September 2024 Culture Care Newsletter

Heading Image: ​“Oceans” from Wild Wonder, copyright © 2024 Stephen Proctor.

A Note from IAMCultureCare

September often hints at a change that has not yet fully arrived. I’m mindful of this as I write, looking out onto a sun-drenched landscape that, though still very much green, is subtly expectant. The milder temperatures too are a pleasant but ephemeral reminder of coming cold. My commute has begun taking longer now that school buses and parent-chauffeurs are on the road again. And I will soon take up my instrument and music folder for a new year of orchestra and choir rehearsals. In our digital-dominated environment (how ironic it is to use words such as ​“environment” or ​“landscape” to describe disembodiment), it’s easy for me at least to lose sight of the cycles evidenced by the natural world. I am always grateful for the fresh, delightful surprise of these moments of transition that ground me in reality.

I recently read a reflection by Timothy Jones on Emily Dickinson not as a poet but as a botanist (surprisingly to me, but perhaps not to those who know her biography better, is that she was likely better known in her lifetime as a gardener than as a poet!). Jones, via Dickinson, underscores the potential of attentiveness to nature to be life-transforming. Nature permeates Dickinson’s vivid poetry, and I am inspired both to read and attend to the words and worlds within it.

I hope this newsletter issue might similarly be refreshing to you. This month, Makoto Fujimura reports on his recent trip to Japan, how you can start your own Culture Care groups, and why that is vitally important today. Then, I interview Stephen Proctor on his new book which extravagantly speaks to nature’s ability to hint beyond. Stephen’s stunning photography graces our newsletter heading; and, while we lament the low-resolution required for this publication, be sure to read the interview below for a high-res download provided by Stephen just for IAMCC readers! As always, upcoming Culture Care events and thoughtfully provoking web links are also below.

Jacob Beaird, Editor

A Note from Makoto Fujimura

We just returned from our trip to Tokyo to set up museum exhibits for the 2027 – 28 cycle. It takes several years to plan a museum exhibit and we will update you on this major retrospective in Japan in future newsletters.

One of the delights in visiting was to be reconnected with Miki, who has been a long time IAMCultureCare core member in Japan, and yet, through various circumstances, has been less active. She became a Christian in her days at the Tokyo University of Art when I was there. In Christian terms, Miki would be my spiritual ​“granddaughter”, and is an innovative artist herself. During that time, she married Matsuda san (nicknamed ​“Rabbit”), who was the leader of the IAM group. I had the privilege of helping him come to know Christ. ​“Rabbit” was diagnosed with colon cancer a few years after my leaving Japan, and my December Hour painting (see above) is an elegy of his early passing. Miki is now remarried and her husband, a systems engineer and an able chef, cooked this dinner with Miki for us. Haejin and I, along with Keiko Yanaka (who has been a key IAMCultureCare leader and a resident Sado (tea) practitioner, influencing Stephen Proctor who is highlighted here) and her husband, were treated to a feast.

We delight in reunions and feasts! Miki, at the table, expressed that: ​“I wonder if we can reignite IAM gatherings in Japan? I’d like to be the host.” Haejin then encouraged her to start meeting, with or without our presence. So you will be hearing from us about their gatherings in the future, culminating in my major museum exhibit in Japan.

You might be wondering, with Miki, ​“How do I start a Culture Care group?” I outline the easy steps in my Culture Care book. Start with at least three members that represent the three different ​“capitals”: Creative, Social, and Material. Creative capital may be you the artist, but find another person to host and support (such as Miki’s husband), and third person (such as Keiko and Osamu) who excels in hospitality. I note in Culture Care that if you at least have two out of three capitals, the gathering is sustainable; but, if you have three out of three, then it will be a generative movement!

Now, what you call your local Culture Care group is entirely up to you. You can name it something original that fits your local context and group identity. As your group grows, you may also eventually want to create the structure of an independent, local board and form a not-for-profit organization (independent from IAMCultureCare), but begin by gathering in small groups over coffee/tea or in your homes or churches. These newsletters are designed for such a group to read and discuss, along with many other resources (including my books) that would be helpful to read together. You could go see a movie together and discuss, or go to a zoo and have family outings. The most important factor is getting to know each other, praying for each other (even if you are not religious), and supporting each other in friendship. There is no pressure to ​“do” anything other than getting together at first. But if you have these three ​“capitals” represented, it will inevitably become an active group that will be winsome to others.

Why is meeting so important? In our polarized, divided times, we need to see the world as artists do (my forthcoming new book with Yale University Press entitled Art is: A Journey into the Light will explain this in detail). Artists see in ​“panorama” mode, glimpsing subtle refractions in the mystery of the world around us. We need to rejoice in the complexity of our societies and natural world. And we need to see that despite the challenges and impossibilities of being an artist or a creative catalyst seeking beauty in a fragmented world — and, perhaps like Miki, even after years of going through darkness — that we can find hope and friendship leading to a coming feast.

Yours for Culture Care,

Mako

Culture Care Interview

Stephen Proctor — artist, landscape photographer, longtime friend of Makoto Fujimura and others in the Culture Care movement — just released his first book, WILD WONDER: What Nature Teaches Us About Slowing Down and Living Well, which eloquently describes just that through Stephen’s words and aerial photography. IAMCC recently interviewed him on the book and its relationship to Culture Care. Stephen has also made one of the images from Wild Wonder (appearing in this issue’s heading above) available as a high-res wallpaper download for IAMCultureCare readers, here.

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Jacob Beaird: You’re an artist of many talents: landscape cinematographer, aerial photographer and drone pilot, projection artist, curator; what led you to add ​“author” to that list of titles, and relatedly, what first prompted Wild Wonder as a whole project?

Stephen Proctor: Not confusing at all, right?! Especially when a family member is trying to explain to a friend asking, ​“So what exactly does he do again?” Haha.

The idea for Wild Wonder actually came from a friend of the Culture Care community who you recently featured in this newsletter: Paul Pastor! Paul has become a close friend in recent years, especially as we’re neighbors in the Columbia River Gorge. In March 2022, he excitedly called me about an idea for a nature-based book that some of his co-workers were dreaming up. He had shown them my Instagram feed filled with landscape visuals, and that piqued their curiosity. And that’s how the ball got rolling!

But I didn’t initially see myself as an author, and I tried to get out of writing. I just saw myself as the ​“visuals” guy. My first idea was to collaborate with someone like Paul, so that I could focus on the imagery and let a real author write the words. But some friends (including Paul & his team) encouraged me to give writing a chance. So I did. And then the words and stories started flowing. And here we are! I’m so glad I listened to those who saw something in me that I did not see in myself. 

JB: One of the unique things about Wild Wonder is the multidisciplinary approach, which includes your photography, essay reflections, interviews, suggestions for further engagement, and — audaciously for book format — music. Can you share a bit about how and why you curated a ​“soundtrack” to accompany the words and images?

SP: I’ve always loved immersive, multi-sensory experiences. Music has been a strong and consistent layer throughout my whole life, from childhood to my career in the music industry. While I am a visual artist, the real magic in my art happens in the fusion of the visual with the audible. Word and image. Sound and sight. Matching visuals with music, whether in a live concert or a music video, is when my inner child transforms into a wizard! The same goes with my experiences in nature.

No matter the type of landscape or experience, I am always on the hunt for the right soundtrack to underscore the moment. One way I’ve done this is by curating a playlist to serve as an overall soundtrack for the book. But I didn’t stop there. I’ve also curated five individual playlists for each type of landscape featured in the book: Oceans, Forests, Rivers, Ice, & Mountains—totaling over 16 hours of music! Most of the music is instrumental, though I’ve snuck in a few lyric-based songs related to nature, along with some choral pieces that elevate my soul like the sight of a majestic mountain. Each song was carefully selected and ordered to flow with the photography & stories. I hope readers enjoy it as an optional soundtrack for their reading experience, as well as an accompaniment for their next adventure into the wild!

In addition to the curated playlists, music is a recurring theme throughout. Instead of using the word ​“chapter” for each landscape section, I’ve used the word ​“suite”, borrowing the term from the classical music world. And at the end of each landscape ​“suite” is a contribution from a composer who’s scored a project related to nature in some way, further connecting the senses of sight and sound through the eyes and ears of other artists.

JB: The subtitle to the book is ​“What Nature Teaches Us About Slowing Down and Living Well”; are there any ways you see Culture Care and the natural world interacting with each other? What lessons might we learn from nature for our Culture Care work?

SP: A phrase many of us are familiar with is ​“Creation Care” — rightfully stewarding the resources of our planet, as well as protecting the natural world from humanity’s greed, ambition, abuse, and irresponsibility. Creation Care is an invitation for both Beauty and Justice. But to care for Creation is also to care for ourselves and our culture, as well — not just the natural world. For they are one and the same:

“We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we’ve lost our connection to ourselves.” 

- Andy Goldsworthy

Looking to nature for lessons and metaphors is something I learned from Mako, who graciously wrote the foreword for the book. Not only is the image of a ​“garden” the primary metaphor for Culture Care, but it is the original setting where our creator charged us with the stewardship and protection of his creation. Another image Mako has often used is the estuary — where the river meets the ocean — a transitional space where multiple ecosystems swirl together, teeming with life and generative possibilities. This follows the teachings of Jesus, who used metaphors from nature all the time! Nature consistently deepens our faith. And how we might mimic creation in our efforts to care for culture is an invitation into the New.

JB: Is there anything you’d like to share with the IAMCultureCare community?

SP: Gratitude! For over a decade, IAMCultureCare has been responsible for introducing me to other like-minded artists through organizing conferences, retreats, tea ceremonies, gallery exhibits, podcasts, and live-streams. This community has had an incredible impact on me, not only influencing my art but also my faith. And because of this, I have unlikely friends spread all over country and even the world! I’m so grateful to find belonging in this generous, hospitable, whimsical & hilarious group of creative exiles!

JB: What’s next for you?

SP: To be honest, I don’t know. While I have a few gigs on the calendar, including a trip to New Zealand, I have quite a bit of open bandwidth. I hope the coming days include a variety of opportunities, from getting my work into more art galleries to filming in some wilder places. I’d also like to get more deeply involved in the work of creation care and conservation. 

I also feel drawn to explore arid landscapes, deserts, and desolate wildernesses. Wild Wonder focuses on landscapes that contain an abundance of water and life; exploring the stark opposite of these realities feels like the next natural adventure. I am open to what lies ahead. 

Interview has been edited for length.

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Stephen Proctor is a visual artist who specializes in landscape cinematography and aerial photography to curate calming, imaginative experiences. His book WILD WONDER: What Nature Teaches Us About Slowing Down and Living Well is available now wherever books are sold. For more information and to see Proctor’s work, check out his website or Instagram.

Culture Care Events

• 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.
• Beauty & Justice Lecture Series and Exhibit — Philadelphia, PA, 2024 – 2025 Dates TBA. Makoto and Haejin Shim Fujimura selected as the University of Pennsylvania Office of Social Equity & Community’s Equity in Action Visiting Scholars for the 2024 – 25 academic year. Mako and Haejin will present four lectures on the topic of ​“Beauty+Justice”, more details forthcoming.
• Creative Conference — Church of the City, NYC, Oct 12. Creative.NYC presents a one-day conference on the arts in the city. Makoto Fujimura will give a keynote address.
• Refractions Author Talk —Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, Oct 25. Makoto Fujimura will give a talk on the 15^th Anniversary edition of his book Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art, and Culture.

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

• Andrew Newell reflects on the metaphysics and museology of the MET Cloisters, for The Beuchner Review.
• A look back at the storied life of a reference librarian, pre-Google.
• Interview with E. Lily Yu on her new book, ​“Break, Blow, Burn, and Make: A Writer’s Thoughts on Creation”.
• Maria Popova reports on the sound visualizations of the Victorian singer and inventory Margaret Hughes Watts.
• Le Louvre’s upcoming exhibition of the Fool opens in October.
• A brief but moving account of the power of music (in this instance, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vespers). Pair it with this magnificent recent recording of the same piece, or for more quantitative proof, Ted Gioia’s reporting on the cutting edge medical research using sound to successfully treat all manner of things from comas to cancer.
• Julia Hendrickson and Makoto Fujimura’s August Belonging Conversation, on AI and social media.

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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.