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By Lindsay McLaughlin
The atrium is a
greenhouse of creativity. At any moment you may find chidren painting,
arranging flowers, practicing calligraphy, planning a play, writing stories,
or composing a song. The atrium is a greenhouse of creativity. At any
moment you may find children painting, arranging flowers, practicing calligraphy,
planning a play, writing stories, composing songs. These artistic expressions
flow effortlessly from each child in an unstoppable stream. The children
are bold, eager to try out any art form. They are not inhibited by any concerns
or judgments about the end product. For them, the process itself is exciting,
energizing, and quite satisfying. There is no fear. There is only joy.
In the environment
of the atrium, each child comes to know more deeply and understand more fully
the essence of faith: God is, and God loves. One fruit of this knowledge
is the freedom to create. Our work and our art is an expression of ourselves.
If we know that we are loved, we also know our creations will be loved and
blessed. Children understand this intuitively, and so they draw, dance, sing,
paint, write with abandon.
The art coming
to life in the atrium is not just a resounding confirmation of the child's
relationship with God. It is also part of God's great work of redemption.
In an earlier issue of Echoes we spoke of the power of story and storytelling
used in the parable method. What is true of the creativity inherent in
storytelling is true of other art as well. Clarissa Pinkola Estes in her
little book The Gift of Story says about storytelling, "... the ultimate
gift of story ... is that by the recounting of the tale, the greater forces
of love, mercy, generosity and strength are continuously called into being
in the world." I believe that is true of any creative act, that by the very
doing of it, the greater forces of love, mercy, generosity and strength are
continuously called into being in the world.
What is true on
the cosmic scale is true on the personal plane: creation comes out of love
and by definition gives form to chaos and releases "soulforce" , life energy,
love into the universe. The act of creation is redemptive.
It gives a new
perspective on the atrium to think of it as a center of redemption in this
way. We see that artistic expression is not just something that we let the
children do because it is good for them, or because it releases tension,
or because they need a break from the "real" work of learning about Jesus.
Their artwork is essential to their relationship with God, and it is part
of the mystery of faith.
This issue of ECHOES includes reflections
on art work created by children in the atrium, an overview of the Developmental
Stages of Children's Art, and practical suggestions on how to support the
child's creative work in the artium.
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Art
and the Work of God