ruah arts group

Coming up Saturday and Sunday July 12th and 13th, make plans to be on the Capitol Square for the 50th Annual Art Fair on the Square, presented by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Art Fair on the Square. It’s the 50th anniversary of the Art Fair, so MMoCA is really doing it up big this year! Not only will nearly 500 artists be displaying their works in a variety of media, there will be 3 entertainment stages and lots of fun family activities. The free live music includes Mark Croft, Lou and Peter Berryman, Tift Merritt and more. See the full lineup here

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As discussed in the “Beauty Will Save the World (Only if it’s Well-Funded)” post, there are opportunities for loving humanity (read: we need dinero). See also our Amazon book list.

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She’s tapped into my brain and spoken my wishes, inviting a real and concrete dialogue of the Church with the Arts. Actually, she wasn’t the progenitor of the invitation to dialogue. Our favorite Polish feminist in Heaven said it in ‘99 in his letter to artists, where he called for “a renewal of that fruitful dialogue that used to exist between the Church and the Arts.”

Booya.

Cool, but what have artists of faith done? Well, bits here and there, but Nicolisi goes on to name it and invite us to really concretely make an organized effort to answer this call.

Clearly, you cannot have dialogue without a forum, a message, and without a speaker. Our investments in Hollywood as Catholics should be geared to establishing and fostering all three of these.

She goes on to elaborate and define what she means by forum, message and speakers.

Then I realized part of my call–my desire in God–is to help create a forum, and not just a virtual forum (as fun as the blogosphere can be). I desire to re-create a physical forum for training, instruction and prayer. Additionally, I want this to be a place not just for artists, but for budding patrons. We need to teach people that supporting artists isn’t just a matter of personal taste or interior design, but a matter of philanthropy that sparks the very living flame of Love that will save the world from its dark drift into post-humanism.

Who, then, will help us?

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 See the work of an artist whose motto on her website is “Support a Vocation–Buy Art.”

She leaves in two weeks’ time to enter a convent in Florence, Italy.

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One of my favorite men asked two graces for his religious order. What do you think they were? Abundance of vocations to the order? Perhaps holy connections in high places? Nope. He asked the Holy Spirit for two perpetual gifts: Poverty & Persecution. And he has them. Through worship & suffering, the Lord is blessing their faithfulness.

He is such an example for me, and as I write a post to ask for help to do the Lord’s work in faith & culture, I wonder: shall I be so bold as Fr. Buela? Perhaps not. But I keep it strongly in my mind as I meditate on Ruah Arts Group’s mission and apostolate. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that “Beauty will save the world,” but Beauty needs help. We’re called to renew the face of culture from within by fellowship, formation and fraternal service. We’re called to inspire and instill transcendant values shine the light of faith in a world grown relative and dim. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that “Beauty will save the world,” but Beauty needs help. Can we do it with very little? Yes! We’re already doing it. However, we need some very basic things in order to move forward. Here is a short prayer (not wish) list of desired things to help us answer God’s call, ranging from grand gifts to small but important ones. Would you dare answer our prayer?

• Prayers & Sacrifices–the fuel for all we do! (Your time & love) 
• Costs to apply for non-profit status: (approx. $500-$600)
• Tuition to take “Way of Beauty Course,” & re-present the ressourcement ethos next year in Madison in a series of courses; (approx. $1200 US)
• Subscription to Arts Journals to build Ruah Library–St. Austin Review (StAR), Image Journal, Second Spring Journal, etc. ($25-50 per annum)
• Library Sponsorship–Amazon wish list in progress: (nameyourgift)
• Conference  & Retreat Fund. First event: December 2nd Artists’ Day of Recollection. We have a need to pay for gas and food for the priests coming to preach the retreat, as well as publicity materials and retreat materials. ($50-200)
• Name your inspiration or idea!

This is start, but as Plato said, “The beginning is the most important part of the work. We are perhaps beyond poor, but with your financial help, we could soon be just plain poor!

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