As my paintbrush touches the canvas, I imagine the emotion I feel to run through me and embody itself on the canvas. I feel a rush of energy and a rise in passion as I paint. I cannot help but think that this is my connection point to the divine — this is how I communicate with God. I can almost imagine the creator’s hand gliding with mine — knowing what I need to express for my own inner peace.
People tend to forget about the arts as a way to express themselves until they find themselves without words. Art can be a powerful tool to express that which words just can’t quite grasp. When I realized the power that art could have for self-expression I sought ways to connect it to worship. There is something about the vulnerability and creativeness of engaging in the arts that invites people to experience God in different and unexpected ways.
Often the problem with participating in art-related activities is the intimidation that many feel. However, a sense of community and connectedness amidst the vulnerability waits on the other side of the intimidation. When art is something that can be done at our seats, or can be abstract and even a little messy, or done as a group, then there is an invitation to allow ourselves the freedom of being creative for our self and community expression.
This is particularly important for those with disabilities. I experienced this firsthand when I discovered a nonprofit organization called Salvage Garden based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founder and executive director Melissa Guthrie creates a place for worship that is inclusive and welcoming of all. Salvage Garden has a particular focus on those with developmental disabilities.
The community that identifies as having some kind of disability is diverse. This can make it tricky to find ways to be fully welcoming in the church. Incorporating art into the services is one path we could take.
During a Salvage Garden event, there was a small boy who was unable to communicate with me as other children might; yet he actively wanted to touch and hold things. I sought to interact with him and the feathered boa he had found to touch, but he was afraid I was going to take it from him. Discouraged, I went to the art table nearby. When I held up a project and asked him if he wanted to do it, he ran over to me. I found myself surprised at how attentive he became. Wanting to do art was our place of common interest and through it we were able to make a connection.
At Salvage Garden, kids and adults who cannot communicate verbally can participate in the worship service the same way their families can. They can draw a picture of what the sermon made them think about or create a weaving with everyone else in the community. There is no limit to the meaning that can be found when someone without words is finally able to express themselves.
The same can be said for any of us. So much of the way we experience God goes beyond words, and yet we spend so much time trying to embody the divine in words. What if there was a way to respond to the divine where no words were required? What if I could pick up a paintbrush and respond to the sermon through colors? What if I could join with other members of my community to embody our responses together in a collage? How could this change the way we worship and think about our relationship with the divine?
CHRISTINE HARGRAVES is in the last year of her M.Div. at Wake Forest Divinity School where she focuses her studies around the interaction of art and spirituality. She still actively works with Salvage Garden and also enjoys designing worship services that incorporate the visual arts.
