Arts For a Better Future Training Events This Summer

Back in February I posted about the ethnoarts training conference Arts For a Better Future that would be occuring this summer in the UK.  Here is a reminder about that plus an upcoming offering coming to Dallas this June!  For more info about both events see the press release below:

ARTS FOR A BETTER FUTURE:

This one week get-your-feet-wet arts exploration event is where participants enjoy inspiration, encouragement, skill development, and networking with like-minded people. Come broaden your palette of tools for cross-cultural arts engagement by learning how to be better catalysts and co-creators for local, indigenous creativity.

The newly published book Creating Local Arts Together: A Manual to Help Communities Reach Their Kingdom Goals (see site here) serves as the foundation for our interactive instruction time (participants get a free copy!). We infuse the entire event with real life experiences to illustrate how to help communities draw on their artistic resources to respond to their spiritual, social, and physical needs.

Sign up for emails that will let you know about future ABF events and the registration details and deadlines: http://eepurl.com/wtuef

Current venues for ABF (click on links for more information):

Dallas - Arts for a Better Future - June 3-8, 2013 (Workshop: non-credit)
Register by April 15 for the early-bird price ($295). After April 15 price is $350. All registration ends May 15.

England - Arts for a Better Future - July 7-12, 2013 (Credit available through All Nations Christian College)

Videos:

England 2011 - http://tinyurl.com/AiMvideo6 (6 minutes)

England 2011 - http://tinyurl.com/AiMvideo3 (3 minutes)

Dallas 2012 - http://tinyurl.com/ABF2012video  (6 minutes)

Ethnoarts Training in UK: Arts For a Better Future

If you will be in the UK in July of this year and want to receive training in using arts cross-culturally in missions, then please check out the Arts For a Better Future program that will be offered at All Nations Christian College near London.  The brochure for the week-long event states:

This course is designed for arts practitioners who want to use their skills in cross-cultural mission or multicultural contexts. The training will be focused on giving practical and creative research skills to work in a cross-cultural community alongside local musicians, dancers, actors, artists and storytellers. The aim is for you to be able help local communities draw on their artistic resources to help them respond to their spiritual, social and physical needs and help them move towards the kingdom of God.

Arts for a Better Future is run by All Nations in partnership with the International Council of Ethnodoxologists.  Leaders of the event will be Dr Robin Harris, Dr Brian Schrag, Ian Collinge and Jill Ford.  Read and/or download the event brochure here.

Below is a video of the same event presented in Dallas last summer:

Resources for EthnoArts and World Missions

Through a series of fortunate links, I came across a webpage explaining EthnoArts at Ethnê, a global network focused on serving the 28% of the world's people without access to the Good News of Jesus the Savior.  Ethnê gives a introductory history about how the EthnoArts movement began during preparations for the Ethnê 09 event in Bogota, Colombia.  It then goes on to mention two EthnoArts Strategy Groups, one in Southeast Asia and one based in Latin America.

EthnoArts & Media trip to the Solomon Islands

This just in from International Council of Ethnodoxologists:

Once every four years, Pacific artists gather together to celebrate both their common heritage in the arts (visual, song, dance, theatre, etc.) as well as their cultural diversity.  The Solomon Islands will host the 2012 FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS (FOPA), expected to draw 3000 participants from the region.

This summer a Wycliffe Discovery trip will offer a unique opportunity for ethnoarts, videography, and communications students (and professors) to participate in the festival through the following:

• cultural, linguistic, medical, & team building orientation (Dallas - 1 week)
• attending an “Arts in Mission” field training course (Dallas - 1 week) [based on the AiM training in England last fall – see the video here]
• leading an “Arts in Mission” workshop in the Solomons before FOPA
• facilitating short courses during FOPA
• creating an audio-video documentation of the event to give to the Solomon Islands sponsors

To get prerequisites, application, and other details, see: 

http://www.wycliffe.org/Go/ShortTerm/DiscoveryTrips/DiscoveryTrips.aspx
Contact: lee_montgomery@wycliffe.org for more information.

Note! Applications accepted until March 8.

Arts in Mission 2011 Conference Video

Last month I traveled to Hertfordshire, U.K., to attend the Arts in Mission 2011: Training for Cross-Cultural Ministry conference at All Nations Christian College (see my post here).  Since that post, both a three-minute and six-minute video synopsis of the conference was posted online.  Please check out the longer video below in order to get a better understanding of the conference's purpose, and an overview of the manual which we explored while there (it's due to be published in the fall of 2012).

Mongolian Christian Celebration Uses Visual Art

Back in June Ariunaa, a Southeast Asian living in Mongolia, contacted me about an upcoming worship celebration in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia that took place in September (2011).  Ariunaa had discovered some of my artwork, specifically this ceramic bowl called Risen Lord of Heaven and Earth.  She explained that the celebration in Ulaanbaatar was commemorating 20 years of the Gospel in Mongolia, and that people from all over Mongolia would be attending.  The event's worship leader had asked her to train a group of believers in using flags for worship; nine banners would be used during the celebration, and she wanted to know if they could adapt my bowl image for one of them.  Of course, I quickly agreed!

A Busy September!

I've been back at home for about a week, after having been out out of town for two weeks in September.  I wanted to give a report on what I've been doing, since all of it related to arts and missions.