Saving Beauty

October 18, 2011

Dear Friends of IMAGE:

Beauty Will Save the World.

It’s a phrase from Dostoevsky that has haunted me for years. What does it mean? To some it’s blasphemous and to others just sentimental.

I believe something mysterious and profound is hidden within those five words.

In a world that’s suffering from constant strife and argumentation about truth and goodness—or, at times, an exhausted apathy about whether they’re worth pursuing—beauty has the capacity to slip in under the radar and open us up to the wonder and mystery of being alive. It takes us out of ourselves and puts us in a condition not unlike reverence.

When we are caught up in beauty, we can also find common ground—suddenly we discover that we share something deep and vital—something that might even be more important than our differences and disagreements.

Moreover, beauty also tempers the relentless pragmatism that dominates our culture and threatens to reduce everything to political or economic ends.

Seeking out and showcasing beauty—and sensing its relationship to the divine—has always been the mission of Image journal and all of our programs.

It’s a mission that the world needs, but it’s also something that each of us needs in our own life, especially if we are to become more imaginative, compassionate people. Which is what we hear from you again and again:

What brings me back to the Glen Workshop is what you say in the tagline that “a week can change a life.” For me, it’s more about saving my life than changing it. Being in an environment that doesn’t encourage art or trenchant thinking, I need to come back every year. (Tara Mansbridge Owens)

Your letter arrived this morning, delivered by Vespa to my mailbox in Singapore. My name in elegant script added a noble touch...and somehow made me feel that I’ve hooked up with the right kind of people for this writing journey. Sounds silly, but I feel like sticking the envelope up on my fridge because it speaks to me of community, artistry, humanity, friendship. (Mona Stuart on The Glen Online)

Image doesn’t do walls. It builds…a community that continues to expand and bring in the new so that it can stay alive. (Kim Alexander, on Image’s vision)

I’m always floored by the eloquence of those who write us. I’m also deeply grateful that so many of you match that eloquence with generous financial support, because you know that art and beauty need support to make their way into the world.

Here’s Tara Mansbridge Owens again, on why she gives:

I know a gift to Image is a sacrifice. I know what kind of economic environment we’re in. And I know that writers and artists are not necessarily valued in a time of survival. But I just went through a year of surviving and the writers and artists I encountered through Image helped get me through. To feed that part of your soul is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for the whole year.

We hope you agree, and so we ask you: Will you help us to bring saving beauty to the world?

Your gift of $35, $50, $100, $500, or more will help us continue to build the community and support the artists who open us to imagination and compassion.

You might also consider our monthly giving option, which allows you to spread out a larger gift over time. Just click “Donate” below and you’ll see the options.

Thanks again from all of us at Image. Blessings on you and yours.

Cordially,

Gregory Wolfe
Editor