Issue #184 | December 16, 2009

ImageUpdate’s Top Ten of 2009
Domestic Vision: Twenty-five Years of the Art of Joel Sheesley, edited by Gregg Hertzlieb
The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard by Erin McGraw
New Tracks, Night Falling by Jeanne Murray Walker
Usher by B.H. Fairchild
The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight by Gina Ochsner
Pierce Pettis: That Kind of Love
Nurse Jackie on Showtime
Dave Perkins: Pistol City Holiness
The End of Suffering: Finding Purpose in Pain by Scott Cairns
The Crack Between the Worlds by Maggie Kast

Gallery Watch
Glen LaMar Exhibit: Job & Paul: The Enigma of Faith
Georges Rouault - Makoto Fujimura: Soliloquies
Exhibit at Washington Theological Union

Message Board
Trinity Forum Academy: Accepting Fellowship Applications
Integrity Weekend with Andy Crouch and D. Michael Lindsay
White Stone Gallery’s Call to Artists
Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist

ImageNews
Image Readings: Luci Shaw
Accepting Applications for the Luci Shaw Fellowship
The Milton Center Postgraduate Fellowship: Call for Applications
Time to Support Image: A Poem
Subscribe to Image in Print

ImageUpdate’s Top Ten of 2009

ImageUpdate is our way of directing your attention to emerging art—books, films, albums, visual art, and even T.V.—that we feel the Image community shouldn’t miss. But with all of the selections we feature in this e-newsletter, there’s much to choose from each year. That’s why in this issue we give you our top ten picks of 2009, in chronological order of appearance. Use this to fill out your Christmas list, or simply to reflect on the quality essays, stories, poems, music, and film released this year.

The contributors of ImageUpdate have two goals: to fill you in on exciting new work, and to support the artists who create it. We hope that, in return, you will consider supporting us as we strive to maintain this e-newsletter, Image journal, and all of our other programs and events, into 2010. Any contribution you make will be appreciated more than we can tell you, and will be put directly towards our mission of bringing you art that, like the Joel Sheesley painting above, explores the boundary between earth and heaven.

Click here to make a one-time gift, or set up a monthly giving plan.

Merry Christmas, friends, to you and yours from all of us at Image!

Domestic Vision: Twenty-five Years of the Art of Joel Sheesley, edited by Gregg Hertzlieb

The theme of domesticity is at the heart of Joel Sheesley's work. With his lucid technical mastery and wonderfully strange sense of composition, he paints canvases that draw out the profound weirdness of the everyday. His eye is generous; his portraits of suburbanites are made with a deadly-clear perception but also a full and loving sympathy. Domestic Vision--a meditation on a retrospective of Sheesley's work shown recently at the Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University--probes the contours of home as a place where the mundane bumps up against sudden truths only half-seen. More…

The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard by Erin McGraw

Erin McGraw’s recent novel, The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard, captures the rushing, bewildering newness of Los Angeles at the dawn of the last century, a city populated by people who have left the past behind and where identity is up for grabs--if a person has enough desire, ruthlessness, and grit, that is. Nell Plat of Mercer County, Kansas, is loosely based on the author’s grandmother, who abandoned her young family without a word to remake herself in the West. The Kansas sod house that irascible Nell shares with her husband and tight-lipped in-laws is cramped and stifling with old grudges. More…

New Tracks, Night Falling by Jeanne Murray Walker

The sense of disconnection and loss in Jeanne Murray Walker’s new collection of poems can barely be touched by words. And Walker admits this right away in her first poem, addressed to a dead neighbor: “You’ve gone AWOL and only Jesus / can bring you back. Not tears, / not rain. Not this poem.” Having thus acknowledged the limitations of her words, Walker nevertheless reaches for a language to grapple with this and other losses. She enlists unusual metaphors to do the job—the dead friend becomes “an ocean who’s abandoned / its bed. The sky who folded up / its blue tent and traveled south.” More...

Usher by B.H. Fairchild

If you missed the chance to read B.H. Fairchild’s “Trilogy” in Image #56, you’re in luck, twice over. The three-poem work was just reprinted in the 2009 Pushcart Prize anthology, and it also appears as what Fairchild has called the centerpiece of his new poetry collection, Usher. The usher of the title is Nathan Gold, a theology student and movie-theater usher in 1950’s New York, who tries, in a dramatic monologue, to figure out what his theology professors Tillich and Niebuhr have to do with Katherine Hepburn and Marlon Brando. More…

The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight by Gina Ochsner

In her debut novel, The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight, Gina Ochsner tells the tangled stories of a handful of unlikely neighbors who inhabit a condemned apartment building in post-Soviet Russia, in the city of Perm, Siberia. First we meet Olga, a Jewish woman and a lover of words who works as a “translation officer” for the Red Star newspaper, where her unfortunate job is to make the news more palatable for the public: military casualties must be rounded down to “acceptable figures,” and a horrific event must never make it to the public “in its raw and undiluted version.” More…

Pierce Pettis: That Kind of Love

Pierce Pettis’s songwriting keeps getting better—and that’s saying a lot. With That Kind of Love, he has produced another collection of unskippable gems. The eagerly awaited album was four years in the making, and in the liner notes Pettis writes that the extra time allowed the songs to mature and develop. It shows. The emotional and theological richness, the playfulness and lyricism of his writing, and the power of his storytelling continue to grow. As one music critic noted, “Pierce Pettis doesn’t write mere songs; he writes literature.” More…

Nurse Jackie on Showtime

Showtime has a new series you may have seen advertised, starring Edie Falco, formerly of The Sopranos. It’s called Nurse Jackie and it is already off to a great start. Here’s the set-up: there’s this emergency room nurse who’s tough, quietly kind, and fiercely devoted to her vocation. But she also does Percocet and OxyContin and Vicodin on the job for her bad back and stress levels, while having an affair with the hospital pharmacist. She takes a long subway ride home (after double shifts) to her hunky husband and two sweet daughters. The hospital she works at is clearly Catholic; there’s a corridor leading to the chapel that has a statue of Raphael’s transfigured Christ at the end of the hallway. More…

Dave Perkins: Pistol City Holiness

Recently nominated for two Grammy awards, Dave Perkins’ Pistol City Holiness is a stirring collection of mournful Delta blues and gritty Southern rock featuring Perkins’ unnerving guitar and rugged, impolite vocals that plumb the unapologetic depths of old-fashioned blues despair. Perkins, a legendary producer and session musician, covers expected thematic ground—love, fights, failures, and plain bad luck—but his lyrics are vividly inventive. On “Preacher Blues,” a tale of unrequited love and spiritual struggle, Perkins blindsides the listener with the opening line: “She’s a helluva woman when she’s all dressed up for church.” More…

The End of Suffering: Finding Purpose in Pain by Scott Cairns

Scott Cairns prefaces The End of Suffering, the nonfiction book that grew out of his 2006 keynote address at the Glen Workshop, by naming the work for what it is: an essay into the subject of suffering, of human affliction and pain. “I hope to find some sense in affliction,” Cairns writes, “hoping – just as I have come to hope about experience in general – to make something of it.” And what Cairns does, with prose that strides perfectly across the page, is precisely this; he writes to make sense of the suffering we encounter, and cause, and know in our own lives. More…

The Crack Between the Worlds by Maggie Kast

Memoirs that center on a conversion experience are common enough, but they can often become cerebral, focused on an inner, intellectual journey. The deepest and most memorable conversion stories embed the journey of the mind within the pilgrimage of the heart; in doing so they anchor theological matters in the small, dense worlds of work and family life. Maggie Kast, who has written on dance for Image (#19), has published just such a memoir, The Crack Between the Worlds. Kast has a harrowing story to tell—including the death of one child and the mystery of another child’s disability—but threads of grace and light run parallel to the pain of loss. More…

Gallery Watch

Glen LaMar Exhibit: Job & Paul: The Enigma of Faith

Spokane’s Clearstory Art Gallery is currently featuring a series of paintings by Northwest artist Glen LaMar. The exhibition, Job & Paul: The Enigma of Faith, explores the lives these two biblical characters through brilliant patterns and images that resound with light and emotion as he weaves the paradox of faith between the paint and the canvas. Clearstory Gallery is a new Fine Art Gallery located on the Life Center Campus 1202 N. Government Way near Spokane Falls Community College. Gallery Hours are 9-4 weekdays and during services. For more information, view their website at www.clearstorygallery.com.

Georges Rouault – Makoto Fujimura: Soliloquies

A current exhibition at the Dillon Gallery in New York City features the work of Georges Rouault and Makoto Fujimura. The collection pairs original works by the renowned Rouault with large-scale paintings Fujimura created in homage to him. While Rouault (a contemporary of Matisse, Picasso, and Chagall) has been associated with many artistic movements, he remains in his own category, difficult to classify either stylistically or thematically. The juxtaposition of Rouault’s work against that of a contemporary artist of Japanese descent who claims him as an influence presents this great painter in a contemporary global dialogue. The exhibition will run from November 12th until December 24th. For more information, click here.

Exhibit at Washington Theological Union

Don’t miss the new exhibit of paintings by Rev. Jaroslaw Gamrot displayed as part of Washington Theological Union’s Advent 2009 celebration. To learn more about the artist, click here.

Message Board
Post here to reach thousands of readers interested in the intersection of art and faith. We welcome messages about job listings, local events, conferences, prizes, calls for papers, and more. Submit your messages by sending an e-mail here.

Trinity Forum Academy: Accepting Fellowship Applications

Trinity Forum Academy, a nine-month national fellowship program based near Washington, D.C., is currently accepting applicants for the Class of 2011. The Academy will invite twelve Fellows to take part in a rigorous program of thoughtful lecture and discussion, spiritual formation, intentional community and servant-leadership, all designed to help them explore their callings in an intentional manner. Each Fellow pursues a research interest within their field alongside an experienced mentor. Members of the Academy Senior Faculty are Dr. Bill Edgar, Dr. Os Guinness and Dr. Joseph “Skip” Ryan. Past Guest Faculty and Speakers include Kelly Monroe Kullberg, Greg Wolfe, Makoto Fujimura and Francis Collins. Applicants two to four years out of college are considered based upon demonstrated Christian commitment, academic excellence, servant-leadership potential, desire to contribute to an intentional community, and passion to impact society. 2nd Round Applications Due: January 29 | Final Applications Due: March 10, 2010. Click here for more.

Integrity Weekend with Andy Crouch and D. Michael Lindsay

Applicants to the Trinity Forum Academy receive a special invitation to attend Integrity Weekend 2010: Responsible to Risk, January 29-31, 2010. The intimate event will bring together Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making, and D. Michael Lindsay, Rice University sociologist and author of Faith in the Halls of Power, to discuss Christian responsibility to steward cultural influence for the Kingdom. Anyone wishing to attend should contact Jake Thomsen here.

White Stone Gallery’s Call to Artists

White Stone Gallery announces a call to artists for the 2010 Juried Fine Art & Faith Exhibit, to be held March 5 - March 28, 2010 at the gallery's location in Philadelphia, PA. In addition to the exhibition in Philadelphia, accepted works will display online for one year. One piece will be the "Featured Selection" of the exhibit, and one artist will receive a year contract as a represented artist with White Stone Gallery. Entries are welcome in all mediums, with all work inspired by the Bible. The deadline for submissions is January 29, 2010. Learn more here.

Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist

Join Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, OblSB for a 6-week online class which integrates contemplative practice and creative expression. Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist explores our inner monk and artist archetypes and the ways monastic spirituality can support our work as artists and writers. There will also be another class offered entitled Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Contemplative Practice, which brings the ancient practice of lectio divina to photography in order to cultivate a deeper way of seeing the world. The first sessions of each class filled quickly, but the second sessions are being offered April 12-May 23, 2010. Take advantage of early registration discounts of $125 for each class or $200 for both. Sign up for the Abbey Email Newsletter to be notified of future classes, topics, and dates. You can register at www.AbbeyoftheArts.com/teaching or email Christine at Christine@AbbeyoftheArts.com.

ImageNews — The Scoop on Our Programs

Image Readings: Luci Shaw

Don't look for Luci Shaw lingering atop some contemplative mountaintop. She's just as likely to be flinging herself off it. Poet, spiritual essayist, bungee jumper, world traveler, and photographer, she comes by her words of wisdom by pondering on the go. In short, she's that rarest of rare birds, someone who finds a way to blend action and contemplation. Wherever she finds herself, Shaw keeps a sharp eye to the buzzing mystery at the edges of experience, her journal at the ready. Then she writes poetry and reflective prose, with a keenness and vigor that lovingly describes what Hopkins called the “inscape” of things. By turns sly and rowdy, earnest and perceptive, she tugs out the vital truth from under the appearance of things. Her mind is a joy to follow as it moves from the turning of a leaf into the turning of a thought. Whether she lingers over images of water, sky, and growing things in her poems—weaving them into startling, but mysterious associations—or burrows into the cavities of the soul to bring healing with exhortation, one can't help but feel moved to answer to Shaw's calling to a deeper sort of life. Now it's just a matter of keeping up with her. Click here to listen to four poems read by Shaw.

Want to Work for Image This Summer?  

Are you an undergraduate student who'd like to work for Image this coming summer? Or do you know someone who might be interested? The purpose of the Luci Shaw Fellowship is to expose a promising student to the world of literary publishing and introduce him or her to the contemporary dialogue about art and faith that surrounds Image, its programs, its contributors, and its peer organizations. In short, we're looking for summer fellows who share our vision for the place art has in the life of faith, and who are also diligent, meticulous, and responsible about the daily details. There's grunt work galore in this job, but also plenty of opportunities to grasp the vision at the heart of a dynamic arts organization. The Shaw Fellow will also receive a scholarship to Image's Glen Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Applications are due February 1, 2010. For more information and to download an application, click here.

The Milton Center Postgraduate Fellowship: Call for Applications  

The Milton Center postgraduate fellowship brings emerging writers of Christian commitment to Image, where their primary goal is to complete their first book-length manuscript in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. During their time at the Center, fellows will have a rich experience of literary and spiritual community; they will interact with the editorial staff of Image and the English department at Seattle Pacific University, participate in the Friday writer's workshop, and enjoy the lively literary scene in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information and to download an application, click here.

"Time to Support Image": A Poem

It’s twenty years since Image first
Began, to see its readers versed
In art that occupies a space
Of craftsmanship combined with grace.
Since then our reach has grown quite wide—
A matter of no little pride—
And what began a simple book
Through hard work, prayer, support, and luck
Has blossomed from its humble start.
Can you think of your favorite part?
Perhaps to touch the glossy page
At breakfast, or to watch the stage
As Over the Rhine begins to sing?
It’s hard to pick a single thing:
The Glen, Good Letters, and IU
Are just a bit of what we do
To bring together those who see
The need for art and mystery.
That’s why this time of year we ask:
Please make a gift so we can last,
And keep providing what we feel
Is work that’s challenging and real.
You know the why, you know the how—
Help prove that grace is “Always Now.”

Please take a moment to read this year's annual appeal letter, which ties in with editor Gregory Wolfe's recent editorial, "Always Now."

Subscribe to Image in Print and Get More Art, Fiction, Poetry, Essays, Interviews, and Every Good Thing  

If you like reading about great new art and writing inspired by faith in ImageUpdate, and you're ready to get down to reading and seeing the stuff itself, it's time to subscribe to Image. Each quarter our editors comb the world of art and letters to bring you our favorite new work—work that respects transcendent mystery as well as the gritty truth of the material world that bears the divine imprint. A one-year subscription gets you four beautifully produced issues delivered right to your door. Ninety percent of the journal's content is not available on our website, but only through what we call "the sacrament of print." Click here to get the magazine Terry Tempest Williams calls "evocative and inspiring" and Bret Lott calls "the most meaningful literary journal being produced today."

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