work and identity (their liturgies). Patrons commissioned artists, advisors helped to determine subject matter, and the whole church celebrated and partook in what was eventually displayed. Skillen offers readers a compelling call to foster a vibrant culture of the arts by restoring and cultivating active and respectful relationships among artists, patrons, scholars, communities and the art they create. Putting Art (Back) in its Place equips laity and clergy to think historically about the vibrant role the visual arts have played--and could again play--in the life of the church and its mission.

John Skillen s book calls Christians to come together as one body and enrich art culture in the church. Putting Art (Back) in its Place equips laity and clergy to think historically about the vibrant role the visual arts have played and could again play in the life of the church and its mission. Most Christians today view art from a distance: Do not touch In frames and galleries, art is walled off from the rest of life. Christian discussions of art focus primarily on artists as lonely dreamers and encourage training artists in technique, while leaving them up to their own devices in deciding what to create and how to keep food on the table. Yet for a long time, artwork assisted communities in performing actions that defined their corporate work and identity (their liturgies). Art touched the entire community: the artist, commissioning patrons, advisors who articulated beliefs and ideas, and representatives of the community for whom the art was made. The whole body of Christ played a part in the creation and use of art that said: Touch me and see In order for Christians to foster a vibrant culture of the arts, we must restore and cultivate active and respectful relationships among artists, patrons, scholars, communities and the art they create. Putting Art (Back) in its Place equips laity and clergy to think historically about the vibrant role the visual arts have played and could again play in the life of the church and its mission. "

"With its gentle affirmations, inspirational quotes, fill-in-the-blank lists and tasks — write yourself a thank-you letter, describe yourself at 80, for example — The Artist’s Way proposes an egalitarian view of creativity: Everyone’s got it."—The New York Times "Morning Pages have become a household name, a shorthand for unlocking your creative potential"—Vogue Over four million copies sold! Since its first publication, The Artist's Way phenomena has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron's novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery. The program begins with Cameron’s most vital tools for creative recovery – The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. From there, she shares hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter. She also offers guidance on starting a “Creative Cluster” of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors. A revolutionary program for personal renewal, The Artist's Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life.

"In this authoritative book, the first of its kind in English, Christopher Wood tracks the evolution of the historical study of art from the late middle ages through the rise of the modern scholarly discipline of art history. Synthesizing and assessing a vast array of writings, episodes, and personalities, this original and accessible account of the development of art-historical thinking will appeal to readers both inside and outside the discipline. The book shows that the pioneering chroniclers of the Italian Renaissance--Lorenzo Ghiberti and Giorgio Vasari--measured every epoch against fixed standards of quality. Only in the Romantic era did art historians discover the virtues of medieval art, anticipating the relativism of the later nineteenth century, when art history learned to admire the art of all societies and to value every work as an index of its times. The major art historians of the modern era, however--Jacob Burckhardt, Aby Warburg, Heinrich Wölfflin, Erwin Panofsky, Meyer Schapiro, and Ernst Gombrich--struggled to adapt their work to the rupture of artistic modernism, leading to the current predicaments of the discipline. Combining erudition with clarity, this book makes a landmark contribution to the understanding of art history."--from book jacket

Capture the essence of people in your paintings Add a personal touch to you watercolors with 11 step-by-step demonstrations that cover people in a variety of scenes and situations. Award-winning artist, Laurel Hart, gives you the techniques you need to capture the living, breathing essence of people. Inside you'll find: Tips for seeing the basic shapes of your subject using lighting and shading techniques Easy methods for successful design and composition Techniques for translating photographs into compelling, beautiful paintings Complete instruction for placing people in settings including cityscapes, landscapes and interiors Laurel guides you through the process with practical tips, chapter summaries and motivational "Hart-felt insights" that will inspire you to see the beauty of your subject and transfer your emotional response to watercolor. Putting People in Your Paintings gives you all the tools you need to make your paintings come alive!

All Christian colleges and universities hail the integration of faith and learning as a premier mission objective. There is less agreement as to what the integration of faith and learning should look like in pedagogical and cross-disciplinary terms. This volume proposes that faith and learning are interrelated from the start. Discovery of truth within the academic disciplines cultivates discipline-specific wisdom that both accords with all reality and complements the whole counsel of God. Where Wisdom May Be Found brings together a faculty of twenty-seven accomplished voices from across curricula to celebrate each field's capacity for revealing wisdom from all corners of God's creative design. In synthesis, these voices declare the depth and richness of the wisdom and knowledge of God for the educational advancement and holistic equipping of the corporate people of God.

Across the country, schools that integrate the arts into the fabric of the school day and across the curriculum defy educational odds and expectations. These schools demonstrate that the arts are profoundly cognitive and engaging and that arts integration is a strategy within the reach of schools even in the poorest communities. Putting the Arts in the Picture makes a powerful and original argument for placing the arts at the center of educational renewal. The authors investigate the success of arts integrated schools and the programs that have supported them, and explain why arts integration has such cognitive power. Putting the Arts in the Picture places arts integration within the long arc of efforts to realize the democratic promise of public education and examines how other nations have mobilized the arts to focus young people's need to learn and grow. Throughout, the authors suggest practical strategies--for educators, policymakers, school reformers, philanthropists, and parents--that can make arts integration broadly available to the children who need it most.