If you haven’t checked out the new design redux over at St. Austin Review, do so! It’s simple, creative and I think perfectly in tune with their goal and mission is–it’s not trying too hard to be what it’s not.

One feature of the new web site is the StAR blog, the Ink Desk, featuring snippets of the faith and culture conversation.

Read my first entry on Grassroots Films search for interns.

This great video, “March of the Unqualified” from Igniter Media is a fantastic use of media for evangelization, and a reality check for those who use false humility as an excuse for delaying Church involvement and conversion. Unfortunately, it’s a little expensive. Check out a preview here.

Read NY Times Op-Ed Columnist Ross Douthat here. He opens up the cancerous body of work and operates from head to toe, noting that Brown isn’t just your run of the mill anti-Catholic bigot, but an avant garde DIY hater of organized religion in general:

“Piggybacking on the fascination with lost gospels and alternative Christianities, he serves up a Jesus who’s a thoroughly modern sort of messiah — sexy, worldly, and Goddess-worshiping, with a wife and kids, a house in the Galilean suburbs, and no delusions about his own divinity.

But the success of this message — which also shows up in the work of Brown’s many thriller-writing imitators — can’t be separated from its dishonesty.”

That’s right folks. Douthat’s calling him a liar. In the NY Times. Sweet.

As a side note, I went to this Theology on Tap last week that, contrary to its description, was a thorough treatment of the book and movie, “Angels and Demons,” along with a fantastic overview of the Church’s teaching on art and film. Dr. Daniel VanSlyke, Associate Professor of Church History at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, was great, if not an eensy weensy bit long-winded. I’ll post the audio when I get it.

Today’s blog entry is a diplomatic (d)evaluation of the Kennedy Center’s new national recession support initiative, “Arts in Crisis.” Arts in Crisis, or AIC for short (pronounce it “ache”–it fits the recession ambiance), isn’t so much a bail out as a hand up. For some.

Though the Washington Post article says the initiative is for arts organizations, it’s actually performing arts organizations which means, “Hey, VSA Arts, we love your artwork, but unless you clients can dance, sorry.”

Which is precisely Mr. Taylor’s point. The initiative, the web site, the web site video, the Washington Post piece (and very nice portrait, Mr. Michael M. Kaiser); it’s all very nice, but it’s not THE answer. Not even close. Mr. Taylor posits,

“The crisis in the arts, or any other industry, is an ecological one. Any crisis can certainly benefit from unilateral and independent action. But a more resilient and encompassing response would also include recognition and interconnection of the entire ecosystem that provides coaching, counseling, mentorship, and responsive strategy support to organizations and leaders at the edge of collapse.”

Sounds great, Taylor. Does Bolz Center have a GP? Perhaps. But that’s the point. We’re all supposed to have a hand in the GP for Arts & Cultural Survival in an era of non-profit and philanthropic downsizing. Where shall we begin?

Do read the article. It’s not a sound bite, hyper-summarized, bite size chunk of cultural niceties and theoretic sentamentalism, so don’t expect something that the average Facebook user would read and dig. It’s probably not something your average artsy fartsy person would dig either. Average, I said. It’s edgy, and a little (wee) bit long, but it’s worth the perseverance. So read it. It might offend you, and that’s okay I say. Truth offends. If we had more people willing to offend the Church we’d be in a much different place in respect to many things today.

Favorite quotes:
“A nearly universal response to contemporary art today–one that impressively transverses race, creed age, or class–is ‘What?’”

“The decades to follow gave us conceptual art, landscape art, performance art, outsider’s art, found art, and (most revealingly perhaps) auto-destructive art.”

“The cult of celebrity–with its exorbitant votive prices–drives the art world today, leaving envy and resentment in its wake: a convocation of belligerent eagles.”

“We are waiting not for a Godot, but for another–doubtless very different–St. Benedict.” And lo, our Benedict has come.” [Props to Matt for the B16 reference--check his flickr account for his pics from the April Pope visit]

 

And perhaps I’m not commenting because there are plenty of people out there. Barbara Nicolosi of Church of the Masses and screenwriting fame, and no stranger to cutting words is hitting it hard against “Christians” for “change” whose idea of hope is a campaign slogan, not a theological virtue.  

You’ll probably want to take a break if you’ve just followed the Church of the Masses link. It’s a little heavy, and will make what I’m about to seem trivial. Comparatively so. However, for those of us whose livelihood depends on the generosity of others, it may be a little worldly hope in dark times. 

It turns out the upside of de facto socialism (besides awakening a sleeping giant) may be increased giving, says the Chronicle of Philanthropy. So, sit tight, buckle down, develop strategic relationships, because the Lord needs you more than ever.