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Seeds of Hope in Bloom: Holy Imagination Art Show

Buoyed by a Seeds of Hope grant from the Foundation, Oasis United Church in Penticton, BC hosted an art show as part of their Holy Imagination initiative.

The Holy Imagination project involves several initiatives aimed at experiencing the Holy through various creative opportunities. At their Pentecost Art Show, intergenerational artists explored the theme of Transformation.

“This was a wonderful community event. People brought their art to us from all over the community. The majority of the people who took part had never exhibited art in a public show before,” Oasis minister Rev. Keri Wehlander tells us. They received over 90 pieces of art to display, from participants ranging in age from 4 to 91 years old.

It was a time of connection and learning for the community of faith. Several people from the congregation submitted art and Keri says that others in the congregation were “astounded that members of the congregation had made these pieces of art! It was a delightful way for us to get to know each other.”. On the last day of the show, they held an ice cream social that attracted many people from the wider community, facilitating conversation about the art amongst folks who had never met before.

Artistic Journeys

Keri shares the story of a couple who participated in the show. “Her spouse has been suffering from Alzheimer’s. She had a series of paintings that he had painted, prior to the time he had developed Alzheimer’s and afterwards. The initial paintings were very detailed. Very realistic. And he has gradually become more abstract. There was a story that was told there in terms of what has been happening”.

Keri also tells of a social worker who invited two of her clients to submit art to the show. One of the men displayed a series of pencil drawings which served as a sort of diary of his experience in the shelter system. “He was very moved by having people come and see his journey and to be recognized as an artist. We had such a wide variety of people in this art show and every one of them felt like they were offering something that people appreciated. It was a way to celebrate the creativity in our midst.”

Thanks Be to a Creative and Creating God

“It was my first show I’d ever considered entering into… I never thought I’d be good enough. But it really surprised me when people liked my art and someone even wanted to have it. My first painting I ever did!” shares Dot, an artist who participated in the Holy Imagination art show.

Describing her painting which began as just seven spots on the canvas, Dot says “it became a beautiful ring of flowers and that said a lot to me. It gave me encouragement to trust myself that I can make a mark on paper and claim it. It made me feel a lot stronger… I was kind of secretly building up my personality with each dot on the paper. I fought it for so long, but I finally opened up my heart to whatever—I figure it was the Holy Spirit—if I just acknowledge that I will be giving something of value. And all I can do is thank God! Becoming an artist made me appreciate and recognize our Creator.”

Impact and Testimonials

Margot Newton, member at Oasis United Church, expresses her thanks for the Seeds of Hope grant. “I want to say how grateful I am for the support given for the Art show. There were so many people from the community that supplied art for people to view, sell or just enjoy and it was a real delight.” Fellow Worship Team member Nancy Wise echoes Margot’s thanks. “A huge, heartfelt thank you to the United Church Foundation for making something pretty amazing possible. We came up with the idea of “holy imagination”, and the creative arts and how the Holy is so much a part of that. And holy, did we ever experience that in our community art show!”

Plant Your Own Seeds of Hope… and Watch Them Bloom!

The United Church of Canada Foundation offers a variety of grant opportunities for organizations and individuals to bring life to the mission and values of the United Church. The Seeds of Hope granting program awards approximately one million dollars each year to support innovative United Church projects. Our spring granting round is open now! How will a funding boost from Seeds of Hope help your project take flight? Learn more and apply now: unitedchurchfoundation.ca/grants/seeds-of-hope.
 
We are always available if you need help completing your application. Should you have any questions, please email us at [email protected] .