In this episode, Stephen talks with visual Paul Benney about his painting Speaking in Tongues, which is now on exhibit in Venice, Italy. Paul describes his secularist approach to the Pentecost story and tells how his exploration of the human spirit led him to a modern interpretation of the biblical narrative.
Read MoreThe Clang Quartet is an improvisational percussion/performance-art show, based metaphorically on the life of Jesus Christ. In this episode, Stephen talks with Clang Quartet founder, Scotty Irving about performance art as a vehicle of the gospel. The two discuss the need for resilience and tenacity in presenting uncommon or abstract forms of art. Scotty tells about his electrified crutch and the meaning behind the sound collages of his "harsh noise" genre of art.
Read MoreIn this keynote talk, Stephen Roach proposes that creativity is our birthright and essential to fulfilling God's original design for humanity. Stephen encourages that we are in the midst of a creative awakening and calls the church to break free from religious oppression into the creative liberty of sons and daughters.
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Matt Tommey is a woven sculpture artist living in Asheville, North Carolina. Matt has authored several books including "Unlocking The Heart of The Artist" and "Crafting Your Brand:
Simple Strategies for Cultivating a Successful Creative Career". In this episode, Matt and Stephen discuss Matt's process of utilizing natural materials for his sculptural works. The two talk through differentiations between process and product and how artists can move from concepts and ideas to a lifestyle of creative expression. *This episode features music by Zach Winters from the album "To Have You Around".
This episode is Part 2 of a conversation with Josh Garrels. In this episode, Stephen Roach discusses Josh's honest lyricism, how our families and cultural environments inform the art we make.
Read MoreJosh Garrels is a Portland, Oregon-based singer/songwriter who combines elements of hip-hop, world music and folk in his songwriting. His lyrics are characterized by a raw honesty in exploring themes of faith, hope and compassion.
In this episode, Josh discusses his background in music and the pathway which led him to a vocation as a professional, independent musician. Josh talks with Stephen Roach about balancing family life and touring as well as how the choices of our personal lives inform the art we create. This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.
Read MoreIn this keynote, worship leader and founder of the Burn 24/7 prayer movement, Sean Feucht challenges artists to live and create from an "ethos of amazement." Drawing from his work among refugees in Iraq, Sean calls upon artists to have imaginations which will "challenge the dominant reality" and offer hope instead of despair. This keynote was given at the 2017 The Breath & The Clay Creative Arts gathering in Winston-Salem, NC.
Read More"Art is often viewed as being inherently spiritual. But what does it mean to describe an experience of art or beauty as "spiritual"? Is there a relationship between the spiritual experience a person has in the presence of a work of art and the Holy Spirit of Christian faith?"
In this episode, Stephen Roach explores these ideas with theologian, Dr. Steven Guthrie. Their discussion centers on elements from Dr. Guthrie's book, Creator Spirit: The Holy Spirit & The Art Of Becoming Human. In their discussion, Stephen and Dr. Guthrie reference ideas from Plato, Russian abstract artist Kandinsky and the composer, Arnold Schoenberg. Dr. Guthrie unpacks how each of these artist's and philosopher's views of spirituality compares to the bible's depiction of the Holy Spirit.
Read MoreIn the month of February 2017, Stephen Roach composed and posted a new poem each day of the month. These poems were written in response to the "artless and often contemptible mood" found within social media. Stephen set out to offer "choreography instead of industry", beauty instead of hostility and to place "a carnation in the barrels of loaded guns". In observance of National Poetry Month, Stephen shares several of his poems from this collection of writings featuring music by Timbre, Songs of Water, Loudharp and Brandon Willet. #poetryismyprotest
Joining Stephen in this episode is artist, Melina Daniels of Overflow Studios in Boone, NC. Melina shares a story of how she and her husband Jacob responded to the 2016 Charlotte protests surrounding the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by setting up an outdoor art studio in the midst of the uprising.
Poetry is a vehicle of transcendence and social change. It is both protest and praise, a means of lifting the spirit and calling for action. In this episode, Stephen turns to the “ancient and analog” art of poetry as a means of response to the current challenges of our day.
**Special thanks goes out to Timbre, Loudharp, Songs of Water, and Brandon Willet for providing musical landscapes accompanying the poetry of this episode. Also, a special thanks to Elisa Cox, Eloise Corlett, Catherine Mi-Sook Roemer and Sarah Roach for voiceover contributions.
You can purchase a copy of Stephen's February poems at: stephenroach.org
Read MoreIn this keynote, Ray calls artists and creatives to dive deeper into the fathomless depths of God's presence as the source of hope and creative expression.
Read MoreIn everything from our worship, to the art we make to the way we live our lives amidst a secularized culture, beauty is the often overlooked, yet powerful component of sharing the reality of the gospel.
Read MoreThe loss of beauty as a principal value has been disastrous for Western culture and especially for the church. In this episode, author Brian Zahnd discusses the importance of returning to a Christian aesthetic and presenting the gospel as a beautiful alternative to the commercialism of society.
Read MoreIn this episode, Stephen interviews Colorado artist Dave Wilton of the music group Loudharp. Dave is a producer, recording engineer and also writes and performs under the name A Boy & his kite. His music has appeared in major releases such as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 and the upcoming independent, award-winning film The Remnant.
Read MoreLinnea Spransy is a visual artist based in Los Angeles, California. Since graduating from Yale University in 2001 with an MFA in painting, her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Internationally. Linnea maps out her compositions using intricate systems to explore the relationships between limitation and freedom. Her drawings and paintings coalesce a voracious interest in science, philosophy and theology.
Read MoreIn this episode, Stephen converses with Scottish artist Sarah Deshields of the band Broadcast Safe. Sarah is a photographer, a visual artist, singer/songwriter and co-founder of the Elysian Arts Collective in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stephen and Sarah discuss contemplation, her band's new album and and what it means to be a working artist, wife and mother.
Read MoreThis episode is a conversation with author Ken Wytsma discussing elements of his book, "Create vs. Copy: Embrace Change, Ignite Creativity, Break Through With Imagination. Host Stephen Roach talks with Ken about individualism and community, the importance of imagination and purposeful creativity within the community of faith. You can find out more about Ken Wytsma at: www.kenwytsma.com
Read MoreIn this episode, members of the cinematic orchestra, Songs of Water discuss the beauty and the difficulties of creative collaboration. The discussion centers around reflections on their creative process in making the album Stars & Dust. Throughout the episode, the band shares songs and snippets of the developmental stages of their works in progress. You can find out more about Songs of Water at www.songsofwater.com
Read MoreIn this episode, Stephen catches up with songwriter/composer Jonny Rodgers of Cindertalk and discusses the creative process in writing music for film. Cindertalk composes using tuned wine glasses combined with acoustic and electronic instrumentation. He recently composed the soundtrack for The Fourth Line Films release, "The Psalms" featuring Bono and Eugene Peterson. Cindertalk has collaborated with a number of artists such as Son Lux, Shara Warden of My Brightest Diamond as well as contributed to music for the movie, The Brother's Bloom. You can find out more about Cindertalk at: http://www.cindertalk.com You can read the blog mentioned in this episode at: http://www.stephenroach.org
Read MoreArt is an extension of the artist. The environments we create affect our relationship to the world around us. From the beginning of the Genesis story on, humanity has been invited to collaborate with the Spirit of God in establishing environments of beauty and justice on the earth. In this keynote, Stephen discusses how these elements share an important interactive relationship and how as artists, we can assist in establishing beauty and justice in our lives. You can see the film documentary "For The Love Of" mentioned at the beginning of this episode here.
Read MoreThis is an excerpt from a larger work on discovering our authentic voice. In this keynote, Stephen discusses the spiritual dimensions of our concepts of originality, imitation and comparison. This episode is a short primer on the paradox of the Christian notion of originality.
Read MoreIn this keynote, Stephen Roach gives the foundational heart and philosophy behind what has since grown into The Breath & The Clay creative arts movement. Drawing from the Creation narratives in Genesis 1 & 2, Stephen shows that creativity is the birthright of human beings and is essential to experience the fullness of life.
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