MOUNT VERNON, WA (March 16, 2009) – When Bethany Covenant Church recently held their second annual Family Fine Arts Festival, the congregation knew what they wanted to emphasize.
Fine art traditionally is defined as art forms valued for their aesthetic and conceptual characteristics rather than their usefulness, says festival coordinator Sukey Jacobsen. She adds, however, “We quickly realized that it would be too restrictive, and not everyone makes a distinction between art and craft.”
So the church played up the family aspect of the event to ensure that it also was cross-generational.
All of the artists were members of the church family, ranging from distinguished painters to children of the Sunday school classes. Through their art, the members “celebrate the gifts of God in the body of Christ,” says Jacobsen. “It was really fun for everyone to discover the hidden talents of some of their brothers and sisters.”
The art exhibitions were divided into four broad categories:
• Visual art, such as paintings, drawings, needlework, woodwork and jewelry.
• Literary art, including short stories, poetry and excerpts from longer works.
• Performance arts, like music, drama and mime.
• Culinary arts, ranging from delicate appetizers to tea and coffee service.
About 200 people from the church and community attended, says Jacobsen.
(Editor’s note: Gustav Skogens is a North Park University student completing an internship with the Department of Communication.)
