Episode 4 - Art and the church

In this episode, Sara Joy and Eric talk with Pastor Gabe Coyle about the fruition of Four Chapter Gallery, an art space developed, curated, and managed by Christ Community Church in downtown Kansas City. Using the biblical framework of four chapters (movements): creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, the Four Chapter Gallery seeks to bring flourishing to the local arts community by offering beautiful gallery space and valuable support in promoting the work of the artist and treating each artist with care and dignity.

Sandra Bowden, an artist and curator based in Chatham, Massachusetts, and David Taylor, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, serve as our field guides for this episode to help us better understand how to develop thoughtful art space and how the appreciation and value of art has taken shape throughout the course of church history.

Episode 4 Field Guide: Sandra Bowden

Sandra Bowden is a visual artist based in Chatham, MA. She has been interpreting Scripture and her own spiritual walk through mixed media for more than forty years. She has been acclaimed as one of the most unique, impressive and inspiring Christian artists in America. Bowden’s work has been featured in books, magazines and gallery shows across the United States, Canada, Italy and Jerusalem. She is co-author of Seeing the Unseen: Launching and Managing a Church Gallery.

Episode 4 Field Guide: David Taylor

David Taylor is Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. Prior to his appointment at Fuller, Dr. Taylor served as a pastor for ten years in Austin, Texas. Taylor serves on the advisory board for Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts as well as IVP Academic’s series, “Studies in Theology and the Arts.” He is the author of Glimpses of the New Creation: Worship and the Formative Power of the Arts and The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation and the Liturgical Arts. He is editor of For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts.

Links to resources and terms from this episode:

Articles, Books, Media, & organizations

Christ Community Church - Downtown KC

Four Chapter Gallery

Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)

Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA)

Agents of Flourishing by Amy Sherman

Seeing the Unseen: Launching and Managing a Church Gallery by Sandra Bowden and Marianne Lettieri