by Allison Woods | Jun 9, 2010 | News Slider
The diversity of the plenary addresses helped the Christian Scholar’s Conference stir conversation and challenge boundaries of perception. John Elkins and John Patrick Shanley both typified their speaking experiences during the weekend gathering at Lipscomb as pleasantly surprising. Neither artist knew much about his potential audience prior to coming here, but they both said the offer to speak at Lipscomb was too intriguing to ignore. A Church of Christ audience is not often presented to these two seasoned speakers. This year’s conference focused on all areas of the fine arts. Elkins opened the entire weekend of scholarship with a look at art and religion. “Two worlds that were once inseparable but have become estranged.” said Laura Lake Smith, chair of the Art Department, describing the reason for the weekend-long examination. Elkins’ invitation was triggered by his book on religious art. He wrote a book blurring the lines on what it means to combine religion and art. His speech was based on his arguments in the book. He talked about the art critics’ immediate dismissal of anything overtly religious. However, Elkins presented criteria for the art world’s acceptance of work that has religious undertones, even claiming that some artists are subconsciously religious. One marquee name — Thomas Kinkade — has been dismissed because he includes an overt statement with his work. Other artists like him similarly are cast aside from serious consideration because of their overtly religious statements. “The difference between conservative and progressive art schools [is based on] their opinion of Kinkade,” Elkins said. Elkins claims that one reason religion and art have been separated is because the topic is not presented in any mediums. Magazines and journals, textbooks, and...
