“If we were half as eager to publicly and passionately praise what is true and good in the world as we are to condemn what is false and evil, society would quietly transform.
And so would we.”
Paul J. Pastor, Via X
Heading image: Ballet class in a slum, photos taken by Makoto Fujimura.
A Note from IAMCultureCare
I’ve been reflecting on Paul J. Pastor’s post on X quoted in this newsletter’s blurb above. Pastor (a writer/poet) is right, and his words implicitly reflect a Culture Care message: meaningful cultural change (that is, not mere virtue-signaling) is always a result of individual transformation. It can be easy to bemoan societal malaise by blaming corporations or institutions. On the face of it, certain types of change — environmental, social justice, political — seem to require at least willingness to shift, if not outright action, from institutions for truly seismic impact. And yet, it is the movements of millimeters over time that create earthquakes. Culture Care, by celebrating the good, true, and beautiful in culture around us, amplifies and advocates for things we might otherwise miss but which have the tectonic power to transform our culture for the better, one person at a time.
This is in part why beauty and justice are linked. Advocacy creates generative opportunities for beauty to change lives, and beauty reciprocally inspires greater advocacy. Beauty quietly, gently, but insistently prompts a response: “Look, here is a beautiful thing among the wrack and ruin of the world. I am inexplicably a different person as a result of witnessing it. Now let it transform you.” Artists are often the most sensitive to this call, and thus can be the greatest advocates. Karen Lacy’s reflection below and photo above exemplify this so well (and if you want to hear more stories like hers, stay tuned for an upcoming Embers International film premiere which will be announced here).
It was great to see many of our community at the virtual celebration of Makoto Fujimura’s 15th Anniversary edition of Refractions earlier this week, where I was struck by a similar message. Mako read an essay from the new edition reflecting on his live-painting collaborations with percussionist Susie Ibarra. In it, he reminded attendees that while art may be “use-less”, that doesn’t mean it’s not crucial to understanding who we are through transformative encounters with beauty. Mako closed by encouraging all of us to form communities that can be spaces for transformation, for advocacy, for noticing and celebrating the beauty around us: beauty found in a ballet class in a slum, percussion and live painting in the New York art scene, or a Parisian arts ministry, as Mako writes about below.
Jacob Beaird, Editor
A Note from Makoto Fujimura, Founder of IAMCultureCare
The Summer Olympics always highlights remarkable athletic accomplishments, camaraderie, and rivalries. This Olympics began, however, with acrimonious and divisive culture war responses to French artists apparently mocking Da Vinci’s Last Supper (overlapping with the Bacchus feast) painting.
In response, I tweeted several long threads at @iamfujimura and @iamculturecare. How do you winsomely speak into a culture which seems trapped in culture war, knee-jerk responses? Here’s a first attempt at nuance, spoken in the voice of “Screwtape”. This attempt, in my obvious allegiance to C.S. Lewis’s path of creating a subtle, “coded” communication, hopefully models how to move beneath the surface rancor and noise of culture. When direct communication is paralyzed, meaningful communiqué must be sent through secret dispatches. It is significant that Lewis wrote the bulk of Screwtape Letters during war time. In such a time as ours, when social media can be taken over by disinformation, we need to develop a more sophisticated way of communicating what we believe and value. Take a look at my posted thread.
A few days later, I followed up with another twitter thread to help people move from culture war paths to a culture care path, and a specific recommendation. I want to close this month’s contribution with that letter of exhortation (edited further for this communiqué) to culture care:
Several days ago, I tweeted (through a Screwtape letter to Wormwood :)) in response to the Olympics Opening Ceremony debacle. Christians expressed how deeply offended we were. French culture and artists have been prone to clear anti-religious bias over the years. It’s a country whose faith has been waning despite the beauty and faithful traditions of the past.
Do you want to do something about it?
We met a young couple at a Rothko exhibit in Paris in Nov. They came up to me and said, “Are you Makoto Fujimura?” I was shocked but nodded and they told me, “We have read your books, have been following you and wanting to get in touch with you!”
Turns out that they are artists/missionaries (we might call them “deep cultural missionaries”) and they had just opened a gallery space in the central arts area of Paris. We toured the gallery and found a remarkable resonance to #CultureCare values. They said that their model was shaped by much of my writing and years of work in NYC as part of Dr. Tim Keller’s movement of loving our city, which became IAMCultureCare.
Instead of complaining about culture (which seems intent on making being a Christian very difficult) they are endeavoring to create a new wineskin movement with local artists. They are ministering and caring for their neighbors by loving them and being with them, and raising their young children in the midst of Parisian culture. They are living out their call to incarnate God’s love as dictated in Jeremiah 29.
Both of them are gifted artists who want to create a hospitable space for making. This is exactly what we need to support to actually make an impact on the cynical culture which we wrestle against.
So…if you reacted with an objection or two against the debacle at the Olympics, then would you consider giving them a small gift? Here’s the link that tells you more of their journey and how you can support them.
Also pray for them (let them know!) and ask God to renew our culture which is in desperate need of the light and love of Christ.
Thanks for considering my request!
Yours for Culture Care,
Mako
Guest Reflection
By Karen Lacy
“Dance is a song of the body…the hidden language of the soul.”
-Martha Graham
I’ve been a dance educator for over 30 years, passing along the joy of this incredible art form to next generations, given to me by incredible teachers and a loving, supportive family. I’ve taught ballet in private dance studios, pre-professional dance programs, public schools, and community centers, in inner cities, suburbs, and rural areas, to people of all ages. Among many things I love about dance is its universality. One can dance in any country in the world, no translation needed.
In February 2024, I had the privilege of traveling to South Asia with the organization I now work for, Embers International, whose mission is “to protect, restore, and empower victims of injustice with a goal to end intergenerational exploitation and prevent human trafficking.” We met many survivors of injustice and their children, courageously pursuing educational opportunities to live safe, healthy, empowered lives beyond the tragedies they’ve experienced. Walking through a slum area in the location we were working in, my heart broke. With so many tangible needs, how could our 7‑day visit serve these precious people?
Little did I know that in just a few 30-minute dance classes, I would see children smile in a way that I have almost never encountered, their bodies hungry to move, their ears soaking up the sound of beautiful classical music, their spirits lifted in an experience that helped them rise above the hardship of their lives. One little boy we visited in the slums lives in the public toilet with his parents and brother. He could barely look at us when we saw him on the street near his home, yet in the front row of my ballet class, his eyes were bright, his attention clear, his body lifted. He was singing without words, belying his life circumstances.
The great actor and acting teacher Stella Adler once said that “life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one.” Life is hard. The challenges of everyday living can press in and breed hopelessness. But one beautiful painting, shining note of music, or choreographed movement in response can bring beauty from the ashes, hope that lifts, and healing.
Karen Lacy is a Philadelphia-based dancer, dance educator, and advocate for victims of injustice through her work at Embers International
Culture Care Events
- Asian-American Abstraction Group Exhibit at Hollis Taggart Gallery —New York, NY, Now—September 5. Makoto Fujimura’s work is exhibited alongside historic and contemporary artists of the Asian-American diaspora.
- Painters, Prophets, Poets Conference — Oklahoma City, OK, Oct 4 – 6. Makoto & Haejin Fujimura will speak alongside Beth Moore, Malcolm Guite & Miroslav Volf on creativity, imagination, culture, and New Creation.
Do you have a news item or upcoming culture care event? Consider sharing it with us for a possible feature here in the newsletter! Email jacob@internationalartsmovement.org.
Web Links
- Instead of traveling, consider paying attention to things close to home, from Phil Christman for the Hedgehog Review.
- Preview of stunning music by Caroline Shaw for Ken Burns’ upcoming Leonardo da Vinci documentary.
- New York’s Adirondack Park as an example of sustainable conservation.
- How chiasmus in W.H. Auden’s The Shield of Achilles reveals the unique nature of humanity, from Alan Jacobs via Princeton University Press.
- Also from Princeton Press, some book recs on listening well, to celebrate World Listening Day.
- Contemporary weaving exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute through August 26.
All content in this newsletter belongs to the respective creators, as noted, and is used with permission. If you would like to submit something for consideration in a future newsletter issue, you may do so by filling out this form or by emailing jacob@internationalartsmovement.org.